Grappling hook advice?

Tools and equipment to get the job done.
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NewbieNinja
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Grappling hook advice?

Post by NewbieNinja » Thu Jan 14, 2016 6:08 pm

I just the TRG grappling hook and blue water assaultline rope. The TRG is way better than the $20 foldable I had.

Any one here have tips for using a grappling hook? I plan on cutting a length of rope (not sure how long yet) and carrying in my loot bag (backpack).

One of the things that puzzle me is getting the hook back down.... I'd hate to leave it behind.

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Xanatos
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Re: Grappling hook advice?

Post by Xanatos » Thu Jan 14, 2016 8:32 pm

I've never used one before, but if I had one I'd either use it to rope down something I plan to climb back up again or use it to scale something I can safely jump down from. You can always fashion a disposable grappling hook out of common tools or scrap metal if you don't mind leaving it behind - all ninja-like.
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NewbieNinja
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Re: Grappling hook advice?

Post by NewbieNinja » Fri Jan 15, 2016 12:25 am

At first I thought of using thick rebar.... But rebar is mystery steel and it'd suck for it to break during a climb.
But now I wonder... Maybe some car springs? I forgot the term for them....

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Xanatos
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Re: Grappling hook advice?

Post by Xanatos » Fri Jan 15, 2016 9:53 am

You could even use an old crowbar, although securing the rope to it would be difficult without some metalwork. Not sure if it's worth the effort. But that kind of high-tensile tool steel would do the job.
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NewbieNinja
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Re: Grappling hook advice?

Post by NewbieNinja » Sat Jan 16, 2016 7:43 am

Cool idea, I'll look into it

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NINJAHAMMER
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Re: Grappling hook advice?

Post by NINJAHAMMER » Sat Oct 29, 2016 4:01 am

Ah, the grappling hook, the climbing tool that any self respecting ninja must have. Back in the 80's in high school, a close friend of mine built a grappling hook in machine shop for his project. So off we go, me in my black gi and lack of fear, off to the local flooded abandoned quarry that had an old building with a fiberglass panel roof. We toss the grapple hook onto the roof, . . . oh, shit, it comes sliding back down and almost whacks us. Second toss and it catches. So I tie the rope around my waist and do my best 60's batman wall walk about 10 feet up the side of the building. With 160 pounds now on the grapple hook . . . obviously, this was a long time ago and I won't discuss my weight now that I'm in my late 40's , the grapple hook cuts through the fiberglass panel and down I go about 6 feet until the grapple catches the 2nd panel or a roof rafter and I find myself dangling 3 feet above a granite slab. A hard ass , bone breaking , put you in a coma or wheel chair for life slab of granite. A little sore around the waste but I've survived but the grapple is un-retrievable. Key points: I was lucky that my friend welded that grapple as well as he did - maybe the shop teacher helped him. 1. Don't trust your life to crappy equipment - especially any equipment that involves climbing or heights. Buy quality gear, don't build climbing gear yourself unless you are a qualified welder. Don't use carabiners that are not for climbing (like those key chain types). 2. Get proper training in climbing / rappeling. 3. Make sure your anchor points are strong enough. for example, a chimney looks strong but put a fat ninja like me on a rope and tie off to a chimney and watch as the bricks seem to explode and crash down , only to land on the fat ninja unconscious on the grass below. Please please please, you may consider a majority of my posts B.S. or whatever, but please trust me on this , buy a quality rated grapple, use rappel rope ( most rated for thousands of pounds), and learn the proper techniques. I've climbed cliffs, done the Australian rappel (head first rappel), and more but I am hear today because I was lucky once and smart enough later to use proper equipment and techniques.

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NINJAHAMMER
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Re: Grappling hook advice?

Post by NINJAHAMMER » Fri Nov 04, 2016 11:45 pm

Another word of caution about grappling hooks; electric power lines and grappling hooks don't mix. If opping in an urban environment , you need to be aware of where the power lines are. A grappling hook thrown onto a roof can slide down to the power cord that runs from the telephone pole to the home. You also need to be careful if throwing a grapple up into a tree to catch a limb as a power line may run through the tree, especially trees along streets and roads.

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Psychlonic
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Re: Grappling hook advice?

Post by Psychlonic » Sat Nov 05, 2016 5:34 pm

NewbieNinja wrote:At first I thought of using thick rebar.... But rebar is mystery steel and it'd suck for it to break during a climb.
But now I wonder... Maybe some car springs? I forgot the term for them....
Having had some recent experience with using rebar now, it would work but harden it at a low temperature because it can form some really large granules in the structure otherwise which indeed would be prone to breaking. A relatively soft rebar won't bend just from your bodyweight if it's been even haphazardly hardened. As for leaf or coil springs, leaf springs would be a better choice just because coil springs are very similar to EN45 which requires absolute perfection to harden correctly. Like rebar, you'd be better off hardening from a lower temperature to prevent it from becoming too brittle. Even seasoned blade makers struggle with the material. When in doubt - as the old addage goes - it's better to bend than to break. Again, even at a softer hardening it shoudn't bend under your bodyweight.
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