Hopefully you will understand what I am trying to ask.
If I have a rope and create a loop around a thimble, I assume that you buy a thimble to match the diameter of the rope.
On eBay thimbles are similar to the following: “316 GRADE S/S - 2 X 4 MM THIMBLES - ROPE - WIRE” Am I then right in assuming that 4MM is the diameter size of the rope that it made for?
If I want to create a loop with a thimble, but want to incorporate some fancy work around the loop, is there then a rule of thumb that can be used to determine what size thimble should be used?
Johnny,
Don’t buy thimbles from ebay - go to your nearest chandler and buy a few nylon thimbles first. They are sized for the rope and the staff should be able to give you advice on how the rope should fit in the grove properly. If you are going to cover it, make sure you buy the open throat type, not ones with a joining piece in the throat.
A thimble and covering (like coxcombing) really do much the same job - protect the rope from chaffe - and although you do see examples of covered thimbles, I don’t really see the point unless you need a VERY firm eye.
Would you oil a wheelspanner? - Still got one?
I always fit the thimble to the size line, and then tie the loop around the thimble. I never insert the thimble later, I want it to stay in place, so I make the eye tight to the thimble. With an eye splice around the thimble I can usually splice the eye tight enough that it won’t come out. Other loops that might stretch, I tie the eye and cinch it down with a Turks Head or two.
If you think the bell rope is nice, you should see the yacht it’s attached to!
Yes, there are many ways to attach a thimble. I have neve been happy with what the first tucks of an eye splice looks like. That’s because there is always a change in the lay of one of the lines, and that doesn’t look “right”. The knot is technically correct, but the transition has an unsightly look to it, if I can hide that part with a Turks Head, then I do.
It is really about what looks good to you. A Turks Head can cover a lot ugly transitions with a beautiful knot. Hopefully people will only look at the TH, and not think about how the transition was tied.
Missed this one out! The cordage throughout the bellrope (including the puddings… like a dummy…) is Marty Comb’s #15-b cotton. When you handle this much of it, you had best harden up your hands first or plan of taking some three-day breaks to allow the healing process to prevent bleeding onto the line. I have to make a duplicate of this monster and two smaller ones and I’ve been inuring my skin to the chafing for a week… Ah, what pain will we endure for our Art? (I hope Art appreciates it!)
Have you tried the “pro splice”? It has a much neater throat than the usual eye splice and all that it amounts to is tucking the first end under one - over one - under one again, tuck the second end under where the first went over and tuck the third under the remaining strand at that level.
