Reminiscing a little

There is no appropriate response to that pole for me. I need a "Huh? What?" option.....:D

I'm a newby when it comes to that sort of thing.

If "flip" means "throw", yes I can. Well, I used to do it every day - but not having even seen a chain in about 25 years maybe I've lost the skill...

Jim in AZ, post: 430663, member: 249 wrote: If "flip" means "throw", yes I can. Well, I used to do it every day - but not having even seen a chain in about 25 years maybe I've lost the skill...

I was taught successfully throwing it was undoing it by throwing it from its coiled state without tangles.

I think you guys need to study the picture a little more....;)

I never mastered the single throw, much less the double throw. Steel chains were before my time, but we had a class in college on how to chain.

The tape knows how. You just have to let it do its thing. One small caveat is that it becomes progressively more difficult to throw the more kinks it has in it.

Before they put the 200 foot tap on a reel, in the old days they would double flip the chain in to the compact state shown above to store it. I never learned, but my party chief could do it. I saw him do it a couple of time, however we usually had it on a reel.

I could throw a chain across a creek in the old days or over high tree limbs.

We roll them in twenty 5' circumference loops then tie the leather strap from one end around the whole bundle and hold the hoop out in front of you and twist to pop it into a figure eight and fold that into a circle then tie the leather strap from the other end around the whole bundle. Is that what you call a double throw? It's been a few years and I don't recall if the final product was as small of a circle as what you've got there in the picture, I think it was about 1' across

I have a chain neatly thrown hanging from a rafter in the garage. Its been there a long time. I will take it down and throw it and see what happens and report back. I hope I don't loose any fingers or an eye.

Just two weeks ago I tried. Pulled it forward and stacked the 5' marks. After about ten minutes I laid it back out and got a reel.

I'm jealous of those that still know how.

A couple of youtubes showing rather young guys throwing chains. For the record I've never done it.

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From my distant memory, double throwing a 100' chain is not stable and will jump back to a single throw. I learned how to double throw back in 1973. Supposedly, if one double threw the 100' chain, undid the leather wrapping and quickly stuffed it into a glove box, it would spring out in a tangled mess at the unsuspecting target of the prank. Don't ask me how I know this.

Double thrown chains were mostly used for 200' chains using a 10' throw

Steel tapes are either placed on a reel or gathered up and thrown.
It is not recommended to do both with the same tape.

Nope. No desire.

Yes, and I miss chaining now. I do bring the chain out when we are setting RP'S. Gotta keep the memories alive.

I have two chains. A pristine Babbitt on a reel and a repaired wall hanger single thrown. Back when subdivisions were designed by Surveyors they were the best tool to set pins and string in street control for development. Now we have non-tangent and non-radial spaghetti slop slapped on the ground with unchecked rtk.
Thanks for the memories

Started with 100 ft. tapes (and 1' transits) back in 68 (thrown), but also used 200 ft. tapes on reels in the late 60s & early 70s. I also "played/worked" with 300 ft. babbitt tapes and a 528 ft. "canyon chain" (both thrown) a few times.

I still have a 50 ft. tape (thrown) and a 200 ft. tape (reel) in the truck (along with sissy scissors and a tension handle).

Aside from short ties to BTs, BOs, BRs, RMs, WCs, etc., they don't see much time out of the truck these days.

Oh...and although I have seen folks "double throw" tapes before, I never tried it.

Loyal