Page 249 - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice

Back when marline was the material of choice, it Wire Service
used to be hard to make a birdcage, simply because Wire service is rarely needed, but if you have a severe
the marline would break before sufficient force chafe issue, it can be the right thing to do. The serv-
could be exerted. But nylon, today’s service material ing material of choice is 1 x 7 seizing wire. It might
of choice, is far stronger than hemp. It’s also much seems logical to serve galvanized wire with galva-
more decay-resistant and far superior to hemp in nized seizing wire, and stainless with stainless. But
every way, except that it allows an inattentive server in practice, annealed stainless seizing wire of 1 x 7
to destroy the wire. construction is nearly always the better material.
The question, then, is how tight is tight enough? For one thing, galvanized seizing wire, which
The answer is that service should feel hard, but not is made from iron, not steel, is much weaker than
so hard that friction-tape parceling squeezes out stainless. And corrosion is most severe at deck level,
between the turns. So take it easy on your parceling, where most wire service is needed; stainless seizing
your service, and yourself. wire lasts longer here. Fatigue is not a problem,
because the wire is annealed, and is also not struc-
Nylon Slush tural. Finally, stainless wire is much more widely
Slush is the paint-like substance that goes on ser- available, since it has wide commercial use.
vice to keep it from drying out. Ideally it is hard Corrosion arising from mixing dissimilar metals
enough that it won’t rub off on sails or crew, but soft is generally not a problem with rigging materials—
enough that it won’t crack and let water in. With given the insulation of service, or even just paint—
marline, slush was traditionally made with a mix of since (if all goes well) rigging is not kept immersed
Stockholm tar, boiled linseed oil, and Japan drier, in the electrolytic medium of water. As insurance,
with maybe a little varnish thrown in. This works it is customary to double-parcel under wire ser-
well with nylon service, too, but there is an even vice, mixed metals or no: one layer of friction tape
better alternative: equal parts black paint and net to waterproof, and one layer of lanolined polyester
dip. Net dip, available from fishery supply stores, is bedsheet to insulate the wire and keep it from chew-
an asphalt-based paint in which twinemakers dip ing up the friction tape.
nylon twine to tar it. It’s a little too thin and soft Wire and twine service are the same in princi-
to hold up on standing rigging by itself, hence the ple, and they can even share tools and techniques.
addition of a good anticorrosive black paint. Test But wire is a bit harder to control, and if a loose end
paint a short stretch of service, since some paints dry whips around it can do some damage, so be care-
harder than others. If the slush dries too hard, thin ful. At the start of wire service, you may need to
with Cuprinol and varnish to taste. If you can’t find lightly clamp the end down with Vise Grips to get
net dip in your area, thin some asphalt roofing tar to started. Always use a serving iron (Figures 6-54 and
an almost-watery consistency. 6-55). Alternatively, you can insert the end of the
wire under one of the strands of the standing part
(Figure 6-55)
To finish wire service, make and undo the turns
Figure 6-54. “U.P.I.,” a serving iron, with suggested
dimensions. as with twine (see page 230), pull the slack out

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