Rope Treating and Care w/ Switchtext

Pay on a sliding scale for this class ($5 - $10 - $20)

With the covid restrictions level red in effect Studio Friction is closed for classes and labs, but virtual classes are ramping back up. Once registered you will receive the Zoom Meeting link.

Class Description:

So you have new, untreated natural fiber rope.... And it's pretty scratchy. Well let's fix that. Unless you like it scratchy.. (Which some people do?)

We are going to show you how we treat new jute rope specifically, but some of these techniques apply to hemp as well. Some of you may have purchased some great rope recently from My Nawashi (great stuff by some good friends of ours in Dallas) We have a lot of their rope, and we have made it with them in their studio. Untreated rope can be significantly less expensive than rope treated for bondage, because as you will learn, there it a lot that can go into well treated rope.

This class will cover how we break, singe or burn off, wax and bake our rope to make it more soft, usable, and sensual. This can be done to your own taste. If there is time we will also cover whipping, knotting and other rope end options. We will also cover how to maintain your rope over time, which includes waxing, burning, oiling and other ways to keep your rope in good shape. We will not cover how to spin rope from twine, though we would love to in a future class. We will be demonstrating the techniques via Zoom.

You are welcome to follow along with your rope, and we can help with any questions you might have along the way.

Have on hand if possible:

Rope to discuss, evaluate, and practice with

A carabiner or two

Jojoba oil, mineral oil, beeswax if you have them

Rags / old towel

Pliers

Scissors

If you would like to share your own technique with the class that would be great too - anyone experienced in making / treating / maintaining rope will be welcome to share their techniques. It’s nice to have a deeper connection with your rope thru treating and maintaining it. It can take considerable time to do so, but we all seem to have a lot more of that these days….