A retired lineman in Spokane showed me his old hand line trick

I was working a service upgrade in a quiet neighborhood last month and got to talking with the homeowner, a guy named Frank who used to work for the power company for 40 years. He saw me setting up my rope and asked if I still used a hand line. When I said not much, he went to his garage and came back with this old, perfectly kept manila rope and a wooden hook. He showed me how he'd tie a special knot that let him control the drop with just his boot, saying 'This way, you never burn your gloves on a hot transformer.' He spent a good twenty minutes walking me through the steps in his driveway. It was one of those old-school skills you don't see much anymore. Anyone else ever learn a trick like that from an older guy in the trade?

2 comments

2 Comments

jordant691mo ago

That knot Frank showed you, was it a variation on a bowline or something totally different?

cora_ramirez1mo ago

Frank's knot was a complete mess of loops and twists. He called it a "secure hitch" but it just looked like a tangle. I wouldn't trust it to hold anything important.