THE HANDY MAN ON THE FARM. 



S't| 



size of the rope," are cut off the strands every time the latter are interwoven, 

 till, at the end of the splice, only one or two Strands are passed under, and 

 thus the thickness increases gradually to the centre (Fig. 5). 



Tt is always a u r,,|) d plan, before cutting off the ends, to roll the spliced 

 portion under foot ; the ends can then be cut off dose, but it' this is done 

 before rolling, they soon work their way from under the last strand 

 where they were placed. In old rope the fibres are broken to such an extent 

 thai this method of tapering will not succeed, and the best way is t<> day out 

 the strands with a knife. The resulting splice is never so neat, nor perhaps 

 quite so durable, but it is the best that can be done under the rircumstari 



The Long Splice. 



Where the thickness of a short splice will interfere with the convenient 

 handling of a rope, or where any rope above 2 inches in circumference is to 

 be spliced, the hest method is to use what is termed the "long splice." It 

 entails the use of more 

 rope, and is harder to 

 make, but the resulting 

 ^splice is much neater, ^"" ^ ^ 



and its advantages will 

 usually justify the extra 

 trouble. 



Somewhere about 

 three times the amount 

 of rope used in the short 

 splice (i.e., about 2 feet 

 in a 1^-inch rope) is laid 

 back, and the ropes are 

 brought together in the 

 same way. One of the 

 strands of rope 2 is then 

 further laid hack, and 

 it-, place taken by the 

 corresponding opposite 

 strand of rope 1. A 

 strand of rope 2 then 

 takes the place of the 

 opposite and c< htps] iond 

 ing strand of rope 1. 

 They should belaid up so 

 far that there remains 

 sufficientlengtb to weave 



into the main rope in finishing oft'. Each pair of strands should now be 

 equidistant from the pair that remain in the centre, though the ends, except 

 in the centre, will naturally he of unequal length (Fig. 6). 



There are a number of ways of finishing off. The most general is to take 

 half or three-quarters of each strand, and tie with each pair an overhand 

 knot, being careful that when finished each end still lies in the direction it 

 .did before. These six ends arc then interwoven several times with the main 



Fig. 6 —Long Splice. The strands laid up into position, 

 ready for finishing off. 



Strands a, B, and C belong to Rope 1. 

 Strands i>, e, and v belong to Rope 2. 



