Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Splicing tips?

Forum for kitesurfers
User avatar
edt
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 7309
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2010 6:27 am
Kiting since: 2010
Local Beach: Michigan
Gear: ride hard, no regrets
Has thanked: 529 times
Been thanked: 658 times

Re: Splicing tips?

Postby edt » Wed Jan 17, 2018 10:23 pm

I only use knitting needles on lines between 2mm and 3mm. It's a bit big for kite lines which are between 1.5mm and 2mm. I have a whole range of home made fids. Pencil is a good size for 5mm chicken lines. Choosing the exactly right size fid helps make splicing easier on crap lines. On new lines you can use any old thing.

User avatar
Kamikuza
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 7057
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2009 4:49 am
Local Beach: Sabae Beach
Favorite Beaches: Ol' Stinky
Gear: This, that, the other
Has thanked: 220 times
Been thanked: 193 times

Re: Splicing tips?

Postby Kamikuza » Thu Jan 18, 2018 7:54 am

merl wrote:
Wed Jan 17, 2018 5:43 pm
Kamikuza wrote:
Wed Jan 17, 2018 1:44 pm
Use a longer "fid. Spread the weave out along it, so it's relaxed and not all bunched up. Then wiggle the tail down it, like you'd feed a drawstring back into your shorts . . . if you know what I mean. Small movements, not a lot of bunching up like in the photo :)
I don't have a metal fid if that's what you mean. The bunching is the result of opening the weave so that there is a hole in the middle - definitely not the cause of the problem. If you do this with regular dyneema splicing is a breeze. I don;t see how I can wiggle anything through this without opening up (bunchIng) it first - but I will give it a try...
Fid was supposed to be in quotes. I use a pull-through like yours, just simple wire . . . but longer and thicker, and rigid. Like fencing wire :)

Bunching it all up makes the internal "hole" smaller. If you have trouble getting the tail into the hole when trying to pull it in, wiggle the "fid" around to open it up -- helps if you've got a rigid fid.

So long as you can get the tail into the hole, and you've tapered it (or just cut it at an acute angle) so it's not too bulky, you should be able to splice it. With odd line like that, unlike "regular" dyneema, you can't just bunch it up and pull it through easily. You have to work it along with your finger tips, pulling the "sheath" over the tail, a few millimeters at a time. Straightening it out keeps the weave relaxed.

An actual push fid might be easier. Hollow metal knitting needle is cheap alternative. . . .

User avatar
iriejohn
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 2618
Joined: Fri Dec 18, 2015 11:04 pm
Weight: 80kg, 1.78m
Local Beach: West & East Wittering (UK South Coast)
Style: Make it up as I go along
Gear: Bars, Kites
Twintips, Directional
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Noviomagus Reginorum
Has thanked: 554 times
Been thanked: 284 times

Re: Splicing tips?

Postby iriejohn » Thu Jan 18, 2018 3:11 pm

I use Selma (push) Fids for rope down to 3 mm, for smaller rope than that I use a D-Splicer kit. I could use bent wire 'n stuff but I just like an easy life.

merl
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 760
Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 8:43 pm
Kiting since: 1999
Gear: HF
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Sweden
Has thanked: 108 times
Been thanked: 112 times

Re: Splicing tips?

Postby merl » Thu Jan 18, 2018 3:40 pm

Collecting a lot of good tips and ideas. I managed a (somewhat ugly) splice using a different trick - removing two stands for almost the whole length of the splice. This thins the tail and makes the body more roomy at the same time. WIll try some of the other tricks too...

kitexpert
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1394
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2015 11:20 pm
Gear: many kites, also diy
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 51 times
Been thanked: 130 times

Re: Splicing tips?

Postby kitexpert » Thu Jan 18, 2018 7:10 pm

One method is to go through the lines multiple times, one end after another. Both ends must be free. Resulting loop is very strong and looks quite good actually. About four to five inches is enough length for that kind of splice if rope is about 1/4 inch thick.

merl
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 760
Joined: Tue May 15, 2007 8:43 pm
Kiting since: 1999
Gear: HF
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Sweden
Has thanked: 108 times
Been thanked: 112 times

Re: Splicing tips?

Postby merl » Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:26 am

kitexpert wrote:
Thu Jan 18, 2018 7:10 pm
One method is to go through the lines multiple times, one end after another. Both ends must be free. Resulting loop is very strong and looks quite good actually. About four to five inches is enough length for that kind of splice if rope is about 1/4 inch thick.
Do you mean like stitch? Pass tail through body then long tail through tail and so on?Got any pictures?

kitexpert
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1394
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2015 11:20 pm
Gear: many kites, also diy
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 51 times
Been thanked: 130 times

Re: Splicing tips?

Postby kitexpert » Fri Jan 19, 2018 10:03 pm

merl wrote:
Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:26 am
kitexpert wrote:
Thu Jan 18, 2018 7:10 pm
One method is to go through the lines multiple times, one end after another. Both ends must be free. Resulting loop is very strong and looks quite good actually. About four to five inches is enough length for that kind of splice if rope is about 1/4 inch thick.
Do you mean like stitch? Pass tail through body then long tail through tail and so on?Got any pictures?
Yes it is kind of stitching. You got it right. It works well if normal splicing is too difficult.

I once had same problem as you, might have been same line (depowerline) actually. Sorry no picture, but I've used it, and you know when finished that splicing it will not let you down.

Matteo V
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Re: Splicing tips?

Postby Matteo V » Sat Jan 20, 2018 2:37 am

7/64ths amsteel is a pain to splice and I can't do it with the wire trick alone for long burying/sleeving.

I have a bunch of 200lb test Dacron that I use make this work for long splices or sheathing. First, I pull in the 200lb test dacron into the core of the line. Sometimes I use a short "bullet" like a copper wire hammered flat on the back end with a small hole drilled in it. I push this completely into the core and push it up the line from the outside while it drags a tracer line behind it. Then I attach the tracer line to the 200lb test dacron and pull that in. For shorter lengths, I just pull in the dacron with the wire trick.

Once the dacron is inside the line I intend to sleeve, I expand the end still exposed end of the 200lb dacron and insert the 7/64ths into it for about 1.5 inches. This will pull right out, but if you squeeze it as it is going inside the line you are sleeving it into, it will hold like a Chinese finger torture wrap. The key is to pull in as you are compressing the joint of the 7/64th dyneema and the 200lb Dacron. One way to do that is to anchor the line to something while you pull against it. This gives you a 3rd hand.

The benefit of this stuff is that you can sleeve some lines that would never allow you to get a fid into, or get a wire with a doubled over line/wire through.

I like this line for lots of other stuff too. Pretty expensive for your first spool, but you will use it for everything.

Bass Pro Shops
Chartreuse 300 Meters 200lb test D200328CRMAG 1.35 mm SKU:503840 $47.99


Return to “Kitesurfing”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Azzieo, Bing [Bot], Brent NKB, Google [Bot], Steve271, vladi elthve and 135 guests