[Texascavers] Re: LowGun's glow-in-the-dark quest

[Rod Goke]

Remember the Fibre-Metal hard hats that used to be popular with cavers. Fibre-Metal used to make a glow-in-the-dark model, which some cavers used and which didn't cost much more than their other color options. If LowGun succeeds in convincing cavers to use glow-in-the-dark ropes, then, undoubtedly, all the fashion conscious cavers out there will want glow-in-the-dark helmets to match. ;-)  A number of companies do still make glow-in-the-dark helmets and hard hats, but I'm not sure how many, if any, of them are suitable for caving. In the quest for "real caving ropes that glow-in-the-dark", you might want to check out "glo rope"   http://www.glorope.com/catalog/detail.cfm?Prod_ID=102&Cat=1&SubCat=6 since they claim to make nylon double braided glow-in-the-dark rope in sizes ranging from 1/8" (tensile strength 1,000 lbs.) to 1-1/4"  (tensile strength 50,000 lbs.). They claim "This rope meets all requirements of the US Military spec. MIL-R-2405-D.", whatever that is. They also advertise "Cave Rope" in sizes 1/16" (tensile strength 200 lbs.) and 3/32" (tensile strength 500 lbs.). I realize that recent generations of cavers have been trending towards the use of thiner climbing ropes, but isn't this getting a bit extreme!!! ;-)  Perhaps they think "cave rope" is what spelunkers and cave divers unroll through passages so that they can find their way out.  Who knows what additional caving equipment items some people might want to make easy to locate in the dark. Whatever it is, if you can't find a ready made glow-in-the-dark version, I suppose you could always try painting it with some of this   http://www.hobbyglow.com/ or wrapping it in some of these   http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/night-light-lubricated-glow-in-the-dark-condoms/ID=prod396849-product ;-) Rod -----Original Message----- >From: Logan McNatt >Sent: Jun 3, 2011 10:06 PM >To: Cavers Texas >Subject: Re: [Texascavers] polypropylene > >I want to clarify that I sent the original message tongue-in-cheek; I was not actually recommending that polypropylene rope is suitable for >caving. I was just surprised that "caves" is mentioned on the packaging. I have enjoyed the comments. Do any of you know what would be >involved (and how much it would cost) to make real caving ropes that glow-in-the-dark? LowGun > >On 6/3/2011 9:44 PM, Mixon Bill wrote: >> I once had polypropylene prusik slings. They worked fine, although I used them only once in a real pit (~100 ft), just to show that I could. >> About that time, Jumars came out, and I could afford the $18 to get a pair. >> >> A major problem with polypropylene is its low melting point, 130 to 170 degrees C. You could easily get your brakebars hot enough to melt, or >> at least seriously degrade, polypropylene. There may once have been a fatal accident at Gaping Gill (340 feet) in England for that reason. The >> nylon used in caving ropes melts at 265C. -- Mixon >> ---------------------------------------- >> No dolphins were killed in the preparation of this e-mail. > >--------------------------------------------------------------------- >Visit our website: http://texascavers.com >To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com >For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com > --------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit our website: http://texascavers.com To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com