amateur eye splice in double braid

[aardvarkash10 817]

Splicing rope is kinda fun.  Its technical (sort of) artistic (sort of) and useful (mostly)

I've struggled splicing double braid until I discovered pull fids.  They work well even on used lines which are typically too tight to successfully splice.  These images are of an eye splice being constructed on unknown 8mm double braid that has been drifting around in the stern locker of SO for all the time we have owned her and probably a long time before.

The pull fids are made out of champagne corks and 1.8mm stainless TIG wire.  One is 125mm long the other is 250mm.  The most expensive part was the champagne.  Lindaur is a cheaper option that works just as well.

You do have to remember that they operate in the REVERSE direction to a normal fid - well, duh.  They ARE a pull fid after all.

I like that you can leave them "clipped on" while you continue with the next part of the splice.  I have had problems with the outer cover "falling out" after it had been led down the inner core.  In one of the images you can see the cover is still in the smaller fid while I am pulling the core with the longer fid.

Other tools are just adapted stuff.  Yes, my marlin spike is a 4" nail.

Drawing the cover back over all of the gubbins is bloody hard work - it feels like its never going to happen and then you start feeling a little flinch each time you put pressure on it and you can see that it is slowly and painfully happening.  It hasn't happened like the one in this video yet!

My finished eye splice is NOT perfect, but its only the third I've done and I'm learning a lot with each one.  

 

 

 

[Psyche 454]

Are you saying you need to drink two bottles of champagne before you start?

[aardvarkash10 817]

36 minutes ago, Psyche said:

Are you saying you need to drink two bottles of champagne before you start?

It improves the experience, yes.

[Cheap Transport 48]

Nice work on the pull fids, they look bloody good! I've just started playing around with different ropes and learning to splice too. I find it somewhat relaxing despite the challenging nature out can sometimes bring. I just started out with 6mm dyneema, uncovered, so nice and easy, and like you made my own fid from a bic ball point pen with the top cut off. Worked a treat. Have now got to the stage you're at with a 10mm double braid eye splice.

[raz88 82]

One thing I've found with rope work is a cheap ceramic knife from aliexpress does a better job and doesn't seem to blunt as quickly as a metal one, particularly on dyneema. Plus they don't rust.

[Cheap Transport 48]

Did some new tweaker lines out of 6mm last week, was so much harder that a 10-12mm rope! Got there in the end... though I did end up cutting the end of one as I grabbed the wrong tail and ended up with a low friction ring at each end of one line

[aardvarkash10 817]

Nice work CT!  It becomes a bit addictive eh.  I left my fids out on SO this weekend so I'm going to make another pair for at home.  I'm also looking for material to use to make a pull fid for real small line  <4mm.  Then I can do a covered eye splice on the tweaker control lines (3mm dyneema).  I tried using the eye of an upholstery needle, but its not big enough.

[mcp 32]

11 hours ago, aardvarkash10 said:

 I tried using the eye of an upholstery needle, but its not big enough.

A wool bale needle might be a perfect size for what you are wanting.