relaxing 1x19 galvanized wire

[jamesorcas]

Hello,
I have a 500' roll of 5/8" 1x19 galvanized wire, and a 300 foot roll of 1/2" 1x19 galvanized wire. How much tension should this wire be under when parcel and serving it. Will this process get the 'memory' of the roll out of it?

Also, I have 600' of 9/16" vectran. How much tension does this require while being parceled and served?

Is it usual to cut these products to length , plus a safety margin, and parcel and serve each piece. Or do you do the whole length and then cut it?

I am hoping to haul out in port townsend somewhere in august to work on the hull. Then somewhere in september -october assemble the spars and rigging. I would like to have an idea of what I ought to do ahead of time to prepare the rigging.

Thank you,
I am posting my progress on http://schoonerphoenix.org

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
Sounds like you have a project ahead of you. The size of the wire just means that you have to apply more tension to work with in general. Some memory may remain in the wire, even after serving, but it won't be significant if you get it close to bar taut before serving. You want it that tight if only to make swinging the mallet easier.
As for the Vectran, the first problem is that it likely will have a 2ft constructional stretch in 100ft, and it is important to get all of this out before serving. You'll likely need at least a ton of load to accomplish this. Also beware that you will be serving against the lay for only half the fibers, so do what you can to control torque.
Have you served a rig before?
We've spoken about your boat before, so it seems that 9/16" is on the extremely heavy side for it.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

[jamesorcas]

Hi,
The reason I got the 9/16" vectran was because it was cheaper to get one 600 foot roll of one size than to get shorter lengths in various sizes. The 9/16" covers the strength I need in the bowsprit/ jibboom rigging. It is only 11lbs per 100 feet, so I still will lose a lot of weight aloft in the topmast rigging. (I have also swithched from making solid topmasts, yardarms, and gaffs to hollow ones).

What would be a good way to avoid torque when serving vectran?
I'll contact the manufacturers of the wire and vectran to determine what tension bar taut is.

Also, I am thinking about iron strops on both upper and lower deadeyes. The shrouds can have poured spelter socket terminals to attach to iron strop. The 5/8" 1x19 is rather stiff and this seems to be a tidier and more practical method.

No experience in serving a rig... yet. Still need to get a serving mallet.
I am learning as I go.
This is why I would like to figure out ahead of time what sort of preperation I need.
It seems that it would be best to cut each piece so I am working with shorter lengths.
Would it work to stretch the wire taut, serve, then install?

The principal reason for this post is to figure out whether I should leave the wire rope and vectran on their spools til I get to port townsend or, get started on it on Orcas.
I have the space to stretch the wire here. Is there a practical location to anchor the material and serve in port townsend?

Thank you,
Jim

[Brion Toss]

Hello again,
Okey-dokey. Bar taut is a fairly subjective term; it will probably be in excess of 5% of the break, but you'll know it when you feel it.Stretching and serving individual pieces is the only way to go, so you'll need to have a good idea of finished length before cutting. If you do sockets, just stop short of where they'll go, and leave enough extra twine to finish service after socketing.
As for the Vectran, the more tension the better, for avoiding torque, but the big thing is to "tune" the mallet so that the turns are just tight enough, and no more. And here you'll be serving after you splice the ends. And when you splice the ends, you shorten the rope, so that must be figured into the cut length.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss