Curtain Pulling

[sm13]

I'm working at a community theatre this summer and I am one of the only ones who can pull the rope fast enough. When I have done this in the past for shows I have gotten serious blisters after only a few days and this is 10 straight performances not to mention almost a month of rehearsals. Does anyone have any tips to limit or avoid blisters?
P.S. I have tried gloves and it dramatically slows down the time it takes me to pull the rope.

 

[Lextech]

What type of gloves have you tried? I have found that leather work gloves work well for me, they protect my hands but still allow me to grip ropes well.

 

[Robert]

Curious as to what type of rope you are pulling and what you think is causing the blisters. Is it a parting/wipe curtain or is it a fly? I always cut the fingertips off my gloves no matter what and that gave me the protection I wanted and still let my fingers get into the lay of the rope or be nimble enough to handle hardware.

 

[Eboy87]

They're more on the expensive side, but if you want a pair of long-lasting work gloves for deck crew, flyman, or just general work, I've been using the Petzl Cordex belay gloves. They're perfect for rope-work. Still on my first pair 2 years later.

 

[Catwalker]

At our theatre, we buy neon green gloves with a grippy palm. I think they're gardening gloves, but they work really well for theatre. Just don't hold a live 1k bulb for very long.


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[Les]

Time to work on those calluses!

 

[Mark Harris]

Don't tend to work in theatres with ropes, but I do use leather palmed fingerless gloves when rigging lighting, especially when focusing. I've had the one pair for 10 years (at least) and they are weightlifting gloves, so they have absorbent material on the back which deals well with getting sweaty. But fingers are free for all the fiddly things. The brand I bought is out of business now, but I've seen plenty on Amazon and other sites that look just as good.

 

[StradivariusBone]

Are you operating a traveler or a fly system?

 

[tdeater]

I really like using bicycling gloves for that sort of stuff. The palms are usually padded, fit pretty tight, but do not go all the way to the finger tips.

 

[gafftaper]

Note: This is a 6 month old thread. However it's a good topic to discuss...

I recently picked up a pair of cold weather gloves at Lowes for running the fly system. They are really thick leather glove with a fleecy/faux fur lining. I find the extra thick padding makes it easier to grip a thinner rope. My hands get a bit warmer than I would prefer, but they feel really good.

 

[Buttmonkey]

I'm working at a community theatre this summer and I am one of the only ones who can pull the rope fast enough. When I have done this in the past for shows I have gotten serious blisters after only a few days and this is 10 straight performances not to mention almost a month of rehearsals. Does anyone have any tips to limit or avoid blisters?
P.S. I have tried gloves and it dramatically slows down the time it takes me to pull the rope.

Dont pull the rope so hard reach as high up as you can and then do it with your other hand and make it smooth it's less damaging to your hands and makes the curtain flare less

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

I hope this was resolved since 2014