Page 197 - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice

Loft Procedures Are for
Wire and Spectra

This is the most tradition-intensive chapter in
the book, and some topics, like wire splicing
and seizing, will apply only to wire rope. But
much of what follows can apply wholly or in
part to making rigs out of Spectra. Measuring
is measuring, and thimbles are thimbles, after
all. So even if you never want to pick up a
piece of wire in your life, you can find valuable
information here. No surprise, really; wire
rigging is, after all, the attempt of a previous
generation to do with wire what they had pre-
viously done with rope. A couple of hundred
years later, we are just running things the
other way.

measured right; no sense duplicating someone else’s
mistakes.
First of all, check the turnbuckles:

1. Are they overextended or two-blocked (both
threads drawn as close together as possible)?
List each piece and note how much longer or
shorter the new one will need to be.

2. Are they toggled? Frequently not. Make a
note to subtract the length of a toggle from the
new piece.

3. Are they the right size? Heavier
turnbuckles are longer; lighter ones, shorter.
Consult Table 5 to see whether wire and
turnbuckle sizes match If not, measure from
the existing thimble’s clevis-pin centerline to
the chainplate’s clevis-pin centerline and note
the distance (Figure 6-1). Determine whether

Figure 6-1. Determine the appropriate size turnbuckle
for a given wire size and construction, then measure
the distance between the chainplate and thimble on
the old rig (A). In this instance, the old turnbuckle is
too large and two-blocked. If the distance is longer or
shorter than the half-extended proper turnbuckle with
toggle, add or subtract accordingly for the new wire
length (B).

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