Monkey's fist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Monkey's fist | |
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| Category | stopper |
|---|---|
| Typical use | tied at the end of a rope to serve as a weight or an anchor |
| ABoK | #2202 |
A monkey fist' or monkey paw is a type of knot, so named because it looks somewhat like a small bunched fist/paw. It also looks somewhat like a volleyball or an older style football. It is tied at the end of a rope to serve as a weight, making it easier to throw the line, and also as an ornamental knot. It can also be used as a weapon or as a tool in rockclimbing as an anchor, by stuffing it into a crack.
The monkey's fist knot is most often used as the weight in a heaving line. The line would have the monkey's fist on one end, an eye splice or bowline on the other, with about 30 feet (~10 meters) of line between. A light-weight feeder line would be tied to the bowline, then the weighted monkey's fist could be hurled between ship and dock (or vice versa). The other end of the light-weight line would be attached to a heaver-weight line, allowing it to be drawn to the target easily.
The knot is usually tied around a small weight, such as a stone, marble, tight fold of paper, or a piece of wood. A thicker line will require a larger object in the center to hold the shape of the knot.
[edit] How to tie
- Start by wrapping the rope around four of your fingers.
- Once there are three wraps, remove your fingers and wrap it three times around the three lengths where your middle and ring finger were. You can use more than three wraps (four or five) for a larger knot, and if the object you are using in the center of the knot is not fully covered by 3 wraps. Experimentation will guide you in the right rope weight and number of wraps to make a good-looking knot.
- Then make three more turns by passing the end of the rope inside the first set of turns but outside the second set.
- Finally, insert the weight and tighten the rope.
[edit] Other applications
Monkey's Fists were also commonly used as melee weapons by sailors embroiled in street and tavern fights during the 1800s and the use of the Monkey's Fist as a slungshot became common in the street gang subcultures of the 1800s.
In addition to its nautical role, it can be used as a keychain or as cufflinks.
Because of its use as a lifeline thrown from boat to boat, this knot was adopted as a symbol of solidarity among the hobo community.
The three coils of cordage in a Monkey's fist form in effect a set of Borromean rings in three dimensions.
