Does anyone ever put a bead in the end of a rope to help hold it, especially when clipping two ends to make two ropes look like one? Seems like that could be a help.

No I haven't.

over time a round bead would give a very solid bump that would allow the rope to show the bead shape and discolor (get dirty) on the equatorial surface on the outside of the rope.

If you try this a cylinder shape might be best (that could be what you meant anyway). A cylindrical magnet works well if you want a magnet. Be sure and sew behind the bead to keep it from slipping backwards into the long part of the rope. The shorter the cylinder the more natural the rope will look. CHECK YOUR POLARITY to make sure the go together right before you sew in any magnets.

I usually core a small bit of the tip and turn the outer casting in on itself and carefully sew (with a meticulously matched color thread) through the layers to make an finished end of the same girth as the rest of the rope. It is tempting to tease out an outer casting of another rope to get perfectly matched thread but this will give you a "thread" that is too thick to pull through well after the first few stitches and this "thread" can pull apart with stress (which the sewing itself would cause). The biggest issue is not to pull the thread too tightly and collapse the tube making a thin end on the rope. Once you have a good foundation on the end of the rope you can also sew an invisible (clear plastic) snap on the end.

If you plan to be able to wash the ropes after you make them, pre-wash your rope in the same detergent you'll use before you match the thread.
I mention this because if you use OxiClean or something like it, it gives a nice bright look to the muslin color of the rope but the thread may not brighten at the same rate.

I've never dealt with the wooden twist on barrel ends.

If you just want a finished end, the all rope and thread would be most natural looking. Just use more thread (by pulling the thread tighter but using more thread to fill out the profile of the rope). This will make a feel-able end.

Best luck, just remember, you can always correct an error in your next rope project. It' s a process.

If you described the use in more detail in the routine it would be helpful.

-Mary Mowder

I read his request as having a stop point towards the ends. So as not to slip from between the fingers or hands. Mary's Point is a good one, maybe a piece of tubing would be better. If you are using cored rope it can be pulled through the tube as well. You can find tubing at home improvement stores and hobbly shops, depends on the size you would need.

If you were thinking of gluing a bead, might try putting it on one of the core strands and glue it in place.

Well whatever your reason, good luck, as Mary suggested, trial and error will be the best way to your solution.

Wow, thanks for the detailed guidance, Mary. The question came up because I'm building a ring and rope routine. I'm playing around with false knot and the two real ends clipped in one hand so that I can move the ring on and off. I've got one end clipped by the index and middle fingers and the other end clipped by the ring and little fingers. Not hard to do, but I wondered if a bump at the ends would make the grip more secure... and then I thought that somebody somewhere at sometime must have tried this already. Just thought I'd ask.

I think the flexible tubing with the outer casting of the rope poked into the end with a few stitches (use a thimble, sewing through rubbery stuff can be painful) through to hold it in place is a great idea. Also, still washable (unlike most glue).

Good suggestion on the tubing Bill. I've never thought or heard of that.

-Mary Mowder

Thanks, Bill and Mary both, for the creative thinking. If I come up with something I like, I'll share the result.

If the rope has a core (that is if it contains threads that are surrounded by a woven sheath) then the ends of the outer woven sheath can be (as Mary suggested) tucked in on itself. This can be done without the need to sew up the ends if sufficient 'tucking in' is done. It creates a slight bulge at the end of the rope. This can be handy in acting as a 'stop' when the rope is being pulled between the fingers.

I know some very well respected performers that use this method for finishing the ends of their rope. While I think that it looks perfectly acceptable and not something that brings any suspicion to the rope, the slight bulge at the ends of the rope that this treatment creates isn't something that I personally think looks quite right.

Coring the very end of the rope prior to the tuck and rolling the end on a table after the tucking can reduce the bulge.

-Mary

Funny, you all (Mary, Bill, Dick Oslund) talk to me about rope with a core, but I've ordered "magician's rope" from a couple of sources and in different sizes and they've always been hollow in the center. Do you recommend rope with a core? What's the advantage?

Believer it or not, I was just in JoAnn Fabric store, and they have soft cotton rope, just like the huge spool I purchased at Abbott's magic. Boy, was I surprised to find a hank of rope in such a place.

Here is a link to the rope Café member who sells different types of rope. You can get familiar at least.

http://www.baroniantrading.com/

It depends on what you want to do with it and how much you've practiced with it. Some people used to core the whole rope to make it more supple. I bought a roll of the kind of rope I like and then they stopped making it (or at least it became very hard to find). I'm not too familiar with the rope a new Magician to ropes would be working with.

What ever you end up with, you can probably make it work. Every object has its advantages and if you become familiar with it you will probably find them. It is like a stew recipe, there are lots of ways to go.

I have ropes I use that have a core and some that don't. I use them all but adjust how hard I do a move based on how it feels when I give it a test wiggle. I will say that cored rope has some advantages in tossing a knot but is more apt to tie a knot that is too tight. Cored rope is much better for my Ring and Rope work. Uncored rope gives a nice open look to overhand knots (both real and fake) so that can look better from a distance.

If you want to make a cotton cored rope less supple, wash and dry it in a hot dryer with some towels. It will be less supple for quite a while. Stretching will help you find the right balance afterward.

Bottom line, what ever rope you have, play with it. It will tell you all about itself.

-Mary Mowder

Perhaps a year or so back, I mentioned in a thread (this forum) that the soft cotton rope, with a core of a number of untwsted threads, inside a woven "sheath" is called "kernmantel" rope. Mein Deutsch ist "little", but, I believe the term, kernmantel, is German.

I have used for about 40 years, some cotton "kernmantel" that Frances Marshall sold, back then. It's 6/8" diameter. She stopped selling it when the price of cotton went through the roof! Manufacturer started to put less of the untwisted threads into the rope ($$$$$). Customers balked at the new price! I had bought several 100' hanks, and made up Professor's Nightmare "sets", One-two-one sets, etc. One set was in the prop case, and one in the laundry bag! I also made up an extra, long, PN rope. It's in the case, if I need to pad out the show with Dante's "Lazy Magician". These sets have lasted for YEARS.

I bought a few 300 foot spools of the "old standard" diameter rope, for the cut & restored routine, which I only do occasionally. I do it so seldom, that I just sold a spool of it to a young man whom I am mentoring.

My PN, & One-two-one ropes have the cores IN, as I need the weight for the Norwegian YOYO.

See Bill Hegbli's post above. BARONIAN, as far as I know, sells the best rope available now, but, I don't know if their rope has a core or not.

After the late Roy Kissell showed me the "tuck" method of "sealing" the ends, about 40 years ago, it's THE WAY that I've used. I've never needed to put a drop of glue into the rope's end. The tuck holds well. VERY OCCASIONALLY I need to re-tuck, a strand.

Hope this has helped

Thanks all, and Happy New Year.

David

OOOOOOOPS!

CORRECTION!!!!!! See my post above (4:03 PM TODAY)

I mistyped. The size of the rope mentioned in my second paragraph, should be >>>3/8"<<<