OP i2i prusiks

[BearMan]

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You are working with small stuff, but it goes together easier than any other double braid I've ever played with (wich TBH is limited experience to draw from). Toughest part for me is the pure core tuck portion of the splice. The cover is very malleable, but with a little pushing and pulling, it goes where you want it to. After you've made your tucks, forget about it.....the splice practically buries itself.

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Man I wish someone would tell me what I am doing wrong! In my limited experience I have done 2 DB splices in Yale 11mm Bandit and two in 12mm Imori. My last Imori splice went quite well (under an hour) and I decided to do some 10 OP. I am doing a DB i2i and having a time with it. I have an awful time with the core bury. I have made a wire fid that is my best tool so far and make a smooth taper with electrical tape and lube the snot out of it....... Here is a pic after just getting it through and cut off.

I have done one tight eye yesterday evening and it pulled down nice and tight. I milked the cover and made a second splice tonight. I gave up on the final bury. I had it close but not as small as the first one and I pulled it back out and tried again..... Worse than the first time! My best strategy seems to be a snapping pull with some object in the eye....... Seems to bury better than anything else I have tried. How can someone say this stuff is easy?

 

[oceans]

First, ditch the electrical tape and use masking tape. If any tape adhesive gets on the inside of the jacket it will be very difficult to work.

This may be difficult to explain, but the core can be referred to as different parts in the splice, so let's just refer to the 'main' core (which EXITS the cover) and the 'tapered' core (which will be buried back into the cover).

A few things to do when you're burying the 'tapered' core;
~ The fid should be attached to something solid, leaving two hands free to work the splice.
~ When you form the taper to bury the core, you shouldn't need too many strands in the fid to be successful. Imagine making a 45 degree taper with 1/4 to 1/3 of the strands even longer. Tape over the 45 taper with masking tape, and start from thin, winding towards thick, but don't tape over the long strands...leave then exposed to load the fid and fold them back over the taped portion of the taper.
~ Are you massaging the cover down while simultaneously pulling on the 'main' core?

It's possible to do without the 'snap pulls'.

If you bunch up the cover slack as close to the eye you can get, and bending the splice in different directions, the slack will slowly but surely walk towards the eye. If you alternate between that technique and tugging with a 'biner in the eye, it'll come.

 

[BearMan]

Eric,

Thanks for the help..... First of all I know that some tape residue is causing me problems but I started with masking and it was a nightmare. Iy would roll and I couldn't stretch it or get it to hold like the electrical tape. I am not saying that I have it right but I don't know how to use masking tape correct I guess.

I have tried several ways of burying the "tapered core" and right now I am having the best luck with the wire fid. I take the entire core and pinch it in the bend/end of the fid. I then taper and tape/wrap the core around the fid. I stretch the heck out of the electrical tape to make it smooth and gradual but it still is tough to pull through. Would you mind posting a pic or two of how you attach to the fid? I can't picture how you are pulling the core with less than the entire thing attached to the fid. Seems to me that the core would have some fibers pulled and a mess after pulling through the cover. I am not picturing your great word description...... Even though you gave it a great effort ;-)

Barry

 

[BearMan]

[ QUOTE ]


A few things to do when you're burying the 'tapered' core;
~ The fid should be attached to something solid, leaving two hands free to work the splice..........
~ Are you massaging the cover down while simultaneously pulling on the 'main' core?

It's possible to do without the 'snap pulls'.

If you bunch up the cover slack as close to the eye you can get, and bending the splice in different directions, the slack will slowly but surely walk towards the eye. If you alternate between that technique and tugging with a 'biner in the eye, it'll come.

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I have my fid tied to a rafter so I can pull on the cover and I massage and work it til I am blue in the face.....

Yes I do pull the core and milk the cover with a prusik. With the current i2i I can't feel any more cover to milk but I did have it buried more than it is now..... I decided to take a break and research the issue ;-)

 

[rockettree]

I had a hard time with this cord awhile back. Get serious about tapering the core before you pull it through the cover. The last 6 inches or so gets cut off anyway. What I did, maybe you've tried it I don't know, was taper the core gradually down to 50% over a few inches before the tuck. A bit different than the instructions tell you to do it, if you get what I'm talking about. Then I put it in the fid, trimmed the end and skipped the tape.

I was really having a hard time tucking the core, really killing my hands and wrenching on it so hard I almost tore my work bench apart. I put the bench back together and stepped up to it with this setup......I started yanking away, two pulls and it shot through, the fid came loose after it exited the cover and I went flying back onto my a$$.

I was sitting there laughing like a maniac because I had done it! It was really easy!

 

[oceans]

BearMan,

I'm suggesting something close to rockettree, although it will still work with tape. I have also landed on my a$$ on my first 8mm OP.

Just think of it like this...when pulling the core through the cover with a wire fid (on any DB splice), the more of a point and longer of a taper you create where the core is attached to the fid, the easier it will become.

Be generous to yourself, as rockettree said, there is usually quite a bit of excess.

If this still doesn't work, I'll try to post a pic, but that usually turns into quite an ordeal. Since I don't post them very much, I have to relive my written instructions.

 

[islandarb]

I don't know Eric but your first 8mm OP was for me and they were damn fantastic...your splicing is top notch like anything you do, it's always well planned and executed you never give yourself enough credit...so I will do it..you da man bro...so I have included a pic of your first 3 OP 8mm splices...

 

[BearMan]

Guys,

Thanks for the suggestions...... I got up this morning and immediately got on it...... May be I am obsessive but this is driving me nuts. I watched a. NICKFROMWI YouTube session that I must have missed in the last few weeks...... I needed that demo on the Toss Wand..... Now I understand better. I pulled the splice apart three times but I finally got it. I think part of the problem was that I may have tightened the cover too tight before I started and it just wouldn't cover the splice. Whatever the case I lost three inches in length on this one but learned heaps! I was under the impression that the whole core needed to be in the fid. Yes I did finally try tapering before the tuck AND only taping part of the core to the fid..... Was able to get my tuck real easy finally..... Less than five minutes from start to finish on the core tuck. I also did a lock stitch on the crossover and that helped as well. Just came down to a few key items that I hadn't seen anywhere but on Nick's video.......

Here's a pic to prove it..... Not equal but a good first try.....

 

[oceans]

Looks pretty smooth for a splice that was rebuilt 3 times. Keep working on it BearMan. My theory is that the physical act of building a good splice is directly related to a full understanding of how a splice is engineered and why. Once you nail the whole theory in your head, it opes up the creative process.

Test 'em up, BearMan!

I learned by doing the prep work for another talented splicer. I just read recipes and made marks and cuts. It was a little while before I did any hands on buries. Started with hollow braids, then jumped right into Tachyon.

I'm very grateful for his teachings and his patience.

 

[B_Renton]

I am currently splcing up eyes using 8mm OP on a pinto.

Am finding pulling the core through the cover past the original core is tough (technique issues). Using abr wire loop.

I did the first side my usual way with grabbing maybe half the core strands and tapering the other strands a little. Was a tough bury.

The next side I first tried grabbing fewer strands yet and tapering more. It ended up pulling out of the wire loop.

So then I grabbed pretty much the whole core on the next try and what a bugger to pull that lump through that small cover.

Anyone have any pics of the "ideal" amount of core to grab to pull through the cover with a tight small cover? I have the Toss video and that amount works fine on the other rope I've spliced, but for some reason I am making pretty hard work out of this 8mm OP splice.....

 

[BearMan]

On my picture above I redid the splice three times...... Needless to say just do a full taper before the tuck. It works well that way. I bet I was down to 4 or 5 full strands taped into the end of my wire fid. I use electrical tape for mine and lube with liquid soap or spray Fantastic or something to make the tape slippery. The whole core is tapered down before the tuck. I found this will pull in quite easily........

 

[B_Renton]

I cut my two splices off the pinto and started again....

Tried just less than half the stands folded over to grab (forming about one thickness total). tapered the next two inches and wrapped very tight with blue masking tape.
Basically just a much more sano job than what I was trying.

The bugger pulled right through! Did in a minute was I absolutely strugglng with earlier.

Thanks for the tips in this thread. I've not had this problem before (bigger rope), but now all my db splices are going to be easier yet.

Pics after the pull through, but shows how slim the taper is.

 

[tuttle]

nice to see everyone trying, there about approx 4 tricks that are not publicly known.

i'll let you in on one, when pulling the core back through, go at least 3" down the cover from the throat, use a wire fid and insert at the mark, pass it through the inside cover to the crossover, exit and take the core, thread it through the eye of the wire fid, leave about 2.5" out the otherside, then pull 2 strands from 3 plaits, fold them back and pull the whole lot through.

no need for tape or anything, just be gentle at first, and bend the throat as it jams, every bend you get another bit further.

i have made 100's so know the easy ways.

 

[tuttle]

Here is an 8mm op I did earlier

 

[mattbever]

Nice work tuttle!, and thanks for the tips. I was trying with tape and getting real frustrated. Just using the wire as a snare and plenty of taper cutting makes this one easy peasy.

 

[tuttle]

[ QUOTE ]
Nice work tuttle!, and thanks for the tips. I was trying with tape and getting real frustrated. Just using the wire as a snare and plenty of taper cutting makes this one easy peasy.

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good stuff, just take a little away on approx 3" from the end of the core, depending on your effort, strength and setup you can change how much you remove, mine are tapered very little.