Page 23 - Barbara Merry - The Splicing Handbook

A Uni-Fid (New England Ropes, Fall River, Massachusetts) is needed to splice

braid with parallel core. This rope has a core of parallel fibers wrapped in a
gauze-like material, all within a braided cover. The tool consists of a small-
diameter wire with a hook smaller than that on the Marlow splicing tool. A
pointed end on the Uni-Fid is pushed through the rope, while the hook, which
has been inserted through the gauze, follows behind.

The Uni-Fid, like the tubular fid, is divided into fid lengths, and the table
comparing fid lengths to inches applies equally to it.

The venerable marlinspike shown here will easily splice wire ½ to ¾ inch in
diameter. A marlinspike is usually made of steel with a tip tapered like a duck’s
bill. This tool comes in a variety of sizes; I’ve seen them from 3 inches to 5 feet

(75 mm to 1.5 m). Costs range from $20 to $65, depending on size, and are
available from Trawlworks.
The two needlelike tools here are helpful when splicing some of the smaller
sizes of “braided” ropes. These two implements are special favorites of mine.
The long, thin needle with the eye is called a sacking needle. It’s an ideal tool for
pulling rope strands into place or rope cores into, out from, or down coat centers.
The other tool (I’ve forgotten where I found it) was the tool of choice when John
Darwin and I developed the copolymer splice. Ropes are classified as textiles, so
any tool or instrument associated with any kind of sewing is of possible use to

the rigger, knot-tier, or splicer. For instance, a stainless steel set of forceps is a
most helpful alternative to needle-nose pliers when it’s necessary to dive into the
center of a fancy knot or tiny splice.