Dick's pin

[sonnylawrence]

Paul Stovall created a new pin for the Stein hitch releasable anchor using polycarbonate http://www.mcmaster.com/#standard-po...e-rods/=i4rnjx. See picture. You can imagine we are having fun naming it. This material is strong, has nice amount of friction and handles abrasion well. We are undecided about how much taper there should be at the end. The amount of taper shown does require more release force. There is also debate about stringing it with 2 vs. 3 mm cord. If it gets permanently jammed, it would be much easier to break 2 mm from below by really wailing on the pull rope.

Also under discussion is how to secure/safety the tail of the rope until the last person re-rigs. Paul suggests the Blake hitch since it will grab the rope if the pin should prematurely release. http://www.animatedknots.com/blakes/index.php. I lean toward a simple figure 8 on a bite with carabiner clip in or tie a half grapevine around the rap rope. The disadvantage of all three is that it takes more tail to accomplish.