That's the way I always dress cable. It's a habit I got into in production houses a long time ago. I also do "Opera-Ties" on soft goods.
Dressing Cable?
- Thread starterderekleffew
- Start date
Sparkinium
Member
I've always been taught to do the clove hitch then a bow knot. Sometimes the fools who cut the tie line didn't cut it long enough, and then the most fun thing ever is to do a bow knot with half an inch of tie line.
I bet that's your favorite thing ever too.
I bet that's your favorite thing ever too.
BillESC
Well-Known Member
Tie-line with the clove hitch. That's how I was taught when installing the soft goods at the RKO Twin Cinema's on 86th street in NYC. That was back in 1971.
Why? (I'm not sure I've heard that.)
drawstuf99
Active Member
I've always used tie-line. Gaff tape? I have come close to chucking things at people for it. Worse, though, is duct tape. Electrical tape, too, sometimes. Nobody likes going up hanging their instruments to find sticky residue all over the pipe or the pigtails...
Funny story, I saw a guy get his hand stuck in a zip-tie. How? I have no idea, but boy it was funny.
Funny story, I saw a guy get his hand stuck in a zip-tie. How? I have no idea, but boy it was funny.
One of the problems with using zip ties is that if not installed with the proper tool, (yes, ANOTHER tool for your wishlist!), they can have very sharp edges. DO NOT just cut off the "tails" with a pair of diagonal cutters, a sure way to draw blood! If you don't have this tool, or similar, better to NOT cut off the tail. The "ZipTie Gun" (near bottom of the linked page) pulls the tail under tension before cutting it, so that the sharp edges recede into the locking mechanism once cut.
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Then you haven't worked in this industry long enough.
Because they were obstructing something.
The last couple years I've been hired to help load in for a traveling production of Nutcracker. These people are hardcore believers in the e-tape. It seemed like a huge waste to me. Yes I can see times it's nice for wrapping a bunch of cable tight (like when running a bunch of lines up a boom when there will be a lot of people around). But it's one use and throw it away and the residue it'll leave after a long run is nasty. Give me tie line any day. Like Icewolf said, you can reuse it a long time.
Standbye Rimshot. I prefer my cable dressed in a little red something from Victoria's Secret or better yet nothing at all. Rimshot go. Sorry couldn't keep that in any longer.
Standbye Rimshot. I prefer my cable dressed in a little red something from Victoria's Secret or better yet nothing at all. Rimshot go. Sorry couldn't keep that in any longer.
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thelightguy87
Active Member
We use Gaff for anything on the deck, but tieline for anything on a pipe, or coiling cables, unless they have the velcro on them already. Our equipment manager makes sure every cable either has velcro or tieline on the end so you can tie it and put it in the trunk, and we have buckets of tieline in different thicknesses cut to 2' long. It's a good system.
the knots...we use square bows to tie drops and soft goods, if we are rigging with cable, we use clove with a circus hitch instead of a half hitch to complete it. But if we are using tieline to lift or hang anything, we use clove with one or two half hitches.
the knots...we use square bows to tie drops and soft goods, if we are rigging with cable, we use clove with a circus hitch instead of a half hitch to complete it. But if we are using tieline to lift or hang anything, we use clove with one or two half hitches.
Tieline/Velcro on the FEMALE end, correct?
I think 2' is too short, thus the "2cubits or Longer" (36") rule.
Link or explanation of "circus hitch"? Nevermind, did it myself. I thought that was called a "Foy knot" or something similar. I remember hearing Bill Sapsis say something to the effect of "The only people who should be allowed to tie knots in aircraft cable are the Foy people."
I've seen the e-tape fanatics get popular around here....I hate it for all the reasons you just said. (I also hate the nutcracker cause I do the show ever year--but thats another story)
Give me tieline please...if techs cannot be bothered to tie a proper knot, then I sure do not want them hanging a plot and cutting other corners too.."oh-who needs to tighten the c-clamps--thumb tight will do just fine...and i'll secure it instead of with a safety chain with some e-tape..".. blaaaah...laziness.
-w
iLightTheStage
Active Member
Why the hell are you walking Battens??
Gahhh, Jute is evil. Don't believe me? Tie one over head high while looking at what you are doing. And good luck with your black clothes staying Black the rest of the day... they end up looking like you were rolling around with 100 cats.
When I used to do a lot of tent gigs and we needed to run socapex up the roof seams to the poles we hung lights from, we'd use Zip Ties. Man did that make strike fast. A really strong snap of the cable, and you've got the whole thing off the tent in under 5 seconds... which also explains why you have to be careful when using them.
Overall, anything in the air, I prefer tie-line... usually cut by spinning it around a milk crate and then cut in one spot.
I hate E-tape which is often used here for one-offs for several reasons:
1) you have to buy a TON of rolls,
2) black e-tape never looks good on silver truss,
3) when you need to move a circuit, you have to bring another cable because otherwise you have to break e-tape every foot and re-tape it all,
4) for strike, you're pretty much forced to use a blade... increasing a chance of damaging cable,
5) Tape Foot (increasing your height slowly across strike as all of the tape collects on your shoes)... one time, driving home, I got stuck to my gas pedal because of tape foot.
Also, Gaff Tape should never be used to secure cable in the air... it is meant to rip easily... a VERY bad quality for holding something like a cable from falling.
Sayen
Active Member
Regarding some of the earlier posts, I've never thought of tie-line as expensive. We save it after a show, but I don't lose sleep over lost bits, and I'm perfectly happy to use it in disposable situations. I'd rather burn through a roll of tie-line, which is easy to clean up later, than rolls of gaff.
Great idea...I tend to hate measuring and cutting line, and that's perfect.
