Nautical Research Journal 51


Figure 34.


spunyarn, is used to fully enclose the line. Between each layer the rope is coated with tar, and a fi nal tar coating seals everything. (Figure 30, upper leſt ) For models I only occasionally fi ll the lay with worming, and never parcel the line since it will be covered by the serving. To serve a line I cobbled together a rough machine with a gearing system that rotates both alligator clips at the same rate when the handle is turned. (Figure 30, upper right) T e thin serving thread is started at one end so it spirals around the line against the direction of the lay. Tension is taken up on the thread, forming a shallow ‘V’. As the crank is turned the thread naturally runs against the thread already applied. (Figure 30, lower leſt ) T e full length of the line, about 10 inches, can be served in only a minute or two. If a longer length is needed the line can be moved along between the clips. (Figure 30, lower right)


To make an eye splice in actual practice the rope is bent back on itself and the three lines within it are braided into the line. For a model a quick eye splice can be made by taking the end of the line back through itself twice and then securing it with


a short bit of serving, called a ‘seizing’. (Figure 31, upper leſt ) For a served line I freeze the end with thin cyanoacrylate and cut it at a shallow angle. T is is taken back and clipped against itself, then secured with white glue. (Figure 31, upper right) To add the seizing I use a Helping Hands type of jig, but with an added clip on a small spring. To seize the splice the eye is fi tted over a piece of dowel in the fi xed clip, then the other end is put into the spring clip and a little tension is applied to keep the line taut as I work on it. T e seizing is wrapped over the joint at the base of the eye, glued and trimmed. (Figure 31, bottom leſt to right)


Using these two techniques an eye is turned into the end of each served stay. T is is passed over the masthead and down through the lubbers’ hole, with the free end laced through the eye. A lump called a ‘mouse’ is raised on the stay so it is too large to fi t through the eye. No amount of tension will open it up, but it will open easily once the tension is released. (Figure 32)


Each of the three stays has a block seized into its


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