How do you whip and fuse the ends of a rope?

Answer 1

hold the end of the rope in one hand

put your arm in a 90 degree angle

with the other hand, wrap the rope around your elbow and hand

If the rope is not neutral, that is, the strands go either right or left, a different method is needed. On every other loop that is made when coiling, the handing being used to coil the rope must be twisted either to the left or to the right to prevent the loop making a figure 8 and eventually kinking.

Answer 2

You either whip or fuse, but not both. Today, most ropework is done with synthetic lines. These can be fused using any open flame - heat the end, but it should not catch on fire, and then while wearing leather gloves or using similar protection, squeeze and roll the end of the line. If this is anything other than a synthetic line, there are two choices, whipping or dipping. These can also be used for synthetic lines, and look much more professional than a melted end. For dipping, any marine supply store sells cans of Liquid Whipping. These come in different colors and the end is simply dipped in the liquid and laid to dry. For whipping, a thin cord, idealy of the same material as the rope being whipped is used. A loop is maded, loop facing the rope end, and the cord is wound from the a distance a little more than the line diameter, around the line until almost to the end. It is fed through the loop. The free end of the loop is pulled to enclose the loop under the winding, and the ends are cut.

Answer 3

There are different types of splice and for different types of rope.

The most common reason for a splice is to put either a loop in the end or an eye (an eye strengthens a small loop). The two most common types of rope this needs to be done with is a 3-strand or a double braid rope. The 3-strand requires unraveling a portion, about the length of the circumference of the eye, and tightly weaving the strands into the rope just beyond the eye. Splicing the braided rope requires use of a special tool, called a fid, and feeds a separated portion of the line back into the ndisturbed part.

The second reason to splice is simply to connect two ropes - these can be of different size and of different materials. The two major types of this splice is long splice and short splice. The short splice is often used because it is quick, and simply braids the two lines together. The long splice is required if the line is to pass around winches, pulleys, blocks - The long splice uses the same braiding, but tapers the splice so that it is not bulky.

Answer 4

WIRE TO ROPE (double braid) SPLICE:

Basically, this is splicing the rope core to the wire, then over and beyond that with the rope cover to the wire.

You will need a special fid, or marlinspike, to open the wire for tucking the strands, and plastic rigging tape to tape the rope and wire.

It would be most helpful if you know how to splice 3-strand rope, since the tucking technique is the same, and practicing on just rope will give you the experience you need to visualize the splice as you go up the wire.

When the splice is complete, you will have a spliced length that will have: approximately two (2) feet of double braid line with a tapered wire core inside. Approximately six to eight inches of rope core spliced into the wire, covered by intact rope cover.

A final length of wire with the rope cover spliced into it for another six to eight inches up the wire.

(1) TAPER the WIRE:

For one (1) foot, unlay strands exposing the core wire. CUT alternating strands:

- 1 strand off at one (1) foot

- 1 strand off four (4) inches higher

- 1 strand off at the next 4" higher

- 1 strand off at the next 4" higher

until all strands are cut - you will have only the center extending down alone for one (1) foot below rest of wire strands.

NOTE: you could make the strand cuts every three (3) inches, but the splice will be a bit tighter and lumpier along this length of tapered wire.

Starting two (2) inches up from the last cut wire strand, tape the wire tightly all the way down to the end. This taped, tapered portion of the wire will stay inside the splice like that forever.

(2) ROPE:

- Expose the core and cut off approximately eight (8) inches.

- Measure another eight (8) inches of core and put a piece of tape around. Unravel the eight (8) inches of exposed core below the tape. Thread the taped, tapered wire into the core.

- Count off core strands, divide by three (3), and tape each bundle neatly.

(3) SPLICING WITH THE LAY:

- Four (4) full tucks. Each bundle under two (2) strands of wire -- the same bundle will tuck under the same wire strand up the line.

- After four (4) tucks, taper: cut off one strand bundle, tuck up the rest. Cut off next strand bundle, tuck up the rest, until taper done.

- When core splice is finished, milk the cover over the core/wire splice. You'll have approximately eight (8) inch overlap. Tape the cover at the core/wire end, and splice the cover to the wire the same way the core was done (i.e., four (4) full tucks, then taper.)

Safety Notes:

-Halyard failure is most likely to occur within a few feet of the shackle, at the point where it rests against the masthead sheave while the sail is under load. Failure can also occur at the wire-to-rope splice or the shackle splice.

- You never want to have the wire-to-rope splice end up on the cleat or in a rope clutch, because it is the weakest part of the halyard, and having it sit under load in either area will only weaken it further. As your mainsail stretches over time (and the wire itself stretches somewhat) the splice will move closer to the cleat or the clutch.

- Check to ensure that the Masthead Sheave is suitable for a wire-rope combination.