Page 125 - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice
P. 125

Figure 4-14D. Pull the end until the single yarn
                                                               reaches the bury. Smooth and massage the rope out
                                                               straight.


                      Starting at the single yarn, measure the eye cir-
                  cumference you want. Bury the tail into the standing
                  part, starting at the far side of the eye, for about
                  one-and-a-third times the length of the tail. You
                  bury for the extra tail length because the braid you
                  are tucking into will expand and shorten (as we all
                  do), as it gets filled with the tail. This extra bury
                  is the rule for all braid splices. If you are using the   Figure 4-14E. Stitch the single yarn
                  Splicing Wand (see sidebar), enter it at the mark,
                  exit it at the eye, grab the end, and withdraw. Milk
                  and massage your way through, keeping the rope
                  bunched up to make more room (Figure 4-14B).
                      Cut the laid-out ends off flush as they are about
                  to enter the bury. Waiting to cut them helps keep
                  them from backing out before tucking (Figure
                  4-14C).                                      Figure 4-14F. The finished splice.
                      Pull the end down until the lone yarn just
                  reaches the bury; you will then have the eye size you  cove, the splice can crawl apart. The stitching holds
                  wanted. Remove the tool, then smooth and massage  things for the first few pounds.
                  the rope out straight. The tail will disappear inside   Figure 4-14F shows the finished splice.
                  (Figure 4-14D).
                      Thread the single yarn onto a large sail needle  High-Modulus 12-Strand Splice,
                  or darning needle (for an easy needle-threading  with Mobius Brummel
                  technique, see sidebar on page 106). Stitch back  This is a very weird splice, for single-braids made
                  and forth through the throat of the splice a few  from Spectra, Technora, etc. These ropes are much
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                  times to secure it. Tuck the needle in about  ⁄8 inch  stronger than either nylon or Dacron, so they need
                  from where it emerged for the previous stitch, so the  much longer buries to generate enough friction to
                  stitches don’t show (Figure 4-14E). Don’t pull too  guarantee high-load security. In addition, they need
                  tight; just get the slack out. This stitching is very  more low-tension security than a lock stitch can
                  important, because our handcuff effect only kicks  readily provide—and low loads for this stuff can be
                  in as the load goes up. Under light loads, such as  measured in tons. Therefore, in addition to stitch-
                  on a sheet in light air, or a mooring line in a quiet  ing, make a Brummel Splice. This is the same splice

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