The Butterfly Loop as an end-loop
tied through a mounted ring, around a tall pole, etc.
The method presented here for tying the Butterfly loop as an end loop
through a mounted ring is not new, but the presentation is clearer, to
me at least, than the ones I've seen. There are plenty of good
presentations of ways to tie the Butterfly Loop on the bight (in the middle of the rope). In fact, two of the methods I describe elsewhere for
tying the Butterfly Bend are trivially derived from methods for tying
the Butterfly Loop on the bight. Conversely, the original methods
for tying the Butterfly Loop on the bight are trivially derivable from
the same two methods for tying the Butterfly Bend.
If a needed end loop does not have to be tied through a mounted ring or
the equivalent, any way of tying the Butterfly Loop on the bight will
do: just tie the loop near the end of the cord.
To begin the Butterfly loop as an end knot through a mounted ring, tie
an underhand knot, i.e. an overhand knot as tied by a left handed
person. You could of course start with an overhand knot, but
starting with an underhand knot allows us to keep the second overhand
knot on top as it is being formed, for clarity, and for uniformity of
presentation with Method 4 of the Butterfly Bend and with the Butterfly
Bend Loop. Pass the working end through the ring, to produce
the result seen in the first photo. Note that in the second photo
the standing part and the working end emerge from the upper side of the
underhand knot. In the fourth photo, again the
standing part and the working end emerge from the same side of the knot
and are parallel and adjacent.
Two ways of dressing the finished knot are shown in the final two photographs below: the closed form and the open form.
The closed form is produced by pulling the standing part and the
working end in the forth photo together away from the ring. The
open form is produced from the result shown in the fourth photo by
pulling the standing part and the working end in opposite
directions. Both forms should be dressed to compact firmness
before being loaded. Keeping as much of the second overhand knot
distinctly above the first one, binding as little of the structure of
the first overhand as possible, as shown in photos three, four, and
five, aids in getting the correct dressing without having to fiddle
with the knot, allowing a simple pull to do most of the dressing,
either with the standing part and the working end together, as for the
closed form, photo five, or being pulled in oppposite directions as for
the open form, photo six. This precaution is very important for
stiff rope, and is not very important for flexible rope.
In jam tests with thin braided nylon cord loaded sufficiently to
stretch the cord by about 25%, both the closed form and the open form
were jammy, although the open form was less jammy.
The Butterfly Bend Loop was slightly less jammy than either dressed form of the Butterfly Loop loaded as an end loop. The Butterfly Bend Loop is a better knot with the same purpose as this one.
End of procedure
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