Though I have continued to work on the boat I have been glued to the Winter Olympics since they started so I did not have the time to post anything on the website. During the day I worked on the propane locker by continuing to fair it smooth. I also worked some more on the rudder by adding some epoxy and biaxial to the top of the rudder where the rudder post enters. I'll post a few pictures in the next couple of days.
I am just about out of projects with the weather still too cold to do any epoxy work on the boat. So, today I hauled out my splicing vise and started working on my Liverpool Splice again. Though it does take some practice to develop the skills it is not that difficult. I started this last year and put it aside once I got the boat into the backyard. I use Brion Toss's great book "The Riggers Apprentice" as my guide. I saw Brion at the Annapolis Boat Show this past October. He was kind enough to give me a lesson on the splice and helped clear up a couple of trouble areas I was having some difficulty with. We then had lunch together and went over the plans I have for some rig changes. He had some great thoughts on a few things I could do to strengthen the rig and improve the sailing performance. He also encouraged me to work towards splicing 1X19 since I would be able to use the same size rigging the boat currently uses--9/32. If I use 7X7, which is easier to splice, I would have to go up at least one wire size because it is not as strong as 1X19.
Though very few people choose to splice their standing rigging there are many advantages to doing so. First, there is no work hardening of the wire which is what really shortens the life of standing rigging that uses either swage or mechanical end terminals--a splice is flexible along the entire length. Second, a proper splice is extremely strong, often exceeding the breaking strength of the wire. Third, the splice does not suffer from rust and subsequent cracking like swage fittings and none of the wire is hidden so you can fully inspect it ( if you don't serve it). Fourth, it is far less expensive to splice your own rigging than pay to have it swaged or buy Sta-loks. Last, you can repair/replace your rig anywhere without having to find a swage machine or find new fittings for a different size wire (metric?) if that is all you can find. Granted, most folks won't do this and that's OK, but I find it rewarding. Time will tell if my splices are of the quality they need to be.
The pictures to the right are of some practice splices with inexpensive 7X19 galvanized wire--the bottom splice in the lower picture was created today. With the cold temps I probably just keep splicing this next week working on improving my skills. The vise I use is a relatively inexpensive aluminum vise I bought from Elisha Webb & Son Co. So far, it seems to work fine and cost about 1/4 the amount of a high-end bronze vise.
A practice splice with 7X19 galvanized wire.
I have made a few splices over the last few days just trying to make them tighter, smoother, and stronger. Of course without having it swaged on the other end and broken in a testing machine I can't really know the strength of the splice. That will come later. Nonetheless, the splice to the right is the best splice to date, by far. I think it is better because I am getting more comfortable with the wire. Also, instead of "nipping" off the tapered wire strands I am breaking them off the way Brion Toss showed my last Oct. This is a much better technique because the individual wire breaks off down in the groves between the strands on the standing end. I also finished off with an Ashley Taper which seems to make a smother more controlled taper.
I do believe though that the 7X19 may not be the best way to start learning how to splice because the wire is so flexible--maybe too flexible. Also, each strand of 19 wires needs to be tapered in a very careful and controlled manner and each of the 19 wires is very small and hard to peel out of the bundle in a manner that contributes to a proper taper. I'll be looking for 7X7 in the next few days. I also spent some time "customizing" the vise and my unlaying line and anchor point for stretching the wire out. All in all, a good day.
A much improved 7X19 splice.
The splicing continues. I have made progress and find it is getting easier each day. The splice takes me about 2 1/2 hours to make and 45 min of that is spent just breaking off all the little wires after I "fair" the splice. I think it will go much quicker with the 7x7 wire since there are fewer wires to trim.
Having make up a half dozen splices in the last couple of days I am finding the splice fairly easy to make. Today I only needed to refer to the book one time. Tomorrow I think I will be able to do the whole splice by memory. I am developing a feel for the wire and how to use the marlin-spike to make the wire "go home" more easily.
The top picture show six tucks complete. All that is left is the Ashley Quick Taper--a final tuck with just three of the six strands. The middle picture shows the splice with all the the tucks complete and the excess wires held down by a constrictor knot in preparation for fairing. The bottom pictures show the completed splice. It is absoultely smooth. No meat hooks or wires of anykind protruding to prick your hands or fingers.
Brion Toss says you need to learn to not get distracted by all the wires sticking out and focus only on the six that are getting tucked. The first few times it was difficult to not get lost. In fact I had to destroy two splices part way through because I got lost and could not figure out where I made the a mistake. It was like looking at a jigsaw puzzle. I now found it much easier to trace the wires and know where I am at all times. This has proven to be a very rewarding undertaking. I ordered 25' of 7x7 stainless wire to practice on. If it goes well I'd like to move up to 1x19. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Learning to see order in chaos.
Ready to fair and trim.
A finished liverpool splice.
7 Sept 11 I am starting to work around the boat again. I wacked my shin pretty good last week and all I have been able to do is hobble around the last 8 days. I have had to satisfy myself with small projects. I stripped the caulking off the deck hatches and removed the lexan lenses. I went by a glass supplier to look into replacing the lexan with tempered glass. There are some pros and cons to making the switch. Its early in the decision process so I will continue to gather info. I cut some G10 for a platform for the ABI windlass to sit on. It will have to be faired to fit the camber of the foredeck. For the last two evenings I have spent my time practicing wire splicing. This is not a simple endeavor and I am not talking about the difficulty of the splice. I basically have the splicing technique figured out . . . not that the quality is ready for prime time but with continued practice I am confident I can make a strong splice. No, the issue is parts.
A 7X7 SS 5/16" Liverpool splice with bronze thimble. Better but still not ready for prime time.
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The real stumbling block seems to be finding the right thimbles. The trick with SS wire is to use an "oversized" thimble because the wire is very stiff and it is hard to bend the wire around the standard sized thimble radius. I am not sure exactly what constitutes oversized. Last year, I practiced on 7x19 1/4" galvanized wire. it was easy to bend it around standard thimbles. Then, this last spring I started practicing with 7X7 SS 5/16" wire. I found some 304 SS thimbles that were a great size at 2 1/4" long. But, they are not made for wire and are not suitable for the final product. The thimbles I need should be bronze and closed on the small end. The one in the photo to the right I found at Whitewater Marine in NZ. They are about $15 each and I bought five of them to practice on. But, I am convinced they are too small. They are only 1 3/4" long. I have scoured the internet and have not been able to find the right thimble. Port Townsend Foundry has bronze solid thimbles but they seem huge to me at 4" long and they are heavy . . . and of course that much bronze is expensive. I don't think they have to be that big . . . but I have not been able to find what I am looking for.
And this brings me to something I have learned over the course of the rebuild of the Far Reach . . . some of the old style ideas I have tried to incorporate to keep the boat strong and simple are not so easy or inexpensive to achieve. In the old days splicing was common and I am sure there were lots of suppliers to help sailors, builder, and riggers get the items they needed to get the job done. But, there are so little of the "old ways" being done that when you can even find the special things you need they are very expensive. I have found it increasingly difficult to break-away from mainstream boat building techniques. For the last couple of years I have been watching with great interest the development and use of Dynex Dux synthetic line as standing rigging. I have talked to some folks that have used it. Most of what I have heard has been very good. It is expensive but it is very easy to work with. It is super strong (twice as strong as steel wire of similar size) with almost zero stretch though it does have what is called creep. The real question for me is UV longevity which Colligo Marine states should be at least 8-10 years in the tropics maybe more since it has not been used that long as standing rigging. I have heard some frustration with thermal expansion and contraction--in other words as the temps drop the rig can get slack if you use dead eyes to tension the rig. But, Brion Toss seems to think it has a great future. There have been interesting discussions on the "Spar Talk" forum about the pros and cons of synthetic rigging.
I still have time to decide what I am going to do but I am beginning to feel like I am swimming upstream with regards to standing rigging. In the meantime I enjoy the splicing. It's not that hard and it is very satisfying to create a nice splice. Now, if I can just find those thimbles.
