Compared to the vast amount of discussion on ArboristSite about knots, very little is said about splicing. My guess is the vast majority of people, even here on AS, have never spliced a rope; until a couple of years ago I was among them.
The idea of this short photo tutorial is to demystify the procedures for probably the simplest of all splices and maybe prod a few people to give it a try. Just as a beginner can tie a bowline that is as reliable and pretty as any tied by a pro, a beginner's first splice, carefully made, will be as reliable as any made by a pro. The pro, of course, will have made 10 of them by the time you finish your first, but yours should be just as strong.
We will make an eye splice in 3/8 in Tenex TEC, or so-called "sling grade" Tenex, the 12-strand hollow braid polyester rope made by Samson. The "TEC" stands for Two End Carrier, which means each strand consists of two yarns. In the photo below, the pink rope is Tenex TEC and the yellow rope is ordinary Tenex. They are slightly different. Ordinary Tenex is not as pliable and it is not quite as roomy in the center. The pliability of Tenex TEC makes it good for eye-and-eye split tails, but it is also widely used for whoopies, loopies, continuous loops, what have you.
The materials we need are minimal:
A few feet of 3/8 in. Tenex.
Vinyl electrician's tape.
Scissors.
Marking pen.
Large sewing needle with big eye.
Strong thread, or yarn from old rope.
The idea of this short photo tutorial is to demystify the procedures for probably the simplest of all splices and maybe prod a few people to give it a try. Just as a beginner can tie a bowline that is as reliable and pretty as any tied by a pro, a beginner's first splice, carefully made, will be as reliable as any made by a pro. The pro, of course, will have made 10 of them by the time you finish your first, but yours should be just as strong.
We will make an eye splice in 3/8 in Tenex TEC, or so-called "sling grade" Tenex, the 12-strand hollow braid polyester rope made by Samson. The "TEC" stands for Two End Carrier, which means each strand consists of two yarns. In the photo below, the pink rope is Tenex TEC and the yellow rope is ordinary Tenex. They are slightly different. Ordinary Tenex is not as pliable and it is not quite as roomy in the center. The pliability of Tenex TEC makes it good for eye-and-eye split tails, but it is also widely used for whoopies, loopies, continuous loops, what have you.
The materials we need are minimal:
A few feet of 3/8 in. Tenex.
Vinyl electrician's tape.
Scissors.
Marking pen.
Large sewing needle with big eye.
Strong thread, or yarn from old rope.