Page 127 - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice

F
Squint-free Needle Threading

It’s tough to get the bulky yarns of rope into even
a large needle when stitching a braided rope splice
(see text), unless you know this old embroiderer’s
trick: bend the thread around the needle shaft, and
pinch it tight up against the shaft with thumb and
forefinger. Slide it off the shaft, and you’ll have a
flat little nubbin between your fingertips. Just hold
G those fingertips up against the needle’s eye and
push. Threaded.
If you can’t get the whole yarn in, even with
this trick, split out half or less of the yarn. Thread
Figures 4-15F–G. Finish the taper (F). The finished and use that to stitch, and trim the rest flush.
splice (G).

strand. Pull out seven or eight more strands at reg-
ular intervals, alternating left and right strands.
Finish the taper by cutting the end on a long angle
(Figure 4-15F).
Finish the splice by tucking it into the standing
part about one-and-a-half times the length of the
tail, as for the 12-Strand Eyesplice (Figure 4-15G). because of the angle of the braids, the yarns travel
This is just one taper for this construction of rope. a shorter distance between the ends, so there’s less
Some ropes are very loosely laid, and won’t hold stretch. The two tubes are not attached to one
together once you pull all those yarns out to taper another, so if the ends are not whipped or (shud-
them. If this happens to you, check the ropemaker’s der) melted, you can slide back the outer tube (the
recommendations for your rope. “cover”) to expose the inner tube (the “core”). It’s
just like sliding the wrapper back to expose a straw.
The Double-Braid Eyesplice Made Human This independence of core and cover is the key to
splicing double-braid.
Materials needed: Half the strength of this rope is in the cover, and
20 feet (6 m) of ⁄2 -inch (or 13-mm) half is in the core, so it’s very important that both
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double-braided Dacron take an even strain if the splice is to be maximally
heavy-duty scissors strong. All the measurements you’ll be doing are
small marlingspike or awl there to make things come out so there’s no slack in
sail needle core or cover when you’re done.
China marker To make things easier when you’re doing prac-
tape measure tice splices—and please do a few—use new, col-
splicing tool or-covered Dacron or Nylon rope of good quality.
If your rope contains high-modulus fibers, use the
The Rope Core-to-Core Splice, in the next section.
To de-alienize the procedure, first picture the rope.
It’s made of two braided tubes, one inside the Setting Up, Part 1 Measure a splice tail whose
other. Why make rope this way? Because you can length is 24 times the diameter of the rope (see for-
get more yarns into the same diameter than with mula at the beginning of this section). Pull a lone
three-strand, so the rope is stronger for its size. And yarn (not an entire strand) out of the end at this

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