Even today, with all the technical and mechanical aids that the fencing contractor has at his disposal, getting the knots right can make all the difference in a fencing job. Although many of the knots used by contractors are traditional and have been practiced for many years, there are also many new knots that are just beginning to become more common. Simon Gibbs from the UK Hamps Valley limits guides us through the tangle of different knots that are recommended for different applications.
Clearly, it is important to use the correct knot for the correct application. Some knots will self-tighten when under tension, while others will not lose their tension once the pulling equipment is removed.
Self-tightening knots are ideal for joining coils of mesh or barbed wire as they are unwound.
8 knot figure
The knot figure 8 has a breaking stress of 1036 pounds. To tie this knot, the technique is to loop the first wire, then pass the second wire through the loop eye, first under, then over, then again under the first wire, then simply pass the queue through space. between the two eyes. When tension is applied, the tails will press against each other, then tighten and tighten. Once the cable is pulled to the desired tension, the knot is finished by winding the tails with three tight turns and finally the excess is removed.
Reef knot
The Reef Knot has a breaking stress of 970 pounds. The easiest way to tie a reef knot is to make two “U’s” in each wire, one smaller than the other. Take the small “U” and bring it through the larger one and pass the end of the tail around the back and back the way it came from. As with the figure of 8, pull the desired tension and wrap the tails to finish.
There are also special knots, which are designed for center pulls where you don’t want to lose tension when pulling equipment is removed. These knots are great for making a gut pull with a net or tying a reinforcing wire in a box strainer assembly.
Tex Brown
Tex Brown is said to be one of the strongest knots. Basically it is an extension of the Figure of 8 Knots. To tie this knot, loop first, then pass the next piece of wire through the eye, under and then over, then pull it down under the other section of wire so that it is parallel with the other tail. . Then, with the same wire, fold it back and with the other tail twist it under the tail above so that they both point up. The tail that you just rotated stays where it is, while the other tail goes behind where the knot started. The tails should now be in position ready to wrap tightly, one going one way and the other the other.
Speed knot
The Speed Knot is performed using the smooth wire grip jaw. First take the wire in the jaw and bend it up 90 degrees, then with the second wire, make two turns around the first wire. Next, bend the cable 90 degrees back and make three wraps around all the cables; then, with the tail sticking out, wrap it twice to finish.
As Simon puts it: “There are a lot of knots used by contractors who have been in business for a while. But there are equally newcomers who may not be familiar with all the techniques and tend to stick to just a couple of knots for all. Learning the correct knot for the application at hand is the best way to get a really good fencing job that looks business-like and has the durability to last well, without losing its original tension. “