Page 573 - The Ashley Book of Knots
P. 573
THE ASHLEY BOOK OF KNOTS
3562. A pointed cable generally has an EYE SPLICE in the end so
that by means of a smaller rope it may be hauled out the hawse hole.
A whipping is put on at about two feet from the end, for a twelve-
inch cable. The end is opened, and the surface yarns laid Lack and
stopped. The three center strands (one from each of the three ropes
that constitute the cable) are laid up into a rope. A short piece of
rope somewhat smaller than one of the component ropes of the cable
has an EYE SI'LICE put into it, ami this in turn is spliced to the heart
that was just made. The remaining yarns of the cable are trimmed
and scraped to a symmetrical point, which is parceled and maded
over. The surface yarns that were laid out are next scraped and
tapered, waxed and laid up into an odd number of THREE- or FIVE-
STRAND FLAT SINNETS. These sinnets are now grafted in the same way
that the nettles were in '# 2678. The tip is whipped and snaked and
also the base. This point is described by Sir Henry Manwayring in
16 44.
ROUND SINNET, CROSS-POINTING and CROSS-GRAFTING are made
alike, but ROUND SINNET has no core, CROSS-POINTING has a tapered
3562. core and CROSS-GRAFTING has a cylindrical core. All three require
an even number of strands.
ROUND SINNET is made of four, six, and sometimes eight strands.
3563 3564 Beyond that it requires a core and becomes automatically, according
to the shape of the core, either pointing or grafting.
The strands for pointings should be tapered; if the strands have
insufficient taper, superfluous ones must be cut out from time to time.
3563. CROSS-POINTING is made like ROUND SINNET. The surface
yarns are laid up into an even number of nettles, which are divided,
and alternate strands are turned down. Proceed as directed for
'# 3024. Finish off in one of the ways already given-that is, with a
3S"6S seizing, a snaking or a TURK'S-HEAD. Steel (1796) gives "CROSS-
POINTING" as the proper covering for a MOUSE or splice.
3564. A coachwhipped point is similar to the last but is either twC',
three-, or four-ply. This is made directly as '# 302 2 with dC''.101e
strands.
3565. A pointing may be covered with EIGHT- or TWELVE-S'PRAND
• SQUARE SINNET. The texture is distinctive, quite different from
,
•
, COACHWHIPPING ('#3564).
•
• Still another texture may be obtained by helixing and seizing one
•
•
• set of strands at the tip of the pointing and then tucking the other
•
- set in the opposite direction, over two and under two, oc over three
• 35'66 '3S 61
• and under three.
•
- 3566. Dana says, "If rope is too weak for pointing, put in a piece
•
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- " of stick." This cone is grafted over as '# 3 557, with fishline seized
,
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•
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- to the rope's end.
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.::= 3567. The tip of a point was often rounded and covered with
white duck or turkey red cloth.
3568. l\1anrope points are often canvas-covered and painted. Th~
canvas cover is a continuation or the beginning of the canvas cover-
,
ing of the rope proper. The ends of the worming are hidden at the
base of the point by a NARROW TURK'S-HEAD .
•
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