Pine cone picking

[Riggerbear]

Hi all,

Been climbing Macedonian pines today picking the cones that will be sent to Alice holt to be grown on.

Quite an enjoyable day with 2 of us collecting approx. 1500 cones.

The only problem is that our hands, ropes and hitches are covered in in the most stickiest sap I have ever known. It's was raining this morning and we kept quite clean but once it dried up this afternoon the stuff become unreal. I'm used to spruce sap but this stuff is in a different league.

Anyone else done any picking or got any tips on clearing gear afterwards ?

[devon TWiG]

Use a cambium saver to keep your rope clean .

[Will Heal]

I used to remove sap from my brashing saw blade with petrol, used it on my hands too but that's up to you, prob something better to do hands with

 

 

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[slack ma girdle]

Wash your ropes in the washing machine with some pure soap flakes, that will shift most of it.

[TIMON]

Hi RB

Stickiest I've been is Scott's pine dismantle I was stuck like glue, had to use a spare prussic just to get down... 2 cycles in the wash and it was sorted.

If it's really bad I wonder if naphtha thinners would work without spoiling the ropes, it's what French polishers use to thin out shellac which I believe is made from tree resin???

Just a thought... Not sure if it would harm your ropes tho?

Timon

[TIMON]

Hi RB

Stickiest I've been is Scott's pine dismantle I was stuck like glue, had to use a spare prussic just to get down... 2 cycles in the wash and it was sorted.

If it's really bad I wonder if naphtha thinners would work without spoiling the ropes, it's what French polishers use to thin out shellac which I believe is made from tree resin???

Just a thought... Not sure if it would harm your ropes tho?

Timon

[Joe Newton]

Wash your kit as soon as you get home. Once the sap dries that's pretty much it. I put an old bike inner tube over my flip line to protect it on the last sappy takedown. Cambium savers help too but won't stop 100%

 

I hear mechanical friction devices like the Spiderjack are less affected by sap.

 

 

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[Stephen Blair]

Silver firs are the worste imo, those big bubbles smell nice but really gum things up, had 1 burst in my eye once, I couldn't get down for about 30 mins until I could finally open my eye!

What's the procedure for collecting cones? Get up and shake the tree?

[Goaty]

A real mans pine cone collecting session. No ropes used. Just shorts and t shirt to wash afterwards.

[Riggerbear]

Use a cambium saver to keep your rope clean .

 

 

We both used friction savers but I think most of the sap just transferred from our hands to the rope/hitch.