Rookie splicing questions

[Ian McColgin]

Ahoy Preserved,

It would help to know what size and material line you’re practicing on and what sort of fid and fid technique you’re using.

Lank nylon unravels more readily than many other ropes. Various tricks from taping the end of each strand to using crazy glue on the ends to soaking the last few feet of the line in a starch solution all help.

All the better fids - the U section, the Durham model and the “Fid-O” - give control that helps prevent unraveling.

It’s important to know how you’re starting. Are you doing the “boy scout splice” where all three strands are started evenly or do you bring it in like a professional, either making two tucks with the first strand or passing the fist strand under two lays before going around with the others?

The splicing strands need to break their lay a little but if they are too disorganized it is easy for the threads not to be taking an equal strain, thus at least in theory weakening the splice.

I’d sure not whip the strands while tucking. Many of us taper the cheap and easy way of just stopping a whole strand at a time, so all strands get say five tucks, then two get another tuck, and the last gets one more. After the splice has been pulled out a bit and pounded even, the strands are trimmed. Whether simply cut or burned, they really won’t pull out unless you were amazingly sloppy. As I recall, Brion prefers a more symmetrical taper taking some threads out of each strand over a few tucks. If you can do that neatly, I’ve no doubt it’s quite wonderful.

The tests on splices I’ve read are all with properly made splices, and I’m not aware of tests comparing bad splices.

G’luck