3 strand splice

Still on the truck too. Funny how I can get many years out of those things while others require new ones every few months. It’s no wonder my boss has high blood pressure.
 
Well I eye spliced the 8 2" nylon mooring lines on the first submarine I was on and not one ever failed .There isn't anything wrong with three strand. As I type I have two 600 footers and one 300 in 1" nylon .It's not as limber as braided but it's still strong .

Three strand nylon has a 70 % elongation before it fails .It's like big strong rubber band .I've seen the strands straight and 2" nylon less than 1" in diameter and it scared the shit out of me .That thing could take your head off if it failed .It didn't else I would not be typing this post .
 
Wow, Al, cool story! Glad there was no mishap. Thanks for your thoughts on the subject. It's nice to know that such a seemingly simple rope is so highly respected. I had no idea about that 70% elongation number. It makes me think that it could work well as a way to temporarily support a failing tree, since it might give and take with the wind. Thanks again for your post.

Tim
 
Still on the truck too. Funny how I can get many years out of those things while others require new ones every few months. It’s no wonder my boss has high blood pressure.

Hey, Rich, thanks for chiming in with your long-term results on those beautiful splices! Pretty cool to be able to get feedback on something that was posted so long ago.

I was wondering if you might be able to enlighten me with regard to why you think your gear lasts maybe twelve times longer than the stuff being used by other crews? Do you think it is because of the way you store it when not in use, or is it something else? Thanks a lot, in advance, for any thoughts you care to share on this subject.

Tim
 
Have to give them a financial reason to care.

Being a good employee, and getting paid well is not enough, too often.
 
Have to give them a financial reason to care.

Being a good employee, and getting paid well is not enough, too often.

Yep pay them almost double the next available job they start off strong then fizzle. I could sum it up as a lack of passion for the job.

Case in point is Rich's wheel chock splice with a billion tucks :P lol. He could have just tied a knot and be done with it but, no, he took some time and pride in splicing them = passion. Even coiling a line properly instead of just some birds nest. = pride perhaps.
 
They just don’t breed like us anymore. Honestly I’ve been lucky with my crew. My third guy is usually a newbie but my second thinks the same way I do. A broken rake is what? $20? That’s $20 bucks more I could make of the boss doesn’t have to replace it. Almost everyone thinks that bosses/owners are just swimming in money and it’s no big deal when they rip a mirror off of a truck or a gutter off of a house. I know shit happens but it shouldn’t happen on a regular basis.
Things are changing for the better, but in my mind it should just be common sense. We had a foreman a week ago set an out rigger half on and half off of an asphalt drive way. Big surprise, it broke. No one thinks. And of course he said sorry I messed up. Like it’s not a big deal to replace a drive. I looked at the pictures and then went out to double check my suspicions. The dumbass didn’t even put pads down. Perfect break from the dimensions of the outrigger. Company policy is pads on all surfaces. In my mind it’s a fireable offense. Stump grinder guy broke two windows in a week. Didn’t bother to set up the shields and ground with the nose guard tied up. Laziness and an OSHA violation. All I can say is my back hurts from carrying these guys.
In my buzzed up state I’ll end with this. Not many take any pride in what they do anymore. Most think that they are entitled to a well paying job with out doing the work.
How’s that for derailed rant!
 
On that elongation issue we used to splice ,just after the eye spice 17" of white line in a 10" area . White line is soft 3 strand cotton with almost no elongation .That way if the white line got tight as the main line stretched you know that was about all the main line could take before it failed .You also don't tuck the bitter ends of the splice but leave a tail of a couple inches because the eye splice elongates also under strain .
I don't think the navy uses 3 strand any more and has gone to double braid nylon .On that I have no idea what the elongation rate is but we all know it's stronger per diameter .--Edit : I just checked ,for insured safety against failure the safe working load on three strand has been down graded to 50 percent elongation instead of 70 percent .70 was the parting point of failure almost 50 years ago .----
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A story from a long time ago .My first wife was research assistant at the Coast Guard Academy when the CG did the most comprehensive testing of all types of line up to that point .All types of lines such as nylon ,manila ,steel cable etc .Two senior honor students and several engineers were involved .Those ornery kids went on to be admirals but I remember them at my apartment drinking my beer and smoking my cigarettes and I have to laugh at that . I only lived about a half a mile from the CG academy in New London Conn .
That study was as thick as the old Sears and Roebuck catalog of years ago once it was completed and I have yet to find any thing on line .My ex had a copy but she's deceased .It had testing not only on the lines but splices,knots ,wet .dry,oil soaked It took the best part of the final year of those two senior cadets .I would have liked to have seen them both graduate but I got out of the navy several months before the event .
 
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