The Splicing Handbook: Techniques for Traditional and Modern Ropes and Wires [Lingua inglese] - Brossura

Merry, Barbara

Brossura

ISBN 10: 0071736042 ISBN 13: 9780071736046

Casa editrice: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press, 2010

Riassunto

<p><b>The only reference devoted entirely to splicing today’s ropes</b></p><p><i>The Splicing Handbook</i> includes step-by-step illustrations and explanations for the most useful and popular splices in traditional twisted and modern braided ropes, and it covers every kind of splicing project you are likely to encounter, including modern cordage such as Spectra; mainstream rope materials such as Dacron and nylon; and wire and rope-to-wire splices. </p><li>Covers all the standard rope constructions using Dacron and nylon, including solid braid, double braid, parallel core, plaited, and three-strand</li><li>Explains how to splice wire for sailboat shrouds and halyards</li><li><ul>Shows how to make a broad range of useful onboard projects--and several that will find uses around the home as well, including dog collars, netting, rope railings, and lanyards. </ul></li>

Su questo libro

Informazioni sull'autore

Barbara Merry is a marine rope worker with twenty years of expierence in the splicing trade. Dounder and owner of the MArlinspike Artist in Wakefield, Rhode Island, she has worked on projects for boats of all sizes, from small traditional sialing craft and working schooners to commercial fishing vessels and U.S. Coast Guard cutters. She has taught at the WooderBoat School and the Northeast Maritime Institute, and has written on rope and rope technology for WoodenBoat and Invention and Technology.

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THE SPLICING HANDBOOK

Techniques for Traditional and Modern Ropes and Wires

By Barbara Merry, John Darwin

The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 International Marine/The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-07-173604-6

Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface to the Third Edition
PART ONE SPLICING AND SEIZING MODERN ROPES
1. Introduction to Splicing
2. Three-Strand Twisted Rope
3. Three-Strand Splicing Projects
4. Double-Braid Rope
5. Solid-Braid Splice
6. Braid with Three-Strand Core
7. Braid with Parallel Core
8. Hollow Braid
9. Copolymer End-to-End Splice
10. Eight-Plait Rope
11. Eight-Plait Rope-to-Chain Splice
12. Twelve-Plait Rope
13. Whipping and Seizing
14. Sew-and-Serve Eye Splice
PART TWO SPLICING WIRE ROPE
15. Introduction to Wire Rope
16. Liverpool Wire Splice
17. Tugboat Splice
18. Lap Wire Splice
19. Mill Valley Splice
20. Lizards
PART THREE ROPEWORK PROJECTS
21. Traditional Rope Fenders
22. Dressing Up a Vinyl Fender
23. Bow Puddings
24. Baggywrinkle
25. A Cargo Net
26. Making Your Own Rope
27. Quick and Easy Knots
Glossary
Index

Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Introduction to Splicing

Rope in use is attached to something else—to another rope, to an object tobe moved or prevented from moving, or to an object that prevents the rope frommoving. The attachment can be accomplished with a knot, but knots are bulky and,by their nature, cut the breaking strength of the rope in half. The alternativeis a splice, which is capable of attaining a rope's full strength.

Splicing teaches you not only about the splice itself, but also about theconstruction and quality of the raw material. The knowledge gained frompracticing the splices in this handbook should enable you to splice anygeneral-purpose rope. But remember the wise advice, as true today as it ever hasbeen: "Measure twice, cut once."

No single splicing technique can work on all rope because the constructions varyconsiderably. Rope designers, who are functional artists much like architects,seek a perfect construction using the characteristics of various fibers:strengths, abrasion resistance, weight, shrinkage, and elasticity. They mustconsider resistance to heat, cold, sunlight, chemicals, water, dye, andmicroorganisms, as well as construction possibilities such as braiding,twisting, knitting, plaiting, wrapping, and gluing.

ROPE CONSTRUCTION

Egyptians on the Mediterranean worked with twisted and braided ropes 3,000 yearsago, as did seamen 12,000 miles away in Asia. Their ropes, knots, and spliceswere much like those we use today, except that ropes of strong synthetic fibershave all but replaced plant fibers over the past few decades. With increasedinternational shipping, ropes from all over the world are now evident in largecommercial harbors.

Any rope is a bundle of textile fibers combined in a usable form. For example, a½-inch-diameter (12 mm) nylon rope might have 90,000 tiny fibers, each witha tensile strength of 2 ounces (56.7 g), giving it a potential breaking strengthof 11,000 pounds (4,950 kg) if the fibers could be pulled in such a way thateach achieved its maximum strength. The 90,000 fibers can be bonded, twisted(laid), or braided, or these construction techniques can be combined in onerope. Regardless of the construction, the actual breaking strength of thefinished rope will be less than the potential strength of its aggregate fibersdue to a shearing action on the twisted fibers when the rope is loaded. Thiseffect is most extreme in laid rope: the U.S. standard for ½-inch (12 mm)three-strand nylon rope, for example, is a breaking strength of 5,800 pounds(2,610 kg); for ½-inch nylon double-braid, it's 15 percent higher.

The old standby, three-strand twisted nylon rope, is the most economical ropeavailable today, at about half the cost of double-braided nylon. It consists offibers (often nylon, but sometimes polyester or polypropylene) spun into yarns,which are then formed into the strands. Nylon three-strand is commonly used foranchor rodes and mooring and docking lines—applications where itsstrength, pronounced stretchiness, resistance to chafe, and reasonable cost areall appreciated.

Double-braid rope came into use with the discovery that careful design andconstruction could induce a braided core to share a load equally with itsbraided cover. When you work with this rope, you must preserve the originalcoat-to-core spatial relationship to retain its inherent strength, so tie theSlip Knot—called for in the splice directions for thisconstruction—both properly and tightly.

Dacron double-braid is stronger than three-strand twisted nylon rope (or three-strandor single-braid Dacron, for that matter), but it is also nearly doublethe price for ½-inch (12 mm) rope, and the difference in cost should beconsidered against the line's intended use. (Dacron is a DuPont trade name forpolyester, and the two terms are often used interchangeably.) Whenever thebreaking strength of a rope is critical, the manufacturer's specificationsshould be consulted. Some low-cost rope on the market is made to look likedouble-braid, but it is not, so check the product carefully and deal withreputable suppliers.

Polyester double-braid rope is low-stretch and resists kinking and hockling; ithandles well and is good for halyards and sheets.

Single-braid (also known as solid-braid) polyester is more supple, lessexpensive, stretchier, and somewhat less strong and durable than double-braid.It's useful for multipart mainsheets or vangs where ease of handling is prizedand minimizing stretch matters less than it does for, say, jibsheets.

Braid with three-strand core is another common rope for running rigging onyachts. As its name implies, the outer cover is braided, in this case with 16plaits or braids. The core, a three-strand twist, carries most of the strength.Often called Marlow, for its English manufacturer (Marlow Ropes, Ltd.), it issold with standard and fuzzy covers, the latter being soft on the hands andholding knots well. The covers are available in colors—a convenience when,for example, one must find a halyard quickly in a maze of running rigging.Marlow can be difficult to find in some areas.

Dacron braid with a Dacron parallel-fiber core is another rope with most of thestrength in the core. It stretches much less than double-braid and, pound forpound, it is as strong as stainless steel wire (see Wire Halyard ReplacementChart), so there is a trend toward using it to replace wire on recreationalnonracing sailboats. In the United States, Sta-Set X (New England Ropes) is apopular brand. This rope is also stiff and a poor choice where bend and flex areimportant, such as when a line must pass through a block.

WIRE HALYARD REPLACEMENT CHART, IN. (MM)

Hollow-braid rope of polypropylene floats and is most often used for water-skitowlines and around life rings.

Nylon eight-plait rope, also called square braid, is common on commercialvessels. It consists of four-strand pairs, one member of each pair having right-laidyarns and the other having left-laid yarns. (To determine the direction ofthe lay, consider the rope with its end pointing away from you. Right-layspirals up and to the right.)

More rounded than eight-plait, twelve-plait rope is used most often for towinghawsers. The plaited ropes are easy to inspect for damage and can be dropped ina heap on deck without hockling.

Inexpensive rope such as clothesline, often sold precoiled in hardware stores,is not suitable for marine use.

SYNTHETIC ROPE MATERIALS

Once there were only ropes made from plant fibers such as flax, hemp, jute,sisal, cotton, and later, manila. Then there were the popular synthetics: nylon,polyester (Dacron), and polypropylene. Now, from research labs around the world,new higher-strength rope fibers with more names than can easily be rememberedare available for discriminating rope users. Spectra, Dyneema, Kevlar, Danline,Cerfilene, EuroSteel, Iceline, Certran, copolymer, Vectran, Technora, Zylon,aramid, and high-modulus polyethylene fiber—the choices can bewildermariners, and the names are often misused and misunderstood. We will tell a fewtales about some of the more popular rope fibers so that you old salts canconverse with the technocrats of the rope world.

Dyneema is the trade name used in Europe by a Nether-landish company called DSMfor a very high-strength, high-modulus polyethylene fiber. In the United States,this product is sold under the trademark Spectra (AlliedSignal Inc.). Anothercompany that is using this fiber is Colligo Marine, which is selling a Dynex Duxline, which it markets as Colligo Dux, which is said to be easier to splice thanother fiber rigging. Until the advent of this polyethylene fiber with extremelyhigh molecular orientation, the only rope fiber stronger than nylon was Kevlar(DuPont), an aramid fiber.

Both Kevlar and Spectra ropes, as well as many of the new rigging materials, areat least twice the strength of equal-diameter nylon rope, and they have hardlyany stretch. Dyneema and products using a similar material or a portion of thatmaterial, are said to "creep" instead of stretch. Kevlar is ten times as strongas steel, pound for pound, and Spectra is six times as strong as steel. Theseropes would be everywhere if they didn't cost six times as much as nylon orDacron. Kevlar and Technora, another newly developed synthetic material, aresusceptible to UV damage, so need to be encased in a braid cover. (Kevlar is notas popular these days, due to advances in other materials.)

One of the first uses of Kevlar rope was in a U.S. Navy floating dry dock, whereit enabled line handlers using no power to maneuver ships precisely as theyentered the dock. This job had previously required heavy steel wire and powerwinches.

Many of the largest tankers use docklines of Spectra, having found that the highinitial cost is quickly recouped by savings from fewer injury claims bycrewmembers and docking personnel handling the lighter lines.

Large fishing trawlers have replaced their wire-rope tackles and whips withbraided Spectra line. Spectra seems to last forever, while the steel-wire ropewould last only a month lifting heavy nets full of fish many times a day.

Spectra and Dyneema both float in water, yet another major factor in their useas tugboat bow and stern lines. You can melt these high-tech polyethylenes witha soldering gun or an open flame. They burn in the presence of a flame but self-extinguishwhen the flame is removed. Spectra and Dyneema come in many colors,but white and shades of gray are most common. Strong, durable, supple, soft tothe touch, low-stretch, and easier to handle than Sta-Set X, Spectra is findingincreasing favor as halyards on spare-no-expense sailboats.

Right now, the most promising new rope fibers are the copolymers, which arechemical mixtures primarily of polyethylene and polypropylene. Organic chemistshave teamed up with textile engineers to invent these extremely strong anddurable rope fibers, and rope manufacturers around the world now have extrudersturning out light, strong, low-stretch copolymer fibers that make a supple ropeat a very reasonable price. Copolymer is much stronger, easier to handle, andonly a little more expensive than polypropylene, and it will likely makepolypropylene rope obsolete within a short time.

One of the earliest uses of copolymer was in the New England lobster-fishingindustry. Lobster fishermen use a tremendous amount of rope with their traps,and it would be hard to find anyone who knows rope better than one who makes hisor her living handling pot warps every day. Prior to 1950, these ropes weresisal and manila. With the advent of synthetics, polypropylene became the fiberof choice because it was cheap, it floated, and it didn't rot. Everyone on thecoast of New England remembers these colorful ropes washing up on beacheseverywhere, the predominant yellow becoming a symbol of the lobster industry.But recently, copolymers have almost wholly supplanted polypropylene. Copolymerfibers are so good that even poorly made rope works well. These fibers will soonbe everywhere in braided and twisted ropes. Leading brands include Cerfilene,Steelline, and EuroSteel.

As if all these new rope materials and constructions weren't enough, yet anotherinnovation is becoming increasingly popular of late: rope coatings. A coating ofurethane is available in a variety of colors and can be applied over varioussynthetics. The coating is tough and durable, considerably reduces abrasion, andpractically eliminates snagging.

SUMMARY OF ROPE CHARACTERISTICS

Both the materials and the construction of synthetic ropes mandate splicingtechniques that were never needed with natural fibers. For example, manila, anatural fiber, holds its shape after it has been unlaid, but nylon changes shapevery quickly as the strands slip away from each other and divide into yarns. Thesplicer must adapt to this tendency by sealing the strand ends as described inthe rest of this book.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SYNTHETIC MARINE ROPE MATERIALS

Rope manufacturers are combining materials to create a vast offering of ropes.For instance Samson combines Dyneema and polypro to creat its XLS Extra-T braid,a popular choice for halyards and sheets on many cruising sailboats.

SMALL STUFF

Small stuff is cordage of less than 3/16-inch (5 mm) (to therecreational boater) or ½-inch (12 mm) (to the commercial mariner)diameter. When constructed of firm, spliceable manila or nylon, it is favored bythe boatowner for light-duty use and decorative projects.

Definitions within the rope industry differ, however, and some also group thefollowing with small stuff!

* Twine doesn't look like rope, although it is composed of fibers. It isusually less than 3/16 inch (5 mm) in diameter. Waxed whipping twine isconstructed of nylon or polyester and coated with wax to make whipping andseizing easier. The wax also protects against weathering.

* Marline consists of two strands of hemp, left-laid, and is coated withtar to protect against weathering, giving it a characteristic burned odor. Itcan be used for lashing or seizing.

ROPE CARE

It's foolish to buy good rope and then treat it carelessly because rope that isdamaged will have a reduced breaking strength and a shorter life. Here are someways to preserve the life span of your rope:

* To take rope off a storage reel properly, avoiding kinks, twists, or hocklesin the line, let the reel rotate freely around a horizontal pipe suspended orsupported at both ends.

* Store rope in a clean, dry area, off the floor, out of sunlight, and away fromacid fumes.

* Keep rope from chafing against standing rigging and rough surfaces. Be wary ofrusty or sharp chocks, bitts, and winches that will abrade the rope. Pulleys andblocks should be correctly sized and should turn freely.

* If a rope is chafed or frayed, cut out the damaged portion and splice. A goodsplice is safer than a damaged section.

* It is not generally necessary to oil or lubricate rope; if you do, use aproduct that is specifically designed for that purpose.

* Use whipping, tape, or an end splice on the bitter end of the rope to preventunlaying.

* Check rope often for deterioration, opening the lay of three-strand andplaited rope for inspection.

* If rope is dragged over the ground, rocks and dirt can be picked up.Eventually, these particles can work into the rope, cutting the fibers.

* The proper way to dry a line is to lay it up on a grating in long fakes toallow good air circulation, thus preventing mildew and rot.

* Don't hesitate to wash synthetic rope by hand. Coil and tie it loosely, washwith a mild soap, then lay it out to dry.

* Don't use a rope in a situation where strength is critical if the rope hasever been subjected to a sudden, heavy load.

* A smooth taper will result in a more efficient splice.

SPLICING TOOLS

It's part of the splicing tradition to use tools that aid in separating thestrands of rope. Just as high-tech rope and synthetic materials require newsplicing techniques, they also mandate specialized tools to facilitate thoseprocedures.

The Swedish fid is used for three-strand, eight-plait, and twelve-plait rope.The pointed end separates tightly twisted strands, and the concave blade allowsindividual strands to be pulled into position. It is easiest to work with a fidthat is in proportion to the diameter of the rope, but any fid that is not toosmall to guide the rope will do. Swedish fids increase in circumference withlength and are available in lengths of 6 inches for about $7.20, 12 inches for$15.00, and 15 inches for $55.30 (these prices are approximates for shore areas;if you're inland, prices are probably higher).

Tubular fids aid in splicing double-braid rope, which consists of a hollowbraided core surrounded by a braided cover. When the core is removed from thecover during splicing, the cover becomes a hollow tube. The tubular fid, alsocalled a Samson fid, guides the rope through these passageways as the splice isworked.

The fid has a pointed end to ease movement through the rope and an indented endwhere the working end of the rope is inserted. It is important that this be asnug fit, so the fids are made in sizes corresponding to standard ropediameters. If you have on hand a fid that is only slightly too large, the ropecan be held in place with tape.

Measurements taken on the rope during splicing commonly use portions of theappropriate fid's length as units. A full fid length is the entire length of thefid; short and long fid lengths are marked on the fid. (See Approximate Lengthsof Fid Sections table.) Tubular fids range in price from about $6.50 for the ¼-inch-diameter(6 mm) to $14 for 5/8-inch (16 mm).

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Excerpted from THE SPLICING HANDBOOK by Barbara Merry, John Darwin. Copyright © 2011 by International Marine/The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Dettagli dell'edizione

• Editore: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press
• Data di pubblicazione: 2010
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0071736042
• ISBN 13: 9780071736046
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero edizione: 3
• Numero di pagine: 258
• Contatto del produttore: Messaggerie Libri; ufficio.anagrafiche@meli.it; ; Via Verdi, 8.; Assago Milano; 20090; Italia