ABL6 Able Marlinspike Instructors George Crowl Course Outline

ABL-6 Able Marlinspike Instructors: George Crowl

Course Outline a. Complete a back splice, eye splice, short splice, long splice and a palm-and -needle whipping. b. Sew a flat seam, round seam, and grommet eye in canvas or sail material. Describe how each is used in the construction of and the care of sails.

Course Outline c. Describe the parts of a block and how blocks are sized. Describe the following types of tackle: luff, gun, double purchase, single whip, and runner. With the help of another shipmate, reeve a double purchase tackle.

ABL-6 a Complete a back splice, eye splice, short splice, long splice and a palm-andneedle whipping.

Splices We will work from simplest to more difficult Short splice Eye splice Back splice Long splice All use three-strand laid rope Splicing double braided line is a Quartermaster task

Short Splice (1) Easiest / quickest splice to do Unlay 12 times rope diameter for each rope For 1/2” rope, that is 6” for each rope Wrap tape around all six ends to keep them from fraying (these ends are heat sealed) “Marry” them by sliding separated ends together

Short Splice (2) Tape the junction to allow you to take your fingers off it Tuck one strand over the opposite strand under the next Same for all five remaining strands Do that 2 -3 more times

Short Splice (3) Tuck all six strands three times minimum Trim loose ends Roll to smooth Completed splice looks like below, but with nothing sticking out

Short Splice Video: www. animatedknots. com/spliceshort

Eye Splice (1) Used to form a fixed loop at the end of a rope Most dock lines have eye splices in them Most anchor lines have an eye splice around a thimble to attach to the chain May require 5 -7 tucks, not 3

Eye Splice (2) Start by unlaying the end of the line You may need to unlay 7 -10 turns with synthetic line Whip it (tape, etc. ) Select middle strand (toward you) and slide it under the top strand where you want the loop to form

Eye Splice (3) Pass top strand under next strand bottom strand under last remaining strand in standing part

Eye Splice (4) Tuck three strands into the standing part as in the short splice With synthetic line and critical splices, make more tucks!

Eye Splice Video: www. animatedknots. com/splice/

Back Splice (1) Also called an end splice A more stable rope end than a whipping Is large like a short splice, therefore not good for a rope end that has to go through a block Relatively simple to do

Back Splice (2) Starting is critical Separate into three strands Hook middle strand over into upside down “U” Hook right strand through “U” on top then under Hook left strand behind middle strand, then up and over both parts of middle strand

Back Splice (3) Gently tug the strands down, each strand partially, then fully You should have a tight crown, with three strands going out at 120° angle

Back Splice (4) Tuck “medium brown” strand coming toward you over and under, as in short splice Tuck “dark brown” strand going away on left over and under, toward you Tuck “light brown” strand going away on right over and under, away from you Pull first tucks tight

Back Splice (5) Continue tucking, at least twice more Total of three or more tucks for each strand Finish the ends of the strands as you would for a short splice

Back Splice Video: www. animatedknots. com/backsplice/

Long Splice (1) Long splice uses a lot of line Almost no reduction of line strength Will go through a block / sheave Unlay 15 turns of line before starting a long splice Marry the lines just as you do for short splice

Long Splice (2) Whip or tape if desired Unlay one strand on the left hand side 15 turns, and lay in the matching strand from the right side Insure it lays in evenly Do the same thing on the right hand side

Long Splice (3) You have three matched line pairs To minimize making the line larger, split each strand in half. Cut off one half strand where they will join.

Long Splice (4) Tie each pair with an overhand knot, tuck remainder underneath twice Trim and roll to blend it together

Long Splice Alternate Instructions www. samsonropes. com/Documents/Spl ice%20 Instructions/3 Strand_C 1_Long% 20 Splice_AUG 2012_WEB. pdf

Palm-and-Needle Whipping A Palm is a large thimble that fits in the palm of your hand to push big needles through rope and sailcloth. “Ordinary” whipping will come undone with use and abuse P&N whipping will hold even if some threads are worn or cut You should not need a palm to do Able P&N whipping

Whipping (1) Use whipping twine Thread needle with doubled length of twine Push needle completely through line Knot end of twine, pull to knot

Whipping (2) Start turns away from end, so they cover knot Make whipping about twice diameter of rope long Make whipping tight, all cord next to previous turn

Whipping (3) Drive needle through center of line, emerging on groove between strands Pull twine tight

Whipping (4) Pass the twine over the groove to the other end Push the needle through the next strand to the next groove Come back along the groove, repeat Doing it twice is better than just once Called “worming”

Whipping (5) To secure the end, push needle completely through the line, cut off twine as close as possible End result looks like this

ABL-6 b Sew a flat seam, round seam, and grommet eye in canvas or sail material. Describe how each is used in the construction of and the care of sails.

Flat Seam Flat seams join two pieces of sailcloth or tent cloth They cover the raw edge of the fabric, preventing the edge from unraveling Used to repair sails manually Used to make sails with sewing machine

Sewing Machine Flat Seam (1) Lay fabric out, outside to outside Upper fabric is 1/2” inside lower fabric Stitch 1/2” inside upper fabric

Sewing Machine Flat Seam (2) Spread the two cloths out so the seam sticks up Fold the longer piece over the shorter piece Smooth it flat, and stitch along the edge as shown

Hand Flat Seam (1) Fold one layer on itself, 1/4 -1/2” Lay on edge of second layer. Pin to hold. Sew by going over edge, into lower cloth, up into upper cloth, as illustrated

Hand Flat Seam (2) Turn both fabrics over Fold other fabric under, 1/4 -1/2”. Pin. Sew this other side the same way If you don't overlap too far, only 3 fabric layers

Round Seam Sews chafing gear onto a line Leather, fabric, etc. Fold the material so it meets smoothly and tightly Go in one side, out the other, pulling tight Firmer if you go through the line

Grommet Device used to reinforce a hole in fabric (sail, etc. ) and spread the load Metal pre-formed grommets are much preferred Hand-made grommets are an emergency procedure!

Hand Made Grommet Splice a rope in a ring or use a washer the right size If possible, trim the hole into a circle Repair any tears Use needle and thread to tightly circle the inside of the hole to the outside of the washer

Hand Made Grommet (2) Spread the load by making a second circle, using a second layer on the inside, and your outside stitches 1/41/2” further out

ABL-6 c Describe the parts of a block and how blocks are sized. Describe the following types of tackle: luff, gun, double purchase, single whip, and runner. With the help of another shipmate, reeve a double purchase tackle.

Parts of a Block Single and double block Without and with becket

Types of Blocks Snatch Fiddle / Cam Cheek Pad eye Rachet

Blocks for Rope vs Wire Rope will bend around a sheave more readily than wire Wire must have a much larger sheave than rope Rope sheave = 6 x rope diameter Wire sheave = 20 x rope diameter

Block Sizing Blocks are sized by shell (outer) and sheave (rolling part) for a given rope size Shell Sheave Rope Wire 4” 3” 1/2” 1/8” 5” 4” 5/8” 3/16” 6” 5” 3/4”

Whip Tackle Whip tackle changes direction of pull Does not change force required or amount of line pulled, because only one rope supports weight One single block

Runner Tackle Runner tackle does not change the direction of pull, it is still up Two ropes support the weight, so each rope has 50 lbs supporting, just 50 pounds to lift Have to pull in twice as much rope to lift the weight. Imagine standing on the black line lifting. One single block

Gun Tackle Used 200 years ago to position frigate guns Only 2: 1 weight and rope pulling ratio Changed direction of pull Two single blocks (one with becket)

Luff Tackle Luff tackle has three supporting lines Therefore 1/3 the weight, 3 x line to be pulled One double block and one single block (becket)

Double Purchase Tackle Double purchase has four lines supporting weight Therefore ¼ the weight, 4 x the rope pulled Two double blocks Common for mainsail sheets Some mainsails use triple purchase tackles

Friction Loss There is a friction loss from theoretical figures of 50%, 33% and 25% Plan on 5 -10% loss per sheave, depending on the bearings in the sheave

Reeving Block & Tackle Competition reeving (Minto) can be done as illustrated below Line attached to becket, in / out one side other block, back to same side first block Down second block again, other side, and back to first block

Questions?