A whipping knot or whipping is a binding of twine around the end of a rope to prevent the fibres of the rope from unravelling.
When a rope is cut, there is a natural tendency for the cut end to fray. A whipping is one way to try to prevent this, by applying multiple turns of twine (sometimes called small stuff) tightly around the rope very near the cut end. The whipping can be made neat and permanent by tying it off or sewing the ends of the twine through the rope.
When doing this to thick sailing-ship-type rope, the "small stuff" used was sometimes whipcord, hence the word usage.
Whipping is suitable for synthetic and natural ropes and lines. It is suitable for both stranded and braided ropes, lines and cables (3-strand rope, 4-strand cable and 8-strand multiplait as well as concentric and braided constructions).
Whipping takes time and some skill to apply, and may need specialist equipment (palm, needle etc.). It provides a neat, soft, aesthetic, and permanent ending to the rope.
Read more about Whipping Knot: Types of Whipping Knots
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