Page 437 - The Ashley Book of Knots

THE ASHLEY BOOK OF KNOTS

2641. It is often stated that a SHORT SPLICE is stronger than a LONG

SPLICE. This is probably taken from the testimony of the testing

machine. But in practical use the rather abrupt shoulders of the

I SHORT SPLICE continually fetch against various obstructions and

•

2&4 I 2&42. eventually the rope is weakened at the entrance to the splice. If a

SHORT SPLICE is carefully tapered it will give better service, and if a

number of yarns are wormed, its strength is increased. There is a

great variety in the ways that splices are tapered. It has often been

stated: "Every ship has its own long splice and every sailor has his

own short one." A splice tucked "once full, once two thirds and once

one third" has a nice taper. This is mentioned in Steel's Elements and

2(:,43 Practice of Rigging and Seamanship (1794).

2642. The more usual way is to tuck each strand "once full, once

one half, and once one quarter." Some splicers will tuck the strands

twice full before starting to taper, or one end once and the other end

twice. The material itself should decide the splice. A hard-laid rope

requires fewer tucks than a soft-laid rope, and a soft, well-stretched

and well-worn old rope should have additional tucks.

2643. A "LONG SHORT SPLICE": I have made a very satisfactory

SHORT SPLICE having a diameter no greater than a LONG SPLICE, when

the material was of insufficient length for the latter. The splice

should be about three times the length of the ordinary SHORT SPLICE

and careful workmanship is necessary. Open and seize each end at

a length equal to about six times its circumference, and whip all

strands.

Count the yarns in one strand, and taper each strand evenly for

one third of its length, beginning at the seizing, so that in that length

exactly one half of the yarns are cut out.

The tapering is done in this manner. Without disturbing the out-

side lay of the strand, lift out one of the interior yarns and cut it off

at an inch and a half from the seizing. Carefully unwind the yarn to

the end of the strand and cut it off close to the whipping. With the

left thumb, slip the short remaining end back into the interior of

\"'\ the strand. This is called sinking or burying a yarn. At short regular

intervals, cut out other inside yarns one at a time, sinking the upper

end and cutting off the lower end. When the inside yarns are ex-

hausted, remove outside yarns but do not remove adjacent ytrrns

oonsecutively. Scatter and bury the ends. When all three strands

have been tapered regularly to half size at one-third length, lay them

up again as described in '#: 144. Lay them up as tightly as you can,

and whip them strongly. Marry the two ends and short splice as al-

ready described, cutting out yarns at the same rate as in tapering.
2(:'44

When three yarns are left in each strand, back the yarns twice

through the proper opposing strand and cut them off short. After

rolling, the splice should be about the size of the rest of the rope.

2645'" 2644. A SHROUD SPLICE. Short splice the hearts of two shroud-laid

ropes ('#: II 0 ). One tuck each way is sufficient, after which the ends

are scraped down and marled with twine. Next, short splice the

shrouds, tucking them once and a half, scrape all strands and serve

over. Snake the ends of the service ('#: 345 3 ). This was the early

SHROUD SPLICE.

2645. As the heart of a four-strand rope is not intended to add to

the strength of the rope, but is merely to give it firmness, a neater

splice, that is about as strong, is made by cutting off the ends of the

hearts and butting them, after which the outside strands are spliced

as in '#:2644.