Samson Arbor-Plex Class One eye splice

[Whit]

Has anyone out here tried this seemingly simple splice? Any suggestions about how to fit the body back through the body?

So far I'm using a long fid and liberal lubrication and it is progressing very slowly.

Thanks for any suggestions. Whit

[Whit]

I should have been more clear.

The line is 5/8" 12 strand single braid and I'm using the long wand rather than a fid.

This stuff is a bear!

Whit

[Brion Toss]

Hello,
Any time that the official instructions have the phrase "pull hard" in them, you know that you are dealing with tough rope. To make it easier, first be sure you are using a size large Wand. Next, use a different (and better ) taper than the one Samson shows. The one for HM 12-strand that I use (Apprentice, Book 5, etc) is fairer, and easier to run, and stronger. The trick is to remove six widely-spaced strands before tucking, starting about 8 -12 diameters from the throat, and then to cut 2 more, plus an angle on the last 4, after the tuck.
I am glad that you checked in here, rather than forcing things...
Fair leads,
Brion Toss

[Whit]

Brion,

Thanks for the reply and the tips.

I had already improved the taper much as you recommend and was using the long wand which is necessary to make the reach between Samson's mark 3 and mark 4.

I also resorted to using some soap-water (10 drops per quart of water) to lubricate the hollow of the braid.

Despite all of that, I was unsuccessful!

I think I'm going to try using the wand to pull a messenger through. Then I'm going to melt-tape-shrinkwrap the messenger to the end of the taper and pull it through with the messenger!

Wish me luck!

Whit

9/2/09

My idea of using a messenger worked to allow me to get the taper pulled in, but the reality of this effort is that I see no way to make the the center of the line open enough to accept a line of the same diameter.

I then went to a simple 4-tuck through the standing part splice with each tuck being 6 picks apart. A fifth tuck was made after unlaying the 12 strands, marrying them together in pairs and tucking 3 of the pairs through the standing part. Then I just unlaid everything and spread the opened strands evenly around the standing part, lock stitched for 2 line diameters and served over the final results after the 4th tuck.

Is it strong enough? Don't know yet. I'll test it over the next week and see how it stands up.

[Brion Toss]

Whit,
Would you mind sending me a fathom or so of this line, to try a splice?
Fair leads,
Brion Toss