Page 130 - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice

Tapering the Cover Bring the core end a short tail will be buried into this length of core. Again, we
way out of the cover. Measure a tracer length or so show a Splicing Wand doing the tuck (Figure 4-16E).
toward the end of the cover from where the core
goes in, and pull three sets of yarns out. Go down Tidying Up The spot where the two ends go into
another tracer length and pull another three sets of each other is called the Crossover. Snug up the
yarns out. Do this twice more, pulling out three sets Crossover by (a) pulling on the core end while hold-
of yarns each time. Alternate left- and right-leading ing the cover just above where the core emerges,
sets of yarns. Finish the taper by combing out eight then (b) pulling on the cover end while holding the
diameters of the end, and cutting it on a long-taper core just above where the cover emerges. Lock the
(dotted line, Figure 4-16D). Crossover down tight (Figure 4-16F).
If you handle the rope gently to keep it from
raveling, you can cut the laid-out ends off flush Smoothing The Crossover is tight, but the rope is
now. Or you can cut them off as you tuck, as in the all bunched up. Smooth it out by (a) holding the
12-strand splice. core side of the Crossover with one hand, and sliding
Some ropes have three yarns in each set, others your other hand firmly down the cover, all the way
only two. This taper works for either con- struction. to where the core end emerges. Repeat, smoothing
all the slack out. Then (b) hold the cover side of
Tucking the Cover Measure one-and-a-third times the Crossover with one hand while sliding your
the cover tail length, starting at the mark on the core, other hand down the core, towards the cover end
and continuing away from the cored end. The cover (Figure 4-16G).

Figure 4-16D. Using tracer marks, taper the cover.
(Note that yarns will be longer than shown here.)

tracer mark

D

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