CONSTRUCTION AND USE OF ROPE 381 



Bight is formed when the rope is turned back on itself, form- 

 ing the letter U. 

 End part used in leading. 

 Loop is formed by crossing the sides of a bight. 

 Lay to twist the strands of a rope together. 



Unlay to untwist the strands of a rope. 

 Relay to twist strands together that have become untwisted. 

 Whip to bind the end of the rope to prevent raveling. 

 Splice to join two ends of a rope by interweaving the strands. 

 Crown splice to interweave the strands at the end of a rope. 

 Pay to paint, tar or grease a rope to resist moisture. 



Haul to pull on a rope. 

 Taut drawn tight or strained. 



361. Care and Treatment of Rope. A new rope that 

 is kinky when unwound can best be straightened out by draw- 

 ing it across the floor or over a sod-covered field. If it is very 

 stiff, it should be immersed in raw linseed oil, tallow or lard, 

 and boiled. This treatment not only makes the rope more 

 pliable, but serves as a lubricant, preventing internal wear. 

 The wear inside a rope is the result of the fibers slipping back 

 and forth over each other, frequently caused by using a pul- 

 ley that is too small. This wear in a rope can be easily seen 

 by pulling the strands apart. Often a rope is greatly weak- 

 ened before the wear is noticed. External wear is the result 

 of drawing the rope over rough surfaces which tears the fibers. 

 This source of wear can be easily detected and removed. 

 Where it is desired to protect the rope from dampness, as well 

 as to prevent external wear, the application of an exterior 

 coating such as tallow, graphite, beeswax, or black lead and 

 tallow, will lengthen the life of a rope. Always keep rope in a 



