Whipping questions

[CVKealey]

Just for the heck of it, I'm thinking of fiddling around with converting one of my hammocks (a Dutchware netless in Hexon 1.6 W fabric) from channels to whipped ends so I can play around and try to minimize the floppiness of the edges. However, I have a few questions before I start:

1. What type of cordage should I use for whipping? I have lots of paracord available if that'll work.
2. Is there a particular method to bunching or folding the fabric before whipping?
3. I sleep head left, feet right. If I want to take the slack/flop out of the right side of the head end/left side of the foot end, I assume I need to pull that further through the whipping? I understand this will result in an asymmetrical hammock - that's what I'm looking for.
4. I assume the CL just gets larks-headed around the material below the whipping. Is that correct? It seems like it could easily come undone; is there some secret to prevent that?

Thanks for any advice and tips.

[Shug]

You can see an example of that whipping style at 6:21 in the video below.
1)Yes, I use paracord for that whipping. Always has worked.
2) You will see that in the video.
3)Again...in the video. May take a couple of whips to get it just right.
4)Yessir....CL just gets larkheaded. Paracord whipping keeps it from slipping off.
Shug

[leiavoia]

1) Any cord bigger than dental floss will work. It doesnt need any special properties and it doesnt need to be strong either.

2) Thats the fun part and totally up to you. Examples include simple Accordion Whipping, W-Whipping, and Dragon Curve Whipping. Nuances are endless.

3) Pulling it out the end will tighten that spot, yes. Asymmetric is okay. It makes a kind of high-backed sofa

4) Yes, but there are more secure alternatives such as bun-whipping (warbonnet method), bun folding (my technique), and looping under the whipping:



2019-03-01_21-09-24.jpg

2019-02-27_14-56-44.jpg

[nanok]

for experimenting with "custom lay" setups, i prefer to use a longer soft shackle made of dyneema (3mm will do, i wouldn't go any thinner because of the load distribution on the fabric), and make a becket hitch between the shackle and the hammock fabric. it's rather quick, easy to re-adjust, and in my experience so far very secure. i might take two turns with the dyneema to make it nice and secure. i've done this several ways, one of the early methods i used succesfully is with a softshackle doubled up on itself asymetrically (so the botton knot ends up on one side), i form the "x" part of the sheet bend (as it's a bend in this case) with the doubled over shackle, and the "U" part with the fabric, i might take an extra turn with the shackle, once the shackle comes out of the sheet bend, it will come out as a loop made of two strands, i put the rest of the shackle through that loop for security (and it is needed, dyneema will slide like a noodle in a spoon). now you have a secured sheet bend, with a soft shackle hanging from it, with the button knot of the shackle to one side for easy operation. lately i switched to a custom designed softshackle for this purpose, which works a lot better for me (however this custom soft shackle is quite a bit more involved to make, and it only works so much better for me because i keep connecting and disconnecting hammocks to suspension components i'm experimenting with "all day long", but for normal use where you would opperate the shackle only once in a while, maybe the speed and one handed operation of the custom soft shackle i came up with wouldn't justify the "cost" of making one, compared to the classic one)

it doesn't look as pretty as the whipping, but i like it because it's strong, easily adjustable (because the dyneema is so slippery, you can just loosen it a bit, and pull some of the fabric through asymmetrically, and then tighten again, no need even to completely undo it), and distributes the load better than channels (at least in my estimation, i haven't done failure testing yet). it also doesn't take much fabric (a bit more than sewn channel, but not much)

i can't speak to the whipping methods as i ended up not using them at all, i'm also concerned about the security and strength of the larkshead in this application, but that might be just me. if it was me using the whipping for some reason, instead of the above, i'd likely consider hitching a softshackle under the whipping (i find it hard to justify using a continuous loop here), i would probably consider some friction hitch, so the load is not only on the whipping (like a prusik, but i'd likely consider something else, maybe a klemheist in this case?)

ah yeah, and about the folding, as leiavoia says: the answer is "yes". i just fold it, folding patterns can make some interesting patterns for "aesthetics" though, thanks for the pic, that i hadn't thought about, gives me some idea.