Upon completion of the splice, the excess length of
each strand must be cut off. When natural fiber line is
used for the splice, the strands can simply be cut off near
the line. With synthetic line, a short length of each
strand should be left intact. The ends of the threads of
each strand are then melted together over an open flame
to prevent the strands from frazzling.
When you melt the ends of the strands, don’t allow
any of the melted synthetic line to drip on you, your
clothing, another person, or anything that might present
a fire hazard. Also, observe all safety precautions
pertaining to the use of open flames aboard your ship or
station.
Short Splice
A short splice is used where two lines are to be
permanently joined, provided a slight enlargement of
the diameter is not important. When properly made, the
short splice is much stronger than any knot.
After unlaying and whipping the strands as
described for the eye splice, seize each line where the
unlaying stops. Now butt the two lines together so that
they are interlaced, and follow the steps shown in
figure 7-23.
With large lines, you must put on a temporary
seizing where they join to keep them from suddenly
coming apart. It’s better to do that with small lines, too,
until you get the hang of holding them together while
you tuck.
Once your seizing is on, tuck over and under the
same way you finish off an eye splice. Three tucks
(natural fiber) or four tucks (synthetic fiber) on each
side of the seizing are ample. Remove the seizing, cut
off the ends of the strands, and melt them (if
appropriate) as previously described.
7-14
Student Notes:
Figure 7-22.—Steps for making an eye splice.
Figure 7-22.—Steps for making an eye splice.
