Vol. 64, No. 2 Summer 2019


184 Simulating s plices By Steve Wheeler


Much of the rope used aboard ships from ancient times all the way up to today was terminated with splices. T ere are many diff erent types, but among the most common was the eye splice, used to make a loop in the end of a line.


Many of our models substitute knots for splices but these can have unsightly “tag” ends and leave us with an out-of-scale appearance. Almost any book on knotting and splicing can show you how to execute a real splice and actual ones can be worked in model sized line. T ose can be very diffi cult to do, particularly in tight places, and can be a real test of patience. I have spliced line down to 0.020-inch in diameter but, where eye splices are called for on a


Figure 2.


with bees wax, which does not aff ect the strength of the fi nished splices.


Figure 1.


model, reasonable simulations can be done that look like the real thing, are strong, and can be done in tight places with much less swearing.


T ere are two methods I have used and both can be done in much less time than an actual splice in model line. Both employ three strand model line; I get mine from Chuck Passaro’s Syren Ship Model Co. and it is perhaps the best model rigging line around. Both methods use full strength white glue, which remains somewhat fl exible and will not change the color of your line as cyanoacrylate would when it soaks in. Both the examples shown here are done in 0.025-inch diameter line that has been lightly waxed


Method 1: Coat about ¼-inch or so of the bitter end with common white glue, working it in with your fi ngers. When that has dried, cut the end of the line at a long diagonal angle with an extremely sharp blade; plunge cutting with a #18 or similar X-Acto blade works well. Cutting this diagonal sometimes works better if you glue the line somewhere in the middle and cut it there. T e glue will hold the line together. Form a loop of the desired size with the cut end laying right next to the body of the line and apply a small drop of white glue under the cut end; hold the “splice” together with your fi ngers or a tweezer until the glue sets up. An example of this method is shown in Figure 1. You may fi nd it necessary to squeeze or form the cut end slightly to make it lay down with no lumps or bumps. Once the glue is dry, coat the outside of the splice with white glue and let everything dry completely.


Method 2: A bit stronger than the fi rst method, this “splice” is easily made. Unlay the end of your line


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