Page 550 - The Ashley Book of Knots

PRACTICAL MARLINGSPIKE SEAMANSHIP

3352. The end of a shroud or stay is capped with metal or tarred

canvas to protect it from the weather.

3353-57. An end seizing (~3353) is often a rigger's stopping

(~3380), which has no crossing turns. The upper seizing (~3354)

is sometimes made as a fiat seizing (without riding turns), ~ 3 3 8 3. As

many as five seizings may be used on a fore-and-aft stay; ~ 33 55 is a

3361

middle seizing; ~3356 is a quarter seizing; and ~3357 an eye seizing.

All of these may be round seizings except the eye seizing, which is

generally a throat (~34IO) or a round seizing (~3388); less often

it is a racking seizing (~3400).

3358. The drawing illustrates a bull's-eye seized in with a double

racking seizing (~340I), which is best for wire. Although a throat

seizing (~34IO) has been favored since the middle of the eighteenth

century for deadeyes, the round seizing is the earlier practice.

3359. Spun yarn or marline seizings are started with TUCKED EYE

~2772, the end of which is gripped by the next few turns.

3360. Seizings of small stuff are started with an EYE SPLICE

('# 2725), with long ends that are tucked once only.
3354

3361. Round turns. If a TUCKED EYE is used, the turns are care-

fully laid over the end to hold it. A SPLICED EYE is generally tucked

but once, the ends being held by the turns. The turns of a seizing :5Jl I

should always be taken contrary to the lay of the rope, and each turn 3")64

is'hove taut with a marlingspike.

3362. Racking turns are often used on wire rope.

3363. Double racking turns are used when there is need of haste.

3364. Riding tums, or riders, form a second layer of service on

top of the first layer or under turns. The riders are always one less

= '3b5
in number than the under turns, and are not set up so hard, in order

not to disturb the under turns.

3365. Crossing turns are added to take up slack.

3366, 3367. Patent deadeyes for wire rigging were invented ;". the

early seventies; the stay was turned in around a thimble and held

with five seizings. They were soon superseded by turnbuckles.

3368. Cross or right-angle seizings are employed for seizing bat- 3}74

tens which sometimes take the place of ratlines, and for securing

mast hoops.

3369. An X seizing has the same number of turns in each diagonal.

It is completed with crossing turns and finished off with SEIZING

HITCH ~ 3390.

3370. Figure-eight tU177S may be used either with or without

crossing turns. Similar turns may be added on the opposite side of

the seizing, one set being horizontal, the other vertical. These are

often found on the battens of a swordfisherman's shrouds. 33&1

3371. Frappi'ng turns are added with a needle to the face of a

figure-eight seizing.

3372. A T RANSOl\1 KNOT serves the same purpose.

3373. Flat seizing (~3383) is frequently used as an end seizing.

3374. ROllnd seizil1g ('# 3388) is the usual middle seizing of a

shroud end. •
-
•
-
-
• • -
3375. A quarter seizing is commonly put in as a round selzmg. -

•

3376. The throat seizing is used when turning in a shroud

('#3410).

3377. Shear poles are secured to the shroud doublings with flat

seizings (~3 383).

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