How to do a Yale Whiplock

I demonstrate how to do a Yale Whiplock on a double-braid eye splice. This is a common method used for lockstitching a splice so it cannot work loose.

[@jimlee5626]

Well done. Clear, clean, concise.

[@RKONeilJr]

Mant Thanks! great video my first whip lock was a success ! I've done lock stitching and whip locks before but it was methods I made up ! yours is much better!

[@BeauGunderson]

thank you for this! it's the only high-resolution demonstration i could find and i like the modification to 45 degree lock stitches.

[@ericforsman7787]

Thanks Beau. I am glad you found it useful!

[@lindacarmeroto8882]

Eric...Thank you for the high resolution video and the detailed explanation of a whiplock. Best I've seen on KZbin.

[@ericforsman7787]

Thanks Linda!

[@rgsparber1]

Excellent lesson! It was easy to follow all steps and I'm happy with the results.

[@ericforsman7787]

Thanks Rick!

[@joseargueta9156]

Eric THANK YOU SO MUCH! ive only done a whipping once since out of school and completely forgot how to do it. Thanks for the video!

[@ericforsman7787]

Thanks Jose!

[@user-hu2wk5wr7q]

I have watched your video many times. Very great. thank you.

[@ericforsman7787]

Thank you!

[@JoseRGarcia-JRG]

Thank you sooo much... Sir that lesson was so very helpful because I had a sense this lock was simple enough but had not found a tutorial such as yours ,.. Again thank you for your patience and clarity sharing this stitch.. Good luck to you ... Joe

[@srdoberman]

Nice clean job....great explanation....great job on vid..one of the best....thanks so much

[@ericforsman7787]

Thank you sir. Glad you like it.

[@AndrewLale]

Beautifully clear. Great job.

[@ericforsman7787]

Thanks Andrew!

[@daviddobedoe]

That's really helpful, thank you.

[@chrisrowse9416]

Great clip, now I've learnt to do it from your video, I'm going to show my Scouts here in the UK to do it on there back splicing they have been doing. Thanks

[@ericforsman7787]

Greetings from the U.S. Chris. It is nice to know that my videos are useful to folks around the world. Thanks!

[@remingtonsawdust8046]

Excellent presentation thanks

[@raymondpacheco8168]

Eric. Great video. Thank you so much.

[@ericforsman7787]

You are most welcome Raymond!

[@PedroGarcia-oj2xc]

Thanks for the knowledge

[@matthewharvey8755]

Great video buddy! I like this method a lot more then just a typical standard run of the mill whip 😁

[@bethjolarsen]

Thanks Matthew!

[@mr.morgan5643]

Very nice! Thanks so much!

[@pinecone5058]

Thank you for taking you time to xplan the process,

[@waterboy8999]

Thank you sir! Nicely done.

[@ericforsman7787]

Your are welcome. And happy splicing!

[@SailingAngus]

nicely done I will try this to sieze the Chaffer Tubing on my YALE LUGGER LINE mooring tops like the way you balance the siezing

[@ericforsman7787]

The stuff I am using in this video is waxed whipping twine that is sold by Wesspur. They sell a 100' piece for about $12. It is approximately 1mm diameter. However, whipping twine comes in all kinds of colors and sizes. For example, if you google on "Marlow Whipping Twine" you will see that they make a variety of sizes and colors. They recommend #2 twine for small cordage, and #4 twine for most climbing ropes. For large ropes they recommend #8 or #16 twine.

[@RagedContinuum]

I couldn't decide what to get so I just bought 100lb test waxed teflon from a vendor on ebay

[@cerberusbonsaiarboricultur774]

Awesome reply :) What do you think of the concept of using the pieces of yarn you'd cut-off when tapering your core for lock-stitching, or the use of tapered-yarn cut-off's from the core to be used for whip-locking? (FWIW right now I think all of my ropes are Yale well all the ones I use routinely, Blue Moon to climb and varying diameters of P.dyne 1/2" 5/8" and 3/4" in fact it's new to me and I've spliced the 1st two (with thimbles, one plastic and the 5/8" got a metal teardrop :) ) but nervous about the 3/4" as it'll be a sling for my Safebloc so it's gotta be tight on that block but I fear two things, first that the splice could be "cinching down" on the Safebloc which would be very sub-optimal compared to a fixed-length-eye (but for all I know, a splice will continue burying itself if the rope was realllly pushed hard, am unsure), and secondly - regardless of how great the eye-size is - it seems that there's an *inverse* linear relationship between the tightness of the eye on the Safebloc, and the angle of the rope coming out of the cover-braid....I can't find where I read it but the angle there isn't supposed to be that steep (or maybe it's just that it's weaker the steeper it is?), going to review a bunch of pictures of others' DB rope slings for the Safebloc before determining eye-size (OH btw do you use "listed"/spec diameters or real-life diameters when choosing fid length? I always use my calipers and get *real* measurements IE my "5/8'" polydyne was nearly 3/4" in real life so I went with the actual diameter in my hands not the stated diameter of 5/8"....for that one it came out pretty flawless so at least it's not 'bad' to do *real* diameter-based fid measurements, but would like to perfect my technique here!!!) Sorry so long, your vid is great am so stoked to have found this :D

[@larrypeel216]

Love the videos, thanks!

[@ericforsman7787]

Thanks Larry!

[@AvalexLLC]

Arrrrrrrg! (Excellent matey, even Polly approves!)

[@713tubeit]

Wow really great video and explanation

[@ericforsman7787]

Thanks!

[@wiesejay]

“Yale Whiplock” would make a good name for the captain of a rowing team

[@ericforsman7787]

Or the gun-toting hero in an old western novel.

[@cobrasvt347]

Very nice 👍

[@franktartan6808]

very nice work. Thank you.

[@ericforsman7787]

Thanks Frank!

[@pinecone5058]

Again you have the best videos for rope, thanks for your time, how long have you been doing it,

[@davidpowell7614]

Great. Thank you.

[@ericforsman7787]

You are welcome David.

[@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.

[@michelesuncini2779]

very nice video , eric i have a question for you : what sizes of needle and twine i use for ropes 6 , 8 , 10 and 12 mm?

[@BAKERHUSKIE]

Doing mine tomorrow

[@bretgreen5314]

Nicely done

[@ericforsman7787]

Thanks Bret!

[@tcubbedge]

what kind of twine did you use and what size needle?

[@shannonyork5300]

Eric, Thank you for this fine video. Is the diagonal locking stronger than the typical parallel version?

[@ericforsman7787]

I don't think the diagonal pattern is any stronger than parallel version. I just like the looks of it.

[@Onix.556]

THAN YOU!

[@juniortromp3839]

P⁰

[@cerberusbonsaiarboricultur774]

WOW what an outstanding-quality of video you've shared, thank you so much!!! Unsure that there's another out there that's this caliber, I've been using Samson's (outstanding!) vids for double-braid class1 splicing and for lock-stitching, however the lock-stitching is really only practical on my 5/8" and 3/4" lines even my 1/2" rigging line but my 11.7mm super-tight-cover Blue Moon line is never letting a properly-sized (1 yarn's width right?) lock-stitch through it.....I figured that, since the thing is so damn tight, there's no point upsetting the fibers in the throat by forcing-through anything but seeing you do this makes me confident I can whiplock mine and then just cover that whiplock and be fine! What do you cover that with by the way? I'd never leave it bare as it's gotta be more-delicate than the rest of the cover (though it's less important so not an issue in any 'real' sense!) so am picturing electrical tape as my default but would love something a bit more...'elegant', lol!!! Thanks again for such a great video, if this thing were by Yale or Samson I wouldn't have 2nd-guessed it it was literally that spot-on in all regards I mean it was just as good as Samson's vid on regular lock-stitching in terms of conveying the process (and your edit/quality/etc are on-point) so it'd be easy to confuse I actually did scroll down to see the Uploader name half-suspecting it 'had' to be corporate/manufacturer!

[@ericforsman7787]

Thanks for the compliments. As for my video skills it is strictly amateur hour. I don't usually cover my whiplocks and they hold up really well that way, even on rigging ropes that get a lot of abuse. However, if you want to be really professional about it you can cover the whiplock with heat-shrink tubing. Make a label with the date of the splice and your name and then cover it with clear heat-shrink tubing. That way everyone will know who did the splice and when it was done. Just be careful not to over-heat the rope when applying the heat-shrink tubing.

[@cerberusbonsaiarboricultur774]

@Eric Forsman Awesome thanks!!! I've only been doing whiplocks on my bullrope (5/8 and 3/4 polydyne) and just used clear plastic & a hair-dryer to "shrink wrap" it lol, it held well/is still in good shape, am about to do "the real test" by whiplocking both ends of ~10' long, 3/4 polydyne sling I made that's got an XL ring on either end (cannot believe this combo isn't sold by all the magazines, it is so darn great you can use it on huge crotches that need the 10' or you can just wrap it around multiple crotches on smaller applications, just totally the most convenient sling I have!) Figured to leave it to see whether that loose 3/4 polydyne would slip, it *does* do no-load-slippage (as does the 5/8 polydyne, the 1/2 has *not* however) but not much, I just routinely milk it before-usage so I know it's good&tight but decided(realized!) how haphazard an approach that is so I'm back on your channel again so I can whiplock each end of this monster anchor-sling :D

[@Jasonsoldschool]

Hello Mr Forsman, I just wanted to say I really enjoy your videos, there all so professional & so informative on the rope splicing procedures, I’ve learned a lot from your videos. just have one question, I’m having trouble finding a good needle to do my whiplocking with, could you please share your needle type & where I could one.. Thks Jason - Shreveport,LA

[@ericforsman7787]

The best ones are the triangular sailmakers needles made by William Smith and Sons. I use a size a 16 needle for lockstitching ropes in the 7/16" and 1/2" sizes. For smaller diameter hitch cords a size 18 needle is good. One good source is sailmakerssupply.com.

[@floobertuber]

Quite an elegant technique, and a very nifty lock. Could something like this be used to secure an eye-splice in a simpler rope, like a dyneema 12-strand synthetic winch rope? I'm thinking "why not?"... except I might want to somehow better-secure that very last end (the "going upstream toward the eye") because the dyneema is so much looser a type of rope than this nice, tight, double-braided rope. Still, I'd love to hear your opinion.

[@ericforsman7787]

12-strand dynema ropes like Amsteel blue winch ropes are spliced with a brummel splice, which is completely different than the splice used in this video. Brummel splices are easy. There are lots of examples of this on youtube.

[@floobertuber]

​@@ericforsman7787 Wow, thanks for the super-fast reply! Matter of fact, even as you were writing it, I was watching your 12-minute "Dynaglide Eye Splices and Tethers" and I see your point on just how easy Brummel splices appear to be. I'm pretty new to all this "rope craft" but I'll be sure to watch more videos and learn the technique. Thanks again!

[@SamGGreenberg]

Terrific! Seems only applicable with fine grain rope, though, right? Would cheap 3-strand poly stuff have enough texture to hold all those lock stitches?

[@ericforsman7787]

In my experience it will work on just about any kind of rope, but it looks kind of lumpy if you use it on three-stand.

[@SamGGreenberg]

@@ericforsman7787 It's ok: whipping around hard 3-strand rope always looks lumpy anyway. :) Thanks again for the video.

[@victorgutierrez5826]

WHERE I CAN ORDER THE ROPE TO STITCHING AND THE NIRE ALSO

[@davidwarner6755]

if you had a thimble in the loop, would you place the yale whip lock close to the thimble? Or, would you still make the whip lock higher up towards the end where the rope joins in on itself?

[@ericforsman7787]

I would put it in the same place as in the video. If you try putting it closer to the eye you will find that it is really hard to get the needle to pass through the rope.

[@davidwarner6755]

@@ericforsman7787 Got it...thanks

[@aaronlauer8378]

Hi, I just finished a spliced eye in Samson hyper climb 11.7mm double braid and the first 3 inches under the eye is rocksolid and can’t get a needle through. Can I simply do the stitch further down the rope, where it is softer? Any advice? Thanks!

[@ericforsman7787]

Yes, it is ok to put the whiplocking a bit farther down the rope from the eye. I have not spliced Hyper Climb, but I do know that some ropes are worse than others in regard to the problem you describe.

[@philosborn1840]

Thank you and the Good Lord again for this how to video. I especially liked the finger trick. So in your opinion, lock stitching is to prevent the eye from coming out in a “no load” situation? 🇨🇦🇺🇸🇲🇽

[@ericforsman7787]

Yes, the lock stitching is to keep the eye splice from working loose in "no-load" situation. I think the odds of that actually happening are about zero, but it is a good idea nevertheless.

[@cerberusbonsaiarboricultur774]

Thanks a ton, I use this vid all the time when whipping to be sure I'm on-point, at any rate there's 2 things I've gotta "nitpick" and/or ask for elaboration on: #1 - Why are you starting so far-down the cord? Yale's black&white instructional says to begin your whippings "approximately 3 strands from the crotch of the splice", now I've gotta expect that the further from the throat/crotch you are, the less-useful a locking-or-whipping would be (due to the tapering of a splice's 'tucked/buried' portion(s)) Anyway was just curious because your starting-point is like 7X further from the spice-crotch than their recommendation so was hoping to know your thoughts on *why* you begin where you do! (will say that, for me, many times the throat is simply too dense, too jam-packed with rope that the very act of performing a lock would probably be bad IE the "no load slippage prevention" would be outweighed by repeatedly jamming-through a needle at the important spot of the splice in fact I wouldn't even consider locking my Blue Moon splices because of this IE they're so tight they're not going to 'wiggle-out' when not under-load, and perturbing the splice to set a lock seems like it'd have a non-0 strength loss on the splice from repeatedly hitting it with a needle/whatever you're using to push&pull the twin) - #2 - Could you tell me/us anything about utilizing locks/whips as a means of visually-inspecting the integrity of splice? I was listening to a podcast w/ the guy from Fids & Fibers and, in telling an anecdote, he mentions how "the lock-stitches bars are out-of-place, that tells me the cordage was shock-loaded and that the splice is compromised"....is this something wherein you're just looking for any 'out of place' locking IE you could see it whether you yale-whip-locked or just simple samson-lock-stitched? I typically do a lock-stitch (since I usually only lock my TEC/hollow-braid splices, with my double-braids/kerns being so tight&hard at their throats that I just don't see any need to lock them), so am curious if whip-locking DOES show 'splice-disturbance' moreso than regular old lock-stitches do? Thanks a ton for the vid it really is great I'm surprised Samson doesn't have one their splice library is (by FAR) the best on the web yet it only covers lock stitching not whip-locking, so your vid here is essentially the only non-Samson info I ever use when splicing (this vid, and the Teufelberger vid for splicing Drenaline, as I use an adaptation of their SPlife-Drenaline video to splice Samson's "un-spliceable" Mercury cordage....will say that it may as well be unspliceable, the time / headache of splicing that stuff is insane I think I got 4 or 5 made before deciding I wouldn't try splicing it again!)

[@ericforsman7787]

I put the whiplock further down the rope because the fibers in the throat are so densely packed that it is difficult to get the needle through the rope if you try to do it closer to the throat. And in my experience, I have never seen a splice work loose as long as you lock a few of the strands inside the cover. So I don't worry about the splice coming loose. I worry more about damaging the internal strands or breaking a needle by trying to force the needle through the rope where the strands are tightly compacted inside the throat. Theoretically, you should be able to tell if a splice has been overloaded because the lock-stitches will be distorted. I have never seen that happen on a climbing rope, but it can happen on rigging ropes that are subjected to very high loads.

[@MrViking10000]

Can I use #8 for climbing ropes or does it have to be #4?

[@ericforsman7787]

#8 is fine. But because of its larger diameter it can be a bit harder to get it to pass through the dense fibers in the splice.

[@uraos1235]

my left ear thanks you

[@rebatest2account639]

What size twine would you use for 8mm ocean cordage?

[@ericforsman7787]

I like the #4 Marlow or #4 Robline (0.8mm) whipping twine for hitch cords. But you can also use 1 mm or 1.1m.

[@deathcommando1]

If you double thread through needle it goes faster.

[@roberthall6195]

What size twine do you use?

[@ericforsman7787]

The

[@ericforsman7787]

I added a public comment to address this issue

[@roberthall6195]

Eric Forsman thank you

[@MrWhothefoxthat]

belt and braces. you'll be gluing it next.

[@flyingspur]

So many pro-nouns "here, and there, and that, and this". The start was good, but not very intelligible toward the end for a beginner.