How to do a double-braid splice in Samson Vortex

I demonstrate how to do a Class 1 double-braid eye splice in Samson Vortex rope. This same splice can be used on most double-braid ropes that are made from nylon or polyester. However, the taper layout on the cover may vary, so check the manufacturer's recommendation.

[@327365hp]

By far the best splicing video on youtube.

[@ericforsman7787]

Thanks!

[@denisebowker3563]

I've been watching videos all weekend on splicing and this one was the most helpful. Things I like about this video is the use of the puller fid. I didn't have one of these so I made one out of a thin clothes hanger. It worked really well. I wish I had seen this video first as using a pushing fid to get the lines through was a pain. The other thing I found was pulling the rope by hand to bury the I used a winch on the boat. I put the knot on a cleat then fed an old line through the eye back to a winch and cranked slowly. I wanted the block to be in the splice. make sure you put the block or whatever so it's on the outer shell right up against where the core pops out.

[@Tracer-yc4wq]

Great video! Much easier using the wire fid to pull the core past the splice than trying to push a traditional fid through that tight spot.

[@ericforsman7787]

Yes, definitely!

[@oligamot]

This is the most helpfull vidéo. I watch it each time i make a splice, thank you for sharing

[@ericforsman7787]

Thank you! Glad I could help.

[@schwartztekllc]

Thanks for your clear and detailed splicing instructions! I have my first spool of rope coming - Samson Vortex 1/2" and so I'll be learning to splice soon. Seems that I need not search any further for good instruction.

[@chriscodrington5464]

Really good demonstration with time taken for focus at key junctures in process thanks it’s a keeper!

[@ericforsman7787]

Thanks Chris!

[@ericforsman7787]

This reminds me of the first time I ever tried to splice Tachyon. It was a comedy of errors! Before you give up you might try using a come-along to pull on the eye while you use both hands to milk the cover over the crossover. If that does not work you can try milking the cover back away from the crossover and opening up the splice. In my experience, the problem with bunching at the crossover is usually caused by failure to keep tension on both sides of the eye as the core slides into the cover. That tension is what keeps the crossover from bunching up as it is pulled into the throat of the splice. That is really important, especially on ropes with really tight covers, such as Tachyon.

[@nickajeglin]

Thanks for the tips. I have it hooked up to a big 2 inch ratchet strap with some mechanical advantage right now. I think I might try to use a friction hitch to get a better grip on the sleeve since that seems to be the limiting factor. The "massaging" of the splice made a big difference. There are only about 3 ends of core yarns left protruding so I'm sure if I can get them in then the rest will be ok. If I can't get it totally buried I'll try again. Even if I'm putting a huge amount of force on it with the rig I'm using to tension it, I don't want to hang my weight from anything that doesn't have 100% of my confidence.

[@bonzey1171]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I've spliced loads of 3 strand for flip lines, but was always intimidated by double braids. I just got a hank of this exact rope, I think I might have a go.

[@ericforsman7787]

Go for it. Vortex is pretty easy to splice.

[@chrisrynkiewicz1934]

Brilliant relaxed, precise and ever so detailed presentation. Clearly a master at work. Thank you from an English sailor about to replace a main halyard.

[@philosborn1840]

👍👍👍merry Christmas Eric, your videos were a great help this past fall season. 🇨🇦🇺🇸

[@ericforsman7787]

Thank you Phil! And a Merry Christmas to you as well!

[@srdoberman]

Clear and concise. "You are the man".....thanks for a great vid!!

[@daveberquist2593]

most excellent - Thanks

[@hosocat1410]

Very clear instruction. You make it possible for the viewer to try this. Thanks!

[@ronbe100]

Really a clear explanation and fun to see 👍👍

[@dannyostrander]

great video

[@ericforsman7787]

Thanks Danny.

[@adrianhernandez2972]

Thank you Erich that video was amazing

[@ericforsman7787]

Glad I could help Adrian!

[@eriksonsimbolonofficial1096]

Please make a tutorial on how to make dead rope eyes.🙏🙏🙏

[@abelcastelan5937]

Great video , one question do you know whats the weight limit ?

[@rmarks920]

How do you determine the spacing of your layout for tapering the sheath? In this video you do six strands, each spaced five strands apart, and in your Tachyon splice video, you alternate 3-strand and 4-strand spacing. Fantastic videos, thank you for making them

[@ericforsman7787]

The taper formula for each rope is provided by the manufacturer. You can usually find the correct formula by looking for the splicing instructions that are provided on the manufacturer's website.

[@RKONeilJr]

awesome video!

[@bethjolarsen]

Thanks !

[@canadiankiwijay]

Great vid (as are your beeline ones). Thanks for sharing

[@ericforsman7787]

Thanks Jason!

[@lee-johnson]

Very cool to watch. Thank you for posting

[@remingtonsawdust8046]

Hi. Would you mind touching on the relationship between " a 1 inch eye, therefore measure 5 inch". Thanks

[@krionic]

x = π(y+z) Y=desired inside loop diameter. Z = diameter of rope. X = Mark B in the video. 4.71 in this example. Whole numbers are adequate. 5 inches, assuming your measurements and fid work is spot on, would yield an eye with inside diameter a little more than 1" (1.1 inches or so.)

[@sanjeev12sajan]

could you possibly put all the tools you used in the description and maybe a link to where you may have purchased them? :) thank you

[@NervusEnergy]

I know I'm late to the party but at what point (time mark in video?) would you add a shackle or fender to the line in order for it to be secured in the loop? Thanks so much! Great video!!

[@ericforsman7787]

It would be inserted as the eye starts to close during the final bury.

[@sklon4um7603]

Weaving technique is fantastic! And the correct one - I put the carbine in the leash, tomorrow I will braid the handle !!!

[@ericforsman7787]

Thank you sir!

[@sklon4um7603]

@@ericforsman7787 Good morning! Can you tell me how long your instrument is, and how to mark for the loop, where A-B is 42-43 cm? Thanks.

[@remingtonsawdust8046]

Would love a video showing how you splice an eye & eye using ocean poly 10mm.

[@michaelquigley1411]

Hey Eric, Very helpful but 2 questions: for your 1" eye you went right to a 5" mark "B" on the line. Is there a rule-of-thumb ratio for eye size for placing mark B? Also, any chance of a video or pointers on larger eye sizes need for dock lines?

[@ericforsman7787]

When I want a larger eye I just eyeball it when I do the layout. With a bit of experimentation I am sure you could come up with a rule-of-thumb, but I have never bothered to try to figure that out.

[@SATYAMEVJAYATE1000]

NICE

[@ericforsman7787]

Thank you!

[@marksandorf2072]

You marked 5" up for a 1" eye. Would you maintain the same 5/1 ratio to make a larger eye ?

[@ericforsman7787]

For small eyes I have some numbers that I always use. For example, if I want a tight eye I use 3.5 to 4.0 inches. But for large eyes I just form the eye and estimate the length required.

[@TheRedhawke]

Where do you purchase the wire fid with handle ? I’ve ran several searches on a diy version but can’t find anything. Thanks, really enjoy your videos and did subscribe.

[@ericforsman7787]

I buy the wire fid from Wesspur and make the handle myself. I use 3/4" aluminum or brass rod for the handle. Another alternative is to buy a wire fid from Mark at "Fids and Fibers". He has an online store and sells a variety of splicing supplies including many different sizes of wire fids with fancy rope handles that you can hook over a cleat.

[@TheRedhawke]

@@ericforsman7787 thank you, is it a particular wire you buy or a preferred diameter wire that works best for the double braided lines ? Would it be possible for you to make a video on how you construct this wire fid ?

[@ericforsman7787]

@@TheRedhawke The wire fid is $3.00 from Wesspur. I just cut a piece of rod, drill a small hole through the middle, shove the ends of the fid through the hole, bend them over at a 90 degree angle about 1/2" from the end and wrap heavily with electrician's tape. Easy! I also think that Treestuff may still sell a "rope logic" wire fid with a handle.

[@TheRedhawke]

@@ericforsman7787 thank you so much, I will give the diy a shot. Yours seems to work beautifully. Trying to put a splicing kit together for my tree pulling adventures. Sometimes I can’t get my tractor in to where the timber is so we’re now on a new adventure of moving very heavy things with block and tackle.

[@ericforsman7787]

@@TheRedhawke Oh man, I love mechanical advantage with pulleys! I dove down that rabbit hole many years ago and I now dedicate an entire lecture about mechanical advantage in my climbing class. It is another of those wonderful old-school skills that is a complete mystery to most humans.

[@gregovtomislavgmail]

Hi,what kind of scissors are you using.

[@ericforsman7787]

Clauss serrated splicing scissors. You can get them from Treestuff.com..

[@Archer1182]

Great instructions! You really sound like Bosnianbill the lock picker

[@ericforsman7787]

Having never heard of Bosnianbill the lock picker I hope that is a compliment!

[@Archer1182]

@@ericforsman7787 it is definitely a compliment. And thank you for the rope instruction it’s very helpful

[@nickajeglin]

I'm working on some yale bluemoon and I ended up with some bunching at the crossover. Is there a way to recover from that or should I just chop it off and start over?

[@ericforsman7787]

Also, the Yale splicing recommendations for Blue Moon call for a 2-2-2-2-2-2-2 taper on the cover, which reduces the volume of rope in front of the crossover a bit faster than a 5-5-5-5-5-5 taper. If you decide to do it again you might try the 2-2-2-2-2-2 taper instead of the 5-5-5-5-5-5 taper.

[@WreckitRalphie]

If this is 12.7 mm (1/2") rope how come u use a 7/16 fid? Is that the size I need to splice this rope?? Also what scissors are u using? They are very nice. Great video thank u

[@ericforsman7787]

Your are right Ralph. It is 1/2" rope and I should have recommended a 1/2" fid. I have been using a 7/16" fid for this rope for years and have seen no problems with that, but it definitely is better to use a bit longer bury. Thanks for pointing this out.

[@ericforsman7787]

Hey Ralph, you had me worried for a few minutes! I just watched the video and I clearly say that I used a 1/2" fid for the splice. So, I am not sure where you got the idea that I used a 7/16" fid?

[@ericforsman7787]

You can get the Clauss scissors from Treestuff.com.

[@user-rcghjewqw]

What isa short fit (feet, foot?). For those using metric...

[@ericforsman7787]

A Samson tubular fid for 1/2" rope is 11" (27.9cm) long. A short fid is 4-1/8" (10.5cm).

[@eriksonsimbolonofficial1096]

How to make a dead rope eye.

[@matievski1]

Why at 6:11 core need to be tempered? and then at 15:06 being cut off completely and tempered again?

[@ericforsman7787]

The reason for tapering the core is so that it is easier to pull through the cover. Once it is pulled through the excess core is cut off. It is possible to pull the core through the cover without tapering it, but it is much more difficult, and it sometimes gets stuck.

[@chrisgardner6677]

Aloha Eric, What kind of splicing needle did you use? Mahalo!

[@ericforsman7787]

Hi Chris, I am not sure what you are referring to when you say "splicing needle." I use a 7/16" tubular fid for the layout and a 16" long wire fid for pulling the core through the cover. You can make the wire fids yourself or you can order them from Mark at "Fids and Fibers." The needles that I use for lock-stitching are Dritz Yarn Darners, which you can get in a package of 7 at the local fabric store for about two dollars. And Mahalo back at ya!

[@chrisgardner6677]

@@ericforsman7787 Howzit Eric! So I got my fids mixed up! I meant the ‘fid’ with the wooden handle that you pulled with. Still learning the “ropes” but I am having trouble just to spice only using the hollow style fid vs the pulling type fid. Mahalo again for the wonderful videos! Aloha!

[@ericforsman7787]

@@chrisgardner6677 The wire fid is definitely the way to go I think. You can get them from Wesspur and add the handle yourself, or you can order the deluxe model from Mark. He makes nice stuff.

[@jmmybizzarri8273]

Can I use this video to eye splice a 11mm samson predator rope? Thank you

[@ericforsman7787]

Yes. Samson Predator is a Class 1 double-braid rope so you can use the same splice. It is a 7/16" rope so the layout is done with a 7/16" fid. If you don't have a tubular fid the measurements are as follows: Full fid = 9.5 " Short fid = 3-5/8" Long fid = 5-7/8"

[@jmmybizzarri8273]

Thank you very much!

[@706d]

Does this reduce the kn rating of the Rope at the eye?

[@ericforsman7787]

A double-braid splice reduces the strength of the rope by about 10-20%.

[@RainManFights]

Hi Eric, would a splice like this be good for attaching a lanyard clip onto?

[@ericforsman7787]

Yes, this is a typical eye splice that can be used for attaching to a lanyard clip. You can save yourself a lot of money by splicing your own lanyards!

[@RainManFights]

@@ericforsman7787 Thank you, I have completed splicing my first lanyard and it's great!

[@ericforsman7787]

@@RainManFights Cool! If you have not done so you should check out the Splicing Forum on the Treebuzz website. There is a lot of good info on that website.

[@shaunamark704]

I can't get mine together I must be using wrong measurements for my 1/2 predator rope

[@shaunamark704]

I got it now I tried a new England splice first on a samson rope did not work I done how you did and it worked great I had some problems burying my crossover but I just massaged and let the rope rest ,for my first completed splice I say it's a 5 ,thank you much for your guidance

[@ericforsman7787]

Samson Predator is an 11.4 mm (7/16th) inch rope. So you should use a 7/16th inch fid for the layout. I have not spliced this rope, but I have heard that it has a tighter cover than similar ropes from Samson such as Velocity, which is really easy to splice. My advice would be to be really sure that you do a long, gradual taper on the tails, and make sure that the crossover is tight and smooth, and be really careful to keep tension on the core side of the rope when doing the bury. That will keep the core from bunching up as it is pulled inside the cover. Use lots of massaging to loosen the cover as the bury gets tight, and feel free to use a rubber mallet to loosen up the braid when the bury gets really tight. If you continue to have trouble, I suggest you go to the Treebuzz website and click on the Splicing Forum. The guys and gals there are really friendly and will be happy to give you advice on splicing. I am sure that some of them have probably spliced Predator. Good luck!

[@J155P]

How in the world did anyone ever figure out how to do this?

[@ericforsman7787]

I have no idea who first developed this method of splicing. But whoever it was, they were a lot smarter than me!

[@J155P]

@@ericforsman7787 Some smart people out there for sure. You made this look easy too, though.