Page 216 - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice

Figure 6-30. Tuck #4 under the same strand you lifted
to roll the heart in. Tuck #5 under the next strand to
the right. The splice should now look as shown.

Back to Roll-and-Tuck
With the two hearts beating as one, you may pro-
ceed. Enter the spike under the same strand that
you lifted for rolling in the heart. Roll down one
Figure 6-29. Enter the spike into the space #6 went revolution, tuck in strand #4, and roll home. Enter
into, but under only one strand. This strand is imme- under the next strand to the right, tuck in #5, the
diately to the right of the one that #3 is under. Roll last untucked strand, and roll home. A light tapping
the spike as far home as it will go easily—and then with the mallet will ensure that these two strands
a little more (A). Pull the unlaid heart down into the are seated well. The splice thus far should look like
space thus formed; then roll the spike back down the that in Figure 6-30.
wire (B), pushing this extra heart into the middle of Return now to the mysterious strand #6. Enter
the standing part as you go. the spike under the next strand to the right and pre-
pare to tuck. Ready? Wait.
that it is behind the spike. Keep pulling while roll-
ing the spike toward you so the heart will be pushed Breaking the Lay
into the middle of the standing part. Keep the heart The strands you’ve tucked so far have entered almost
behind the spike, keep the spike parallel with the straight into the wire. But from now on, they’ll each
lay, and use as little spike as possible. After being describe a tight spiral down the length of the splice.
rolled in, the heart will show a little, but a hernia If you allow the strands to keep a round cross sec-
(which happens when the heart completely pro- tion the splice will be bulkier than if they were flat in
trudes from the standing part) will not do—there’s cross section. The yarns will also grip better if they
too much distortion. If a hernia results, you prob- are flatter. And since a splice relies on even distribu-
ably have too much tension on the standing part tion of strain, you need to flatten the strands into a
and/or too much spike. ribbon shape by “breaking the lay.”

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