At the next tuck, with the spike take in the strand to the right, along with the two just gone through, making an opening through three strands, with the point of the spike coming out in the same place as in the first tuck. Insert the next nearest end, strand two, and work in snug as before. Of the three strands the spike has just been through, take the one nearest to the left, and drive the spike in so as to make the point come out at the same opening as before; tuck in No. 3 strand, and that will make, as in Fig. 183, three strand ends entering into the same opening in the rope, but coming out between different strands. After this, simply keep on taking the next strand and the next end, following round to the left, till all the ends are tucked once, when an end will come out between each pair of strands.
Fig. 183.—Right-handed Splice, all Ends Tucked Once.
The rest is easy. Merely keep on repeating the operation, with strand and end, until the splice is long enough and strong enough. As Fig. 180 shows, after the first set of tucks, it is only a case of each end twisting and re-twisting round its own particular strand, all the way up. It merely thickens the strands. After the ends are tucked three or four times, it will make a neater splice if the ends are split and the splice is tapered at the finish by leaving behind one-half of each end, while the other half is tucked once or twice more. Having finished the tucking, take the splice down from the vice, cut off all strand ends quite close, and hammer all down snugly. At the neck put on the seizing wire, if any, parcel and serve, and the right-handed eye splice is complete.
Fig. 184.—Left-handed Splice, First Tuck.
Seizing wire is really a seven-wire strand, made of soft wire, about No. 18 or No. 19 gauge. It is put on a splice for the double purpose of strengthening the splice and rendering it easier to take a weak or broken thimble out of the eye, to be replaced by a stronger one. It is simply bound tightly round the two ropes at the neck, and the end is brought up and round the middle twice, or thrice and made secure, as at A (Fig. 180).
Left-handed eye-splicing should be comparatively easy if the preceding instructions on right-handed eye-splicing have been carefully followed. Although it is not essential, it makes a neater and a closer splice if a slightly different method of starting is adopted. In splicing a thimble into a crane rope or a trawl-warp, two ropes in which it is very advisable to put left-handed splices, it is unusual to put any seizing on the neck; instead, the rope is spliced right down to the thimble. Serve sufficient rope to go round the thimble only, leaving out sufficient end for the splice. Turn in and screw up very tight in the vice, make fast at the neck, as before described, fasten the rope up with the thimble hanging downwards, and open out the ends.
Fig. 185.—Left-handed Splice, all Ends Tucked Once.