How to tie wire knots for fencing

Wire knots are an important part of a fence. You use them to strain the fence tight, taking advantage of the
elasticity of the high tensile wire. It's important to choose the right knot for the type of fence being built and
the type of wire used.

Wire knots are inexpensive, but they can be time-consuming to tie.

There are three basic wire knots that you can use to join and tie wire.

Figure eight knot

A figure eight knot is the most common knot used in fencing. It is great for new fencing and repairs using
plain wire and prefabricated fence rolls. The figure eight knot is also the easiest and strongest knot in
fencing.

Step 1 - Make the 'pin' section of the knot by forming one end Step 2 - Place the 2nd fence wire through
of the wire into a hook. the 'loop' in the 1st fence wire.

Step 3 - Form the 2nd fence wire into a loop around the 1st. Step 4 - Pull the two wire ends together
(The 2 loops combined will make the figure '8'.) and you have a figure eight knot.

Orange knot

An orange knot is less common than a figure eight knot. It's generally used to tie off a broken wire inside
your wire strainer without losing tension, so it's an excellent knot for fence repairs.

Step 1 - Twist a wire end into a large,

Step 2 - Twist the loop end around several times to close off.
loose loop.
Step 3 - Bend the 2nd piece of wire to Step 4 - Put the hook into the Step 5 - Place the hook end
form a hook. loop. through the loop.

Step 6 - Twist the wire around a few times

The completed orange knot.
to close the knot.

Loop, crimp and pin knot

The loop, crimp and pin knot is good for repairing wire. It requires three wires and is used to regain lost
tension of a broken plain wire.

Step 1 - Form the pin section of the
knot by forming one end of the wire
into a hook.
Step 2 - To form the loop section,
Step 3 - Twist the loop around a
use your fencing pliers to twist the
number of times to close off.
wire into a circle (loop).

Step 4 - Form the crimp section of

Step 5 - The three parts of the Step 6 - Place the crimp through
the knot by bending a 'v' into the
knot - pin, loop and crimp. the loop.
wire.
Step 7 - Twist the crimp end around Step 9 - Using the end of the pin
Step 8 - Place the pin in between
the end of the loop wire to join the wire, twist the wire a number of
the crimp and the loop.
crimp and the loop together. times to form the knot.

The finished loop, crimp and pin

knot!

Gripples

A gripple is an alternative to tying knots and is great for tensioning wire. It is quick and easy to install but
can be costly compared to using knots for joining wire. A gripple needs to be installed with a special tool
called a grippler.

Step 1 - Feed the 1st wire end into the
gripple following the arrow directions
marked on the side.
Step 2 - Feed the 2nd wire end
Step 3 - Clamp the gripple
into the gripple in the opposite
into the grippler.
direction.

Step 4 - 'Walk' the grippler along the

Step 5 - Finish off tightening the
wire. You should see the wire
wire with the gripple and grippler.
tightening.