I have some items I want to add rustic handles to by wrapping them in rope. Imagine a frying pan or feather duster. The items are slippery enough that the rope may loosen or even come off. I would like to coat everything in an adhesive gunk that causes the rope to grip better, without actually gluing it. (Typical glue may not adhere, plus I'd like the chance to remove the handle.)

Sap would be ideal, but I don't have time to go to the forest and hunt for it. 3M 72 spray is supposed to be permanently tacky but its not available in my local stores. I noticed cooking oil forms a sticky mess, so my current thought is to carefully boil some oil and paint that on with the help of rubbing alcohol. Will this work? Should I use a partially drying oil like canola or a more stable oil like olive oil?

The ultimate hack may be to wrap the item with a tack cloth before adding rope, but what would work for people that don't have that?