Double Braid Eye Splice
Machovec is proud to bring you these
rope splicing instructions. Eye splicing a rope is one of the most asked
for procedures. Having a permanently fixed loop (eye splice) on a rope end
removes the need to tie and then untie a knot each time you wish to use
it. Rope splicing is a very strong method of fixing a loop eye; as the
rope is pulled tighter so the spliced strands become more and more
squeezed and locked into place. Rope splicing removes the worry of a knot
becoming undone and a spliced eye is less bulky. You can buy 3-strand,
8-strand or 12-strand rope with an eye already spliced in or you you can
make your own by following these instructions for eye splicing a rope.
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From the end of the rope, measure back
1 full fid length
,
mark this "A".
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Using mark "A" as a reference, form
the desired size eye and make mark "B" on the rope directly opposite to
mark "A".
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From mark "B", measure one long fid
section (down the body of the rope) and make mark "D".
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From mark "D" measure down the rope
approximately 5 full fid lengths and tie a slip knot or
figure 8 knot in the rope.
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From mark "A" count 8 consecutive left
or right strands toward the end of the rope and make a heavy mark
completely around the rope. This is mark "C".
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From mark "C" count 5 consecutive left
or right strands toward the end of the rope and mark the 5th left and
right pair. Continue counting and marking in this 5:4 sequence to the
end of the rope.
Bend the rope sharply at mark "B" and
carefully spread the cover strands to expose the core. Pry the core braid
out from the cover. Use care to avoid pulling any of the cover strands.
Pull the end of the core completely out of the cover.
Tightly tape the end of both the cover
and the core braids. Holding the exposed core, slide the cover braid back
to the knot. Then hold the knot and slide the slack cover back down the
core in the direction of the end of the rope until all of the slack has
been removed. Mark the core at the point where it exits from the cover.
This is mark "1" below.
Once again, slide the cover toward the
knot. Measure one short fid length from mark "1", toward the knot and make
two marks that go completely around the core. This is mark "2".
From mark "2", measure one full fid
length plus a short fid length toward the knot and make three marks
completely around the core. This is mark "3" below.
STEP 3
Using masking tape place two wraps of
tape around the bitter end of the cover. Taper this by cutting the end at
a 45° angle. Attach the fid hoot through the cover and tape the tapered
point to the fid as shown below. Insert the fid into the hollow core at
mark "2" and out at mark "3". When exiting or entering the braid with the
fid, always go between strands.
Pull the fid with cover tail through the
core until mark "A" on the cover is exposed at mark "3" on the core.
(below) Remove the fid.
Remove the tape from the end of the
cover. Cut and remove the marked strand pairs, starting at the end of the
cover and working back to mark "C".
Pull cover back out of core at mark "2"
until mark "C" on the cover is aligned with mark "2" on the core. To
prevent the cover tail from disappearing inside the core, tie a loose
overhand knot in the end of the cover.
Vise grips or a long piece of tape may also be attached to the cover tail
to keep it in place.
Attach the fid to core tail using the
procedure described above. Insert the fid into the cover at mark "C" and
out at mark "D". Pull core tail through at mark "D" until all the slack
has been removed. Remove the fid from core tail.
NOTES:
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The rope may be extremely tight where
the fid is traveling between marks "C" and "D". To create more space in
this area, grasp the core as it exits the cover at point "B" and pull
extra core out of the rope. This will cause the cover to "pucker" and
give you some extra space.
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If the distance between "C" and "D" is
longer than the length of the fid, hold the fid in place by squeezing it
through the cover braid. Slide the cover slack back from the fid to mark
"C" to draw the core tail into the cover. Then continue working the fid
through the cover to mark "D". Repeat as necessary.
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Avoid snagging the core with the tip of
the fid when it is passing through the cover in the vicinity of mark "B".
To check if the core has been snagged, pull on the exposed core where it
exits from the cover at mark "B". If the core moves freely, it's OK to
proceed. If the core appears to be stuck, pull the fid back until the core
is no longer snagged and continue.
STEP 6
The crossover is the point where mark
"C" on the cover and mark "2" on the core meet. To tighten, hold the rope
at the crossover point and alternately pull on the free ends of the cover
and core. Continue this process until the crossover is approximately the
same diameter as the rope.
To bury the cover tail, untie the lose
knot (or remove the tape or vise grips used in step 4). Hold the rope at
the crossover and smooth the core toward the cover tail, which will
disappear.
To bury the core tail, hold the
crossover and smooth out the slack in the cover braid from the crossover
down to mark "D". Repeat this process several times to remove all cover
slack. Most of the core will disappear, however, some of the core tail
will still remain at mark "D" after this process. Mark the core tail where
it exits from the cover at mark "D". Then mark the core tail at mark "B"
by inserting the marking pen into the opening at mark "B".
Pull out the core tail at mark "D" until
the mark made at "B" appears. Cut off the excess core tail at the first
mark (the one nearest the end of the core) and unbraid the core tail back
to the second mark. Fan out the strands. Cut the strands at a 45° angle
starting at a point about half way back from the end.
Again, hold the rope at the crossover
and smooth the cover braid from the crossover toward mark "D". The exposed
core will disappear completely inside the cover.
Score the knot tied in the body of the
rope to a solid anchor point. Since a good deal of tension may be placed
on the rope when burying the splice, the anchor point should be very
sturdy.
The slack in the cover braid between the
knot and mark "B" will be used to bury the exposed core, crossover and
cover down to mark "A" to produce the desired size eye. This is
accomplished by holding the rope at the top of eye and sliding the cover
slack back from the knot towards the splice. Milk the cover from the
crossover around the radius of the eye to the throat at "B" and pull that
leg sharply with a spike to help seat the splice. Flex and/or hammer the
splice section to loosen the fibers.
Seize or cross-stitch the eye to finish
the splice. Refer to the diagrams at the top of this page.
NOTE: If insufficient tension is
placed on the rope while making up the slack, the crossover may tend to
bunch up. If this happens, slide the cover slack back toward the knot
until the crossover is the proper size. (top image above) Then repeat the
milking procedure. (bottom image, above)