Page 56 - Eric C. Fry - Knots and Ropework

31 With strands whipped and unlaid for the required distance, it is
essential to carefully arrange them as in Fig 1, with the central
Eye Splice strand on top, the left hand strand emerging from below the rope,
and the remaining strand laying to the right of centre.
This central strand (subsequently referred to as B) is always
tucked first. being tucked against the lay under any strand of the
standing part, the required size of the eye being the only
governing factor, Fig 1.
The left-hand strand (A) is always tucked next, being passed to
the left of B. over the strand under which 8 has been tucked and
under the next, Fig 2, the whole being hauled tight as in Fig 3.
The work is now turned over; th e back of the splice appears as
Fig 4 and the rema ining strand C is found, laying on the left.
It is essential that strand C be brought over to the right before
being tucked towards the left under the one remaining strand of
the standing part as in Fig 5.
When hauled tight the back of the splice appears as Fig 6 which
also completes the first fu ll tuck, when one tail should emerge
from between each pair of strands. Tucking over one/under one,
against the lay is continued until three fu ll tucks have been made,
Fig 7. At this stage the splice is virtually completed and the tai ls
may be cut off, allowing a small amount to offset the tendency of
the splice to 'draw'. Alternatively the tai ls may be cut slightly
longer, halved and each half of the one strand whipped to the
corresponding half of the neighbouring strand, as a safeguard
against the splice drawing,
By far the neatest method is to taper the splice as illustrated. The
strands are halved and one half of each strand is cut off fairly
close to the third tuck, after which the remaining half strands are
tucked in the usual manner for a fu rther three full tucks, and the
finished splice appears as in Fig 8.