Douvle braid eye splice

[daletournier]

Ive been doing a couole of double braid eye splices.

Theading the core back through the cover is real tuff, very very tight,requires alot of effort and time,is there a easy way?

On the premium rope utube he does it very easily, i do it the same way without the ease.

Any tips?

Cheers Dale.

[HankOnthewater]

Hi Dale, I use the 'splice wands' by Brion Toss; following his system has worked for me the last 15 years or so. The only time I struggle is when I make a foolish attempt to splice an used rope.....
I think I have some videos somewhere on an old hardrive or DVD. I you have plenty of internet capacity I can upload it via Dropbox or Wetransfer, for you to download, but then again... all that might be available on the net now.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by HankOnthewater

Hi Dale, I use the 'splice wands' by Brion Toss; following his system has worked for me the last 15 years or so. The only time I struggle is when I make a foolish attempt to splice an used rope.....
I think I have some videos somewhere on an old hardrive or DVD. I you have plenty of internet capacity I can upload it via Dropbox or Wetransfer, for you to download, but then again... all that might be available on the net now.

Thanks Hank, I'll Google it.

[Paul L]

One trick to get the splice to come all the way home is to
Tie off line to a secure point5 or 6 feet up from the splice
Put a strong tool handle through the eye
Then snap the splice hard with the tool handle using a jerking motion with both hands

This will drive the splice through after a half dozen snaps

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by Paul L

One trick to get the splice to come all the way home is to
Tie off line to a secure point5 or 6 feet up from the splice
Put a strong tool handle through the eye
Then snap the splice hard with the tool handle using a jerking motion with both hands

This will drive the splice through after a half dozen snaps

I Paul, the final milking part isn't an issue, i cleat the line off at the mid cleat and then use a winch to wind the final part home. Its the threading the core (without the casing running through it) that is the hard bit.

[Paul L]

Originally Posted by daletournier

I Paul, the final milking part isn't an issue, i cleat the line off at the mid cleat and then use a winch to wind the final part home. Its the threading the core (without the casing running through it) that is the hard bit.

The Brion Toss wands make that much easier, as you are pulling the wand out instead of pushing the fid through.

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by Paul L

The Brion Toss wands make that much easier, as you are pulling the wand out instead of pushing the fid through.

I just googled them, I can see it will be much better, I'll try to pick some up when in the carribean. Thanks.

[Benz]

That's the toughest bit, and I would say not usually worth the effort with used line. With brand-new rope it's never a big problem. I use the Samson or Yale fids.

[SaltyMetals]

Yes, i find the Brian Toss wand is the easiest (if one can call it "easy"!). Problem i have found is you absolutely have to avoid catching any of the existing core as you thread the wand between the core and the cover to the point where you then need the grab the next bit and pull it through. The Brian Toss wand will go in even if it does catch a bit of the core but the moment you start pulling the other piece through it will block bec there is not enough space to get through the loop of the core that got caught when you were first pushing the wand in. I hope my explanation is clear.

Is there a trick to make sure you do not catch any of the core when pushing the wand in between the cover and the core? Get the core really tight perhaps but the cover v slack? would that work?
Andrew

[FabioC]

I totally sympathize with how you are feeling
I sweated bullets learning how to pass one core into the other in a double braided splice and to add insult to misery, there are all these youtube videos of guys with a colorful accent doing it effortlessly.

I honestly think they are having fun with us (in fact, I have proof of it, I actually asked my sailmaker about a splice on a specific line, and he said it would be "a piece of cake", then cornered him to do it with a conventional fid, and he failed as well).

The reality is very different, there are certain double braids (like Samson XLS, but the worst one is New England Dinghy Rope, which is so difficult that most professional splicers, like APS, say it is not spliceable...) that will fail all the time, at least for the diameters that normal people like us usually deal with (there is a Samson video that uses a rope good for an oil tanker, of course it works effortlessly, try the same with a 5/16...) and will fail at the very end, when the fid loses the core in the middle of the splice and you have to start from scratch, with a messed up core. In fairness, eye splices are easier than continuous splices on a double braid, but the skill to master is the same.

Fortunately, I can attest there is hope. After a long personal struggle with nasty double braided lines, I mastered the splice and now I am confident I can execute on any double braided rope in no time, and even look forward to the challenge...

The secret is in the fid. Forget conventional fids, they work well and fast on "easy" ropes, but they fail on tight ropes of small diameter. Look at splicing needles instead. However, the soft ones do not have enough strength to thread the core into a rope that is very tight (they may do for an eye splice, not for a continuous splice), so you need to look for one that is rigid enough for the job while maintaining a low profile (the profile must be thinner than the core that you want to pass). Once you identify a good splicing needle (or you can relatively easily build one yourself that is just right for the job), forget the instructions that come with it. What you need to do is to sew the core into the needle, so the "profile" of what you are passing is minimized and you can "pull like crazy" without losing the core (the needles pull, not push like the fids...).

After that, it works like a charm (the only issue is that you'll end up with all your lines spliced, because you cannot stop, successful splicing can be addictive...). But please keep the secret

[pcmm]

"Paracord needle" style splicing fids have in my experience been the easiest to use. They look like a regular fid except the hollow end is threaded and will really hold onto the rope best once threaded one. Just push it through until it pokes out the other end and then just pull the fid and line will follow.

[Cpt Mark]

I understand because I'm there too! I have had all of the various tools at one time or another. The kids I like the best are the Selma Fid Needle. They have a little catch on them to keep you from losing the line. A neat trick I saw, haven't tried it yet, was to use the next size bigger fid and run it in as you would have the normally. Then push that fid through with the smaller one with your line on it.