Splicing

frans

TreeHouser
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May 31, 2013
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Am wanting to splice my own soft shackles using 1/2 dyneema hollow core 12 strand and a ‘button’ knot created by Brian Toss.
having trouble finding specs for total length of rope with diameters to start with.
anyone here make these?
thx
Frans
 
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The diamond knot tails come out the top of the knot. The button tails come out the bight and are buried
 
I wanted to try some soft schackles for rigging some years ago. But many groundies struggle to just open my usual carabiners. So I though that a soft schackle could be too much to handle.
 
I have some, a carb is many times faster. The advantages of them from my experience is that they're lighter, you can make them cheaply and to whatever size you need (replacing a rigging master link if you are doing that kind of rigging), and they won't knock stuff. They love them on sailboats because you are replacing a piece of hardware that whips around banging stuff and they're lighter.
 
I wanted to try some soft schackles for rigging some years ago. But many groundies struggle to just open my usual carabiners. So I though that a soft schackle could be too much to handle.
I am in this camp. I'll be 100 feet up a tree and they will find away to frig it up. Best keep it simple. Hell, i have to remind them to screw the gate keep down on the carabiner constantly.
 
I like making these. Small ones made out of throw line can take the place of a keychain carabiner. I am curious if textile on textile friction is an issue for heavy rigging or on the sailboats? Sorry I can’t precisely answer your question on length required. I use trial and error. I just use a piece plenty long and then work the excess out to the ends as I dress and set the knot. Then I cut off the excess.
 
Chafe is a huge problem on all types of rigging, from boats to trees to mountains to industrial. In the age of sail they often went so far as to cover all standing rigging in a process called worm parcel and serve, or simply service. This completely covers wire rope so that it wouldn't rust, completely tarring the whole thing, which is why everything on old boats looks black. On the industrial side any fabric on fabric is seen as terrible practice, even going so far as using shackles to choke nylon straps so the eyes don't wear.

 
I've had the chance to do some Worm parcel and serving volunteering for a nonprofit building a wooden boat. It's SOOOO labor intensive, but pretty darn satisfying.

According to the lead rigger, when tightening the serving, you need to apply enough force to "squeeze the tar out of it". The tar impregnated line kinda oozes a layer of tar onto the surface. Hence the expression ___ the tar out of something. At least according to Jim Nelson, but he is a writer of pirate fiction novels, so maybe not 100%reliable
 
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