Page 254 - The Complete Rigger’s Apprentice

Figure 6-59. Flying Service. Stretch wire rope out taut, but be sure your anchor points can take the strain.
Tar and worm the splices, and parcel the wire full length. Thread mallet on and “fly” by oscillating wire with
rhythmic pull-and-release motion. If the marline breaks, retrieve mallet and bend in new piece as for service
mending.

use an oscillation technique that swings the mallet (Figure 6-60). There’s nothing terribly complicated
around and down on the pull stroke, then eases off about applying leather, so it makes sense to keep
to let it swing up and over before the next pull. With a split hide of oiled shoulder or Latigo around for
a little practice you can time the push-and-pull to the above uses as well as for oar leathers, gaff jaws,
maximum effect (that is, minimum effort). Always chafing gear on sail eyelets, sheaths, handles, and all
lean back slightly to dampen jerking motions of the the other places you’ll find use for it once you have it
wire (Figure 6-59). Tricing lines can be tied on every around and know how to work it.
20 feet or so to further control the wire’s motion. The traditional stitch for most cylindrical or
With this setup, you can parcel and serve 20 to 30 conical objects is the awkward Baseball Stitch: it’s
feet an hour. Not exactly a blistering rate by track redundant, since it uses two threads; and its criss-
and field standards, but fast enough to get the job cross pattern pulls the edges of the leather together,
done while you’re still young enough to go sailing. making a smooth, tight seam (Figure 6-61). But
here’s a variant that is even better. I call it the Base-
INTO LEATHER ball Diamond Stitch. It starts in the middle and
works toward both ends, so there’s (a) no super-
Leather is a cushion, an insulator, that keeps your long, tangle-prone lengths of twine to deal with, (b)
standing rigging from damaging your mast and a tight finish at both ends, and (c) even “shrinkage”
sails. A layer of leather over one or two layers of in both directions, so you don’t get lopsided eyes.
service is standard procedure for soft eyes, and a And there’s this neat little diamond in the middle of
stretch of leather over service is a tidy alternative the finished piece (Figure 6-63F).
to baggywrinkle for chafe-prone stretches of wire Here’s how it’s done:

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