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KA

← Where the theory applies
Terminal — hardware eye

Uni Knot

Constriction · Wrap stack

DiagramsHow to tie it

Does not pick a knot

This page does not pick a knot for you. DNA, molecules, quantum braids and vortices stay off Decide.

Uni Knot, finishedUni Knot, finished

Finished structure

Drawn from a rope model of this knot: which strand passes over which comes from where the rope actually lies.

HTH · Construction plate

Uni Knot — construction sequence

Uni Knot — construction sequence
Hook the Horizon reference plate
Failure modes

When this family fails, it fails as these. The recovered end still outranks the name.

HTH · Advanced failure modes

Uni Knot — what fails and what to do

Uni Knot — what fails and what to do
Hook the Horizon reference plate
Uni family

A barrel that is formed, then slid to the eye or the other barrel.

  • !Barrel locked short of the eye or the other Uni
  • !Crossed wraps in the barrel
  • !Tag buried back into the barrel instead of exiting
Fails when
  • !Barrel slid down before it was closed, leaving a loose turn inside
  • !Turns crossed, or a turn wrapped around only one strand
  • !Tag trimmed so short it draws back into the barrel
  • !Barrel not locked with a firm pull, so it moves on the test pull
Geometry

  • Crossed Uni barrel wraps

    Weak side; the barrel can slip

    Uni grip is even barrel friction, then the slide to the eye · step 02

  • Barrel locked short of the eye

    Hardware saws the standing line, or the Uni walks

    Slide the barrel to the eye, then lock — not the other way around · step 03

  • Tag pulled back into the barrel

    Unravels under load

    The tag must exit after the barrel is formed, not bury in it · step 04

  • Barrel never locked after the slide

    Will not hold

    Final lock tension is the Uni; an open barrel is unfinished · step 03

If you saw this

  • Barrel slides or slips

    Check

    • ?Barrel butted to eye
    • ?Wrap count

    Then

    • →Retie with more wraps
    • →Lock firmly after sliding

  • Uni barrel stays open or elongated.

    Check

    • ?Look for: Uni barrel stays open or elongated.

    Then

    • →Add wraps for the material and draw both sides evenly.

  • Barrel does not slide fully to the eye under load.

    Check

    • ?Look for: Barrel does not slide fully to the eye under load.

    Then

    • →Wet and pull-test until barrel seats against the eye.

  • Tag did not pass back through the loop correctly.

    Check

    • ?Look for: Tag did not pass back through the loop correctly.

    Then

    • →Retie; the tag must exit the loop after wraps.

  • Barrel slides under moderate load on slick line.

    Check

    • ?Look for: Barrel slides under moderate load on slick line.

    Then

    • →Use a verified slick-line terminal or more wraps.

  • Finished check failed — barrel contains crossed wraps

    Check

    • ?wraps form a clean barrel
    • ?barrel slides to the eye without crossing
    • ?braid receives enough wraps and passes a hard slip test

    Then

    • →Retie. creep or sudden terminal failure.

  • Crossed Uni barrel wraps

    Check

    • ?Weak side; the barrel can slip
    • ?Inspect step 02

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

  • Barrel locked short of the eye

    Check

    • ?Hardware saws the standing line, or the Uni walks
    • ?Inspect step 03

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.

  • Tag pulled back into the barrel

    Check

    • ?Unravels under load
    • ?Inspect step 04

    Then

    • →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Same family

Same failure class, different geometry. Open the plates — Diagnose still starts from the symptom.

This failed — start Diagnose

What holds it

  • ·The eye is hardware. The knot is an open tangle around that eye. Ends stay ends.
  • ·Seating (wet set, even wraps, tag orientation) is the mechanical record already on the knot. Theory adds no extra rating.

What topology does not predict

  • ·Trefoil / unknot classification does not apply to a Palomar or clinch.
  • ·Fluoro glaze, pigtail slip and nick-at-the-guides are forensic, not topological.
  • ·No strength percentage is computed here.

Not for

  • ·A free-swing lure loop — use a non-slip loop family
  • ·Using an invariant as a reason to keep a glazed terminal
  • ·Must leave a free-swinging loop (use non-slip loop)
  • ·When you need a standing free-swing loop at the terminal

Same pattern, different job

Sources