James sent me more tips on washing lines:
I have a few tips after recently renewing eight washing lines. Stay away from plastic covered fibre-cored lines because the outer plastic covering disintegrates soon, the core snaps and you could find washed items on the ground.
The plastic covered steel-cored lines of yesteryear had a hardened but malleable steel core so one could loop the line through the eye bolt twice or thrice, and then coil it back on itself for several turns and lock the line in place, and nothing would move it.
Today’s steel-cored lines are hardened but spring-like and won’t coil tightly so I used double plastic electrical wire connectors, looped the lines through them and screw-locked them in place. Put oil on the screws because they rust quickly. I found quite a good quality prepacked line at Checkers.
The strength of the line depends on the joint between the two connectors, so frequent inspections are needed. I am 77-plus and a retired accountant still practising from home and confined to a wheelchair. I did the job over a few days on my own.