Splicing Stranded Rope with Thimbles - Loose . . .

[akio.kanemoto]

Howdy,

A very quick question - whenever I make an eye splice in 3 strand and put a thimble in it - I can never get the eye tight enough. There is always a bit of slack in there so the thimble can move a little.

I've tried whipping/seizing the throat with a "Yale whiplock", but since the individual strands in the rope are quite large, the whipping ends up looking lumpy and "untrustworthy"...

Is there a method/guide/hint somebody can point me to to make tighter splices in 3 strand with a thimble?

Thanks!

AK

[boatman61]

Well I put a whipping on where the rope starts round the thimble then another where it exits to hold the strands... three tight splices then roll between my palms to even the lay... pull tight then roll again...
cut 1/3rd thickness of strands and splice once... remove another 1/3rd and repeat... final 1/3rd spliced and trimmed....
Roll and then tighten after each splice... and take your time... you'll finish quicker..
Oh... forgot to say... start the splice 1 lay early then tighten up on the thimble...

[akio.kanemoto]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Well I put a whipping on where the rope starts round the thimble then another where it exits to hold the strands... three tight splices then roll between my palms to even the lay... pull tight then roll again...
cut 1/3rd thickness of strands and splice once... remove another 1/3rd and repeat... final 1/3rd spliced and trimmed....
Roll and then tighten after each splice... and take your time... you'll finish quicker..
Oh... forgot to say... start the splice 1 lay early then tighten up on the thimble...

When you say start 1 lay early, I thought that this might work as well, but when I do this - the other side of the splice ends up looking funny with 2 strands running parallel to each other before the throat (if that makes sense)... Most splicing guides only show the front actually, so I never know if the other side is correct either.

[ggray]

If you can't get them tight, rather than whipping the throat tight, put a seizing on at that point.

[GordMay]

Often, dipping the eye in hot water for several minutes will shrink the eye snugly around the thimble.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Often, dipping the eye in hot water for several minutes will shrink the eye snugly around the thimble.

AK, I also use this method an can attest that it works well. We use water just off the boil FWIW.

Cheers,

Jim

[akio.kanemoto]

Thank you for the replies gentlemen, I will press my morning tea into performing a second duty.

[zeehag]

good to know the shrinking tactics!!! will eventually save me heart attack an stroke....

[xeon_tsd]

Old thread, but I saw this today and wondered who else had used it?

The Pro Eye Splice

[KevKilo]

Originally Posted by xeon_tsd

Old thread, but I saw this today and wondered who else had used it?

The Pro Eye Splice

Oh, yes; thank you for sharing. Bringing the entire rope, tight around the thimble is the secret.:smitten

[Snowpetrel]

Yeah, I was taught the pro splice as the Lever splice. Makes for a much tighter eye, but it might weaken the line slightly over the normal eye entry? That's a good tip using hot water. Got to try that one day.

Sent from my HTC_0PCV2 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, KevKilo.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Years ago, when I took a splicing class taught by Brion Toss, he mentioned the boiling water trick.

Also, I should think that one other option is to use the type of thimbles which, via their design, capture/cover a good bit of the rode/line going around them. Meaning that there's kind of a "tunnel" built into the thimble for the rope to pass through. Which also aids in holding it in place on the thimble.

They're far less common, but, I think, they're a better design. And second to them would be a stainless, sailmaker's type thimble. The ones which are welded into a rounded end, where the splice comes together.

Also, in some instances, I've seen spliced in thimbles, where the line is served/siezed onto the thimble, on both of it's "legs". To aid in keeping the line in place.
This, of course, is done where the siezing is unlikely to be chafed by the shackle.
And one could go so far as to use thin Spectra line for such a purpose. Say, anywhere from 1mm to 3mm, depending on the size of the thimble. And then lock the siezing in place with any of the following:
- a compound for sealing line ends
- Maxi Jacket/Maxi Jacket II
- RP25
- Other similar products

Note: I'd only use Spectra for such a siezing AFTER the boiling water trick. As Spectra/Dyneema can be damaged by higher temps. Including those at water's boiling point.

[KevKilo]

Originally Posted by Snowpetrel

Yeah, I was taught the pro splice as the Lever splice. Makes for a much tighter eye, but it might weaken the line slightly over the normal eye entry? That's a good tip using hot water. Got to try that one day.

Sent from my HTC_0PCV2 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

I will try the boiled water method as well, but I am a bit skeptical in regards to how it works. Presumably, heating it expands the rope, so it gets a little longer and a little thicker which tightens up the thimble. But then it will eventually return to ambient temperature and shrink back to its original size, no?

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by KevKilo

I will try the boiled water method as well, but I am a bit skeptical in regards to how it works. Presumably, heating it expands the rope, so it gets a little longer and a little thicker which tightens up the thimble. But then it will eventually return to ambient temperature and shrink back to its original size, no?

Did you ever wash a wool sweater in hot water? Nylon or polyester aren't wool, but I assume the shrinkage is similar, in that it is permanant.