Bungee cord "lock"

phil · Post by **phil** » Tue Oct 02, 2007 5:22 pm

I've got a shade structure that has a peaked roof which is too high to reach (even standing on something) when it's erect. (Hi, anti-m!)

The side flap that goes on doesn't put enough tension on the bungee cords to keep them on. This past BM, maybe a half-dozen of the bungee cords were flapped loose by the several wind storms, leaving the side flap dangling open at the top, making a sunny hole in the shade.

I've been trying to figure out how to lock the ball into the cord without creating a lot of extra work and potential moop when it comes down. Example: twist tie around the loop end of the cord close enough that the resulting hole for the ball is too small for it to fall out; put the ball through the loop, then stick a pin or something long through the cord at the ball end that's too long to slip through the loop; twist the entire cord so that it's tight around the ball when the ball is put through it; a buch of real big safety pins?

Any clues?

Toolmaker · Post by **Toolmaker** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 3:15 am

zip tie

Post by **mdmf007** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 9:39 am

Zip ties are what I first thought of. My greenhouse here in portland does the same thing. I have a temporary one next to the plastic greenhouse, and found that the bungees with the ball on them actually lock better than the hook ones.

if your reattaching the hook to the cord itself, try closing the hook with some big pliers

phil · Post by **phil** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 10:09 am

Okay, so here's my question on zip ties, twist ties, and the like: After the event, while the sand storm is still blowing through, we take down the shade and cut all those zip ties off, untwist the twist ties, etc., and then we have to police them up. Is that the answer? Just try to keep hold of them?

I was hoping for something that was less prone to moop, but if that's not possible, then zip ties it is.

gaminwench · Post by **gaminwench** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 10:38 am

get the bright colored zip ties, then mooping is a breeze...

phil · Post by **phil** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 11:16 am

> get the bright colored zip ties, then mooping is a breeze...

Nothing is bright-colored after a week on the playa. :->

CapSmashy · Post by **CapSmashy** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 2:40 pm

I used a lot of zip ties and left the ends unclipped so when cut away, they were easy to spot if you dropped one.

Valkyrie · Post by **Valkyrie** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 2:52 pm

They have also invented reusable zip ties, that have an unlocking mechanism.

phil · Post by **phil** » Wed Oct 03, 2007 2:54 pm

Valkyrie wrote:They have also invented reusable zip ties, that have an unlocking mechanism.

DANG! I've got some of those. Excellent. Louise bought them to hold our vines to poles till the vines were self-supporting.

bigbluedoggy · Post by **bigbluedoggy** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 12:16 am

If you use a small enough zip tie, you can make a small choke collar that can slide along the bungee and not have to be cut off or thrown away afterwards. As long as the bungee with zip-tie will fit thru the grommets of your tarp, you should be OK. You want to use the largest zip tie you can and still have it fit thru the grommets so that the "choke" is as strong as possible. Just my two cents.

phil · Post by **phil** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 9:45 am

If you use a small enough zip tie, you can make a small choke collar that can slide along the bungee and not have to be cut off or thrown away afterwards.

Good idea. I'll give that a try, too, and see what works better.

stargeezer · Post by **stargeezer** » Thu Oct 04, 2007 11:42 am

I have not tried this, so take it only as an idea!!

If you use zip ties as a choke collar, you need a lot of zip ties, and during assembly and teardown, it looks like these could fall off an become moop requiring your attention. What would happen if you took string or a small rope and used it for these choke collars. Tie the end of the string to the frame at the point you want to start installing the cord loops. At each cord loop, before you insert the ball, make a loop in the string and put that over the cord, then insert the ball. Leave the string loose until all cords are installed, then go back and tighten the string and tie the loose end to the frame. When you go to remove everything, just do it in the reverse order and you have nothing that can be considered moop, unless of course you used too light of string and it breaks.

Hope that helps.

oneeyeddick · Post by **oneeyeddick** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 9:40 pm

Or...
Simply feed the bungee through like the directions show, but before
you loop it over the ball, twist it, like a pretzel, tightening the bungee
to the point where it is tight to put the ball through. works every time.
Using zipties leaves no flex (for wind) and can result in ripped out grommets.

phil · Post by **phil** » Sat Nov 03, 2007 9:43 pm

> twist it

Good eye dea!