Rope Care Recommendations
Disclaimer – Use these instructions as a guide only. Rope treatment depends on the type of rope you own, the products being used, the intended use of the rope and your personal preference for the end feel of your rope.
These are some recommendations on how to use our products.
Our Rope Lube, Rope and Body Oil, and Rope and Body Rub Bars will help to smooth, soften, protect and prolong the life of your ropes, leaving them with a light shine.
Well maintained and conditioned rope, is safer and longer lasting rope; less friction = less wear and tear.
For new, untreated ropes, we recommend softening them up first and de-fluffing a little, using a Dry Treatment Method or full Wet Conditioning.
If you can, cycle your ropes. Use the new ropes for your uplines only, until they have softened and smoothed down, then replace your older ropes.
However, if you’re willing to put in the time and effort initially, a full Wet Conditioning will yield the best results.
Just be careful not to over treat your rope, especially with heat, as this will weaken your rope and shorten it’s lifespan.
Red Rigger Rope Lube (soft wax blend) –
We recommend applying our soft rope conditioner to your new ropes, whenever your current ropes start to feel dry and/or scratchy and after frequent or strenuous usage. This wax blend can be used all on it’s own, or in combination with our other rope care products.
Apply to a cloth or hands and run over your rope slowly, starting with light pressure and increasing your grip steadily as you run the length of the rope. Now start from the other end. Then start from the bite/middle and move outwards. Repeat as needed until evenly distributed. You may want to leave the ropes for a day or two, to let the conditioner melt in, though this is not necessary.
If needed, especially if you have rope with a loose twist, we suggest lightly tensioning and twisting the ropes (in the direction of the twist) to re-set them. After you have twisted pull heavily on the rope from one end before releasing.
This process depends of course on your particular rope, so use as a guide to work out how best to treat your lovelies.
Rope and Body Rub Bars (hard wax blend) –
Our Rope Polishing Bars are best used after initial treatment, to help smooth down fuzzies and ‘seal’ the rope.
Simply rub the bar lightly over your ropes, or rub over hands and/or body. Use this wax sparingly.
By finishing with a hard wax over your ropes, you are helping to protect, smooth and seal them.
Rope and Body Oil (Organic Camellia Oil, Fractionated Coconut Oil, or Organic Hemp Seed Oil, with optional Shimmer or UV Effect) –
Dry and scratchy ropes need oils to soften the fibers and smooth down the surface. The oil will penetrate deeply into jute and hemp ropes, whereas waxes will sit more on top. Oiling your ropes helps make them easier to handle, and a much smoother ride for the rope bottom.
Apply in the same manner as our Rope Lube, just use a little more of this
Wet Conditioning
• Place rope in a large pot of boiling water. Fully immerse the rope (cover with something to weight it down in the pot if needed) and leave for up to 5 minutes. We have also placed rope in a lingerie bag in the washing machine on warm, gentle cycle and hypoallergenic fabric softener. It becomes quite tangled though.
• Remove, unravel and dry the ropes in a straight line from end to end, under light tension, adjusting tighter as needed, as it dries. Ensure rope is completely dry before continuing. DO NOT MISS THIS STEP.
• Run the ropes through your hands or a cloth, slathered in our Rope and Body Oil, or another deeply penetrating cosmetic or massage grade oil – DO NOT use food grade oil. Try to ensure even distribution along the ropes.
• Leave for 1 day, to allow the oil to penetrate. Apply more Rope and Body Oil, as needed/until you are happy with the feel, waiting 1 day between applications. Note – we usually apply 3 coats of oil.
• Singe fuzzies off of rope carefully with a camp stove or similar, do not burn the rope.
• OPTIONAL – Run the ropes through a cloth to remove any soot from singeing.
• Now apply Rope Lube generously and wait one day for it to absorb. Re-apply if needed. Note – we usually apply 2 coats.
• OPTIONAL – Instead of waiting a day, you can bake the rope in low temp oven until for 5 min. or so, just until the wax has melted in. Be careful not to overcook the rope.
• Lastly, apply the Rope and Body Rub sparingly. Note – we usually apply 1 light coating.
Apply more Rope and Body Oil, Rope Lube and Rope and Body Rub as needed during the rope’s life span.
Dry Conditioning
• Place one end of a rope over a carabiner and wrap the rope over itself three times, creating a kind-of figure 8 pattern. Then with one hand on each side of the rope, saw it back and forth three times, before changing hand position and moving along the rope, bit by bit until you reach the end. We call this ‘breaking the spine’. Note – we usually complete 4 cycles min. on each rope.
• Run the ropes through your hands or a cloth, slathered in our Rope and Body Oil, or another deeply penetrating cosmetic or massage grade oil – DO NOT use food grade oil. Try to ensure even distribution along the ropes.
• Leave for 1 day, to allow the oil to penetrate. Apply more Rope and Body Oil, as needed/until you are happy with the feel, waiting 1 day between applications. Note – we usually apply 3 coats of oil.
• Singe fuzzies off of rope carefully with a camp stove or similar, do not burn the rope.
• OPTIONAL – Run the ropes through a cloth to remove any soot from singeing. A little sake on the cloth can help.
• Now apply Rope Lube generously and wait one day for it to absorb. Re-apply if needed. Note – we usually apply 2 coats.
• OPTIONAL – Instead of waiting a day, you can bake the rope in low temp oven until for 5 min. or so, just until the wax has melted in. Be careful not to overcook the rope.
• Lastly, apply the Rope and Body Rub sparingly. Note – we usually apply 1 light coating.
Apply more Rope and Body Oil, Rope Lube and Rope and Body Rub as needed during the rope’s life span.
When waiting in-between applications of oil or wax, leave the rope hanging if possible, or loosely coiled but not hanked.