Knots and Splices

[SoutherlyBuster]

Put all your knots and splice diagrams/videos here.

Splicing single braided lines, thanks PopeyeTheWelder (and Plummet for finding the link)

Splicing a double braided line:

[SoutherlyBuster]

Knot on FlySurfer Depower lines (the thick grey line):

[plummet]

I like  big splicing and i cannot lie!

[plummet]

seems no one else likes splicing.....

[ssayre]

I like splicing. I made a 5 m line set using popeye's video. I had considerably more trouble on execution than he did but I successfully did both power and brake lines. My peak requires a spliced loop that feeds through a small stainless ring for the safety to function. 

[SoutherlyBuster]

Don't think any one likes splicing, but the most liked person at a remote kiting venue when loops bust is the person who can splice. I remember watching Neil splice up a loop and thought cool. So months later I tried it on the thin kite lines .... 2hrs later .... bugger this ... obviously I missed some key points. Neil even said he spliced some busted lines mid race.

[plummet]

I like splicing. But I need to youtube up instructions each time. 

[SoutherlyBuster]

 

[SoutherlyBuster]

Ok so the above video knot and splice wise is correct and for some braided kite lines even works. Now step in the FlySurfer lines .... imposible with the tool and method mentioned in the video above as folding over the line and trying to pull into the braid either with piano wire or similar makes just too big a bulge. So off to google again and I found that the old sailors used a simple device called a fid. This is simply a tapered rod that you push into the braid to make the tunnel, gently pull out the fid, leaving the tunnel behind, then gently push your kite line into the tunnel. There is a variant of this called the GripFid, which uses a hollow tube with a v Notch to pull the chord through -- I did not have the pantients nor the thin pipe laying around the work shop to make one, so ended up making the traditional fid out of some 4mm diameter wooden dowel -- and wah lah it worked.

 

Here are the picturs of the crude fid I made and the associated tools needed:

The sticky tape is used to warp around the cut end of the kite line to form a fray free end, this is the bit you push down the tunnel.

The little stick or dowel is the fid. Make sure to make it nice and smooth with sand paper. The next step is to poke a small hole into the side of the braided line, then work the fid in to bunch up the braid as much as you can, then leave enough to poke it out of the braid again (this forms the lock).

The gently pull out the fid to leave the tunnel behind

 

Then just poke in the cut end of the kite line that has already been wrapped with some sticky tape. Repeat to form several dive and locks. The final is dive in so as to hide the cut end and make it all nice and smooth.

If you look closely at the FlySurfer lines, they also run a sewn stitchs down the splice to make doubly sure. This is just so the spilce does not come loose when there is no tension in the line.

The result of the finished splice is shown in the above two pictures. Pulled nice and tight, would not come apart. This version did not have a sewing stitch applied.

 

Happy splicing.

 

[BigE]

For knots this is my first call, nicely presented, even did a "Monkeys Fist":

Animated Knots