NYLON LINEMost of the tips for the care of natural fiber lineshould be observed with nylon line. Nylon, however, isnot subject to mildew. It should be scrubbed if itbecomes slippery because of oil or grease.A stretch of one third of its length is normal for nylonline under safe working loads. Nylon stretches about 50percent before it will break. Because of its elasticity,nylon line breaks with a decided snapback; therefore,stand well clear when it is under a heavy strain.CAUTIONSnapback is extremely dangerous and hascaused severe injuries and death. The utmostcaution must be observed when working withor around all synthetic lines.WIRE ROPEThe basic unit of wire rope construction is theindividual wire, which is made of steel or other metal andcomes in various sizes. These wires are laid together toform strands. The number of wires in a strand variesaccording to the purpose of the rope. A number of strandsare laid together to form the wire rope itself.Wire rope is designated by the number of strands perrope and the number of wires per strand. For example, a 6by 19 rope will have 6 strands with 19 wires per strand. Itmay have the same outside diameter as a 6 by 37 wirerope, which will have 6 strands with 37 wires of muchsmaller size per strand. The more wires per strand, themore flexible the rope. Rope with fewer and larger wiresper strand is more resistant to external abrasion.The strands of the wire rope are laid up around acentral core, which may be only a single wire, a singlestrand of wire, or hemp. A hemp core contributesflexibility, cushions the strands as the wire ropecontracts under strain, and holds a portion of lubricantfor continuous lubrication. A wire core is stronger thanhemp and can be used where conditions, such as hightemperatures, would damage a hemp core.WHIPPINGSWhippings are bindings on the ends of rope thatkeep the rope from unlaying. On line, whippings aremade with cord, such as sail twine or with marline. Theends of all line must be whipped because of the frequentneed for passing the ends through rings and pad eyesand for reeving them through blocks. Unlaid and frayedends of line are unsightly and unseamanlike and wastemany feet of line. Knots or backsplices in the end of aline are not allowed, nor are friction tape or wirewhippings. Knots and backsplices will jam in a block;friction tape will not hold for long; and wire may tear aline-handler’s hands.The most secure whipping is made with the aid of asail needle and palm. However, an excellent whippingcan be made without a needle if the procedure shown infigure 7-14 is followed. First, lay one end of thewhipping along the line, bind it down with a couple ofturns, and snug up the edges. Then lay the other end onin an opposite direction with the body portion of thewhipping, continuing with several more turns from thebight of the whipping. The whipping length should beabout equal to the diameter of the line being whipped.Snug up the edges and cut off the twine close to theline. This type of whipping is a temporary one. If theline is to be used frequently, a permanent whippingshould be used.7-10Student Notes:Figure 7-14.—Plain whipping a line.
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