Eye splicing lifelines

[treeclimber165]

How many of you guys splice your own ropes? This hasn't been discussed here in a while and I recently started making my own splices. Mainly because the double fisherman's knot on my lifeline interferes with my friction hitch sometimes.

I have no formal training or instruction other than what I've read on forums and from the splicing instructions from New England Ropes and Samson Ropes websites. But I'm finding some tricks not mentioned in their instructions. One is that I'm setting up a 3-1 or 4-1 pulley system in the backyard and using a VT or Distel hitch to set the eye. I have blisters from milking the cover by hand trying to set the eye.
I do not have a fid yet, using a coathanger as many do. For long pulls I'm folding the hanger in two and feeding it in from the exit point and out at the entry point. Then I attach the rope core (or cover, depending on the splice) and pull it through. This is easier than attaching the rope core or cover first and trying to push it through. A wise man once told me "You can't push a rope". I never imagined he was talking about splicing!

I ordered a fid, whipping twine and whipping needle from Sherrill yesterday. I wasn't sure which fid to get and the website descriptions were confusing and conflicting on the sizes. I'm confident of my double braid splice without whipping but need to whip my Fly splice and lockstitch my 16 strand splices on the Safety Blue and Blue Streak. I picked up 3/4" shrink tubing from a local electronic supply house to protect the splices and whipping.

Online splicing instructions from New England-
http://www.neropes.com/splice/default.htm
I also have Samson's Blue Streak splicing instructions in .PDF and New England's Fly splice if anyone needs them. Just email me for those.

 

[treeclimber165]

Fred, the Blue Streak instructions are emailed. I'm not totally comfortable with this splice without lockstitching. It's basically removing a bunch of core and feeding the tapered cover back inside for a couple feet. Nothing to lock it in place like the double braid splice. Not having any experience with it, I'm going to use extra lock stitching just to be safe. I tried this one last week and ended up snagging too many strands. I cut it off after fighting it for a couple hours. Tried again last night and it went a lot smoother. Pinching the end of the cover in a doubled wire hanger was the only way I could secure it to pull it through without it pulling apart halfway through. Getting the end taped in a tight taper is imperative on those long pulls. It also took me a while to bury the last inch or so at the eye. The 4-1 pulley setup was the only way for me to do it.

Anyone with more experience want to pitch in here?

 

[Tim Walsh]

FYI

ANSI Z133.1 -2000

8.7.7 Splicing shall be done in accordance with manufacturers' specifications.

 

[NickfromWI]

Splicing

Brian-
I'm glad you brought up this topic! It's my favorite! From the sounds of it, you're getting pretty in to splicing. For the most part, I am self taught. I started with 3-strand, then did single braid, then double braid, the high modulus core-to-core splices, then just kept adding all sorts of things as I found new types of rope to be spliced.
Honestly, you shouldn't have to set up a 3-1 pulley system to milk the cover on any rope. Splicing NORMALLY should require that much work. It helps, when trying to bury a core (or cover!) to massage the rope- just bend it back in forth a bunch of times to relax the fibers. Then milk a bit more, then massage, then milk. It should all go in quite smoothly.
Fids, like you mention with the coat hanger, the kind where you come up through the rope, grap a tail, and pull it in, I think are better for burying a tail down a lenth of rope. I like "pushing" fids for 3-strand and for single braid (except the final bury). If you wanna really get into this splicing, get yourself a Wand (by Brion Toss). It makes things really easy! (usually)
For now, the biggest thing is to milk, then massage, then milk again. Send me some more specific questions and I'd love to help out where ever I can.
It seems that by reading books, getting info straight from manufacturers, and info online is a SUPER way to learn. It would definately be worth it for you to take a trip to Pt. Townsend next fall to take Brion Toss's Advanced Splicing class.

Maybe later, I'll tell you all about the N.I.C.C.S Method for whipping/stitching your splices!

love
nick

 

[treeclimber165]

Yup, I did two more eye splices today on some Safety Blue and a 7/16" double braid. Both went much easier than my previous splices by milking the cover back and forth to loosen it rather than forcing it. At one point on the Safety Blue, the cover just slipped up the last inch to close the eye. I was amazed at how easily it fell into place. Seems like the more time I put into a smooth taper, the less time it takes to bury.
I have lockstitching instructions from Samson and New England, seems simple enough. Waiting on the whipping twine and needle from Sherrill. Gotta lock them before I use them.

 

[NickfromWI]

taper!!!

My splicing motto: Long buries and smooth tapers = happy nick!

love
nick

ps- when you're lock stictching/whipping, make sure the stitching goes all the way trough the rope, not just around and around.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Thanks for the splicing instructions, Brian.

I like to use strands of the rope I'm splicing for lock stitching and even whipping twine. It is has similar to the spiced rope in strength, color, subleness, and is always available.

Nick, what do you think of the factory splicing instructions for the fly?

 

[NickfromWI]

Lock Stitching and the fly....

Mike-
The idea you offer is a great one for stitching the rope. It's important to only pull with gentle pressure on the first 2 or 3 stitches so that you don't distort the rope by pulling to hard on that one strand. After that, there should be enough friction that you can really snug those stitches down.
About the Fly splice....it's interesting you ask. I personally don't like the factory splice. It just looks sloppy. One of the things that's so great about splices is their smooth clean appearance. The fly does not have this so much. I am looking for a place to get a short length of this stuff to practice the splice a few times and see if I can maybe come up with some ideas to offer New England. I bet that they already know the solutions, but they must be more time consuming....and they are in this for the money, right? If anyone knows of a supplier that sells Fly by the foot, or if someone is perhaps sure that don't need the last 30' of that new Fly they bought, let me know...we can work something out!

love
nick

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

How about only six inches of bury?
Doesn't sound right to my untrained ear.

 

[jsirbasku]

Brian, can you please email me a copy of the instructions for splicing the fly? Thanks

tried emailing you but not sure that it worked

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

John, I think there is a new change out requireing a lockstitch and whip unde a clear shrinkwrap.

 

[jsirbasku]

Any particulars? i can see the lock stitching, but shrink wrap? I would prefer not. I dont think i could pull a shrink wrapped splice out of my FC. Id have to load it backwards, then pull other end to remove. That would suck!

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

the shrinkwrap is needed because this splice is more like a brummel. without the cover you would constanly snag the splice.

Lockstich alone will not work because the core fibers have a very verticle weave, which goves it the semistatic charictaristic.