My old boss told me to never use a climbing line on a pine with that much pitch

He said it would gum up the rope fibers and ruin it for good. I didn't listen on a job in Bellingham last fall, and after one big white pine removal, my brand new 200 foot line was a sticky mess. Took me three hours and a whole bottle of cleaner to get it sort of usable again. Anyone have a better trick for cleaning pine sap off ropes, or is it just a lost cause once it gets that bad?

3 comments

3 Comments

avery_lee21d ago

Honestly, that whole "ruin it for good" thing seems overblown. Jake_wells12's soap soak is fine, but a little mineral spirits on a rag wipes pitch right off without the hours of work. A rope is a tool, not a museum piece. Are we really going to avoid good trees because we're scared of a little cleanup?

jake_wells121d ago

That "sticky mess" feeling is the worst. I had a rope get totally coated once and regular cleaners just smeared it around. What finally worked for me was soaking the worst sections in a bucket of warm water with a good amount of dish soap, the plain blue kind. I let it sit for an hour to soften the sap. Then I used a plastic scraper, like an old credit card, to gently peel the big globs off. After that, a good rinse and letting it dry fully made it usable again. It's a pain but it can save the rope.

rayadams1d ago

Totally get the soap soak idea. I've used a citrus-based degreaser on a rag with decent results, it cuts the sap without being too harsh. Sometimes the old boss really does know best though.