Knots, Splices and Rope Work Part 4

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 110.--Single crown.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 111.--Single crown (making).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 112.--Single crown tucked (making).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 113.--Single crown tucked (complete).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 114.--Wall knot.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 115.--Wall knot (making).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 116.--Wall knot (tucked).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 117.--Shroud knot (complete).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 118.--Shroud knot (making).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 119.--French shroud knot (making).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 120.--French shroud knot (complete).]

Double wall and double crown as well as the beautiful double wall-and-crown knots are made exactly like the single crown or wall but instead of tr.i.m.m.i.n.g off or tucking the ends they are carried around a second time following the lay of the first, as shown in Fig.

121, which shows the construction of a double crown at _A_, and a double wall at _B_. When finished, the ends may be tucked or trimmed and the two knots will look like Figs. 122 and 123. A far better effect is obtained by "Crowning" a wall knot. This is done by first making a single wall knot and then by bringing strand _A_ up over the top and laying _B_ across _A_ and bringing _C_ over _B_ and through the bight of _A_; a crown knot is formed above the wall, as shown in Figs. 124 and 125. This is the foundation of the most beautiful of rope-end knots, known as the "Double Wall and Crown," or "Manrope Knot," ill.u.s.trated in Fig. 126. Make your single wall and crown it, but leave the strands all slack; then pa.s.s the ends up and through the bights of the slack single-wall knot and then push them alongside the strands in the single crown; pus.h.i.+ng them through the same bight in the crown and downward through the walling. This may seem quite difficult, but if you have learned the wall and crown you will find it simple enough, for it is really merely "following" the strands of the single wall and crown. The result, if properly done, and ends drawn tight and cut off closely, is surprising, and to the uninitiated most perplexing, for if the ends are tapered and tucked through the standing part of the ropes, as shown in Fig. 127, there will be no sign of a beginning or ending to this knot. This is probably the most useful of decorative knots and is largely used aboard s.h.i.+p for finis.h.i.+ng the ends of rope railings, the ends of man-ropes, for the ends of yoke-lines and to form "stoppers" or "toggles" to bucket handles, slings, etc. Its use in this way is ill.u.s.trated in Figs.

128-130, which show how to make a handy topsail-halyard toggle from an eye splice turned in a short piece of rope and finished with a double wall and crown at the end. These toggles are very useful about small boats, as they may be used as stops for furling sails, for slings around gaffs or spars, for hoisting, and in a variety of other ways which will at once suggest themselves to the boating man.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 121 _A_.--Making double crown.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 121 _B_.--Making double wall.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 122.--Double crown (complete).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 123.--Double wall (complete).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 124.--Wall crowned (making).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 125.--Wall crowned (complete).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 126.--Double wall and crown.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 127.--Double wall and crown (complete).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 128 FIG. 129 FIG. 130 FIGS. 128, 129, and 130.--Topsail-halyard toggle.]

The most difficult of ending knots and one which you should certainly learn is the "Matthew Walker" (Fig. 131), also known as the "Stopper Knot." To form this splendid knot, pa.s.s one strand around the standing part of the rope and through its own bight, then pa.s.s _B_ underneath and through bight of _A_ and through its own bight also; next pa.s.s _C_ underneath and around and through the bights of _A_, _B_, and its own bight. The knot will now appear as in Fig. 132, but by carefully hauling the ends around and working the bight taut a little at a time the knot will a.s.sume the appearance shown in Fig.

133. This is a handsome and useful knot and is widely used on ends of ropes where they pa.s.s through holes, as for bucket handles, ropes for trap-door handles, chest handles, etc. The knot is well adapted for such purposes, as it is hard, close, and presents an almost flat shoulder on its lower side.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 131.--Matthew Walker (making).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 132.--Matthew Walker (complete but slack).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 133.--Matthew Walker (complete).]

The "Turk's Head," Figs. 135 and 136, is a knot much used aboard yachts and wars.h.i.+ps and is so handsome and ornamental that it is a great favorite. It is used in ornamenting rigging, in forming shoulders or rings on stays or ropes to hold other gear in place, to ornament yoke lines, and for forming slip-collars on knife lanyards.

It is also used to form collars around stanchions or spars, and, placed around a rope close beneath a man-rope knot, it gives a beautiful finish. When made of small line sailors often use the Turk's Head as a neckerchief fastener. Although so elaborate in effect, it is really an easy knot to make, and while you may have difficulty in getting it right at first a little patience and practice will enable you to become proficient and capable of tying it rapidly and easily in any place or position. To make a Turk's Head, have a smooth, round stick, or other object, and some closely twisted or braided small line. Pa.s.s two turns of the line around the rod, _A_, Fig. 135, from left to right, and pa.s.s the upper bight down through the lower and reeve the upper end down through it, as at _B_. Then pa.s.s the bight up again and run the end over the lower bight and up between it and the upper bight. Turn the upper bight again through the lower one and pa.s.s the end over what is now the upper bight and between it and the lower, _C_, Fig. 135. Now work from left to right, following the lay of the knot (or, in other words, pa.s.sing your long end alongside the first end), _D_, Fig. 135, until a braid of two or more lays is completed, as shown in Fig. 136. The Turk's Head may be drawn as tight as desired around the rope, or rod, by working up the slack and drawing all bights taut. A variation of the knot may be formed by making the first part as described and then by slipping the knot to the end of the rod; work one side tighter than the other until the "Head" forms a complete cap, as shown in Fig. 137. This makes a splendid finish for the ends of flagpoles, stanchions, etc.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 135.--Making Turk's head.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 136.--Turks' heads.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 137.--Turk's cap.]

Ropes that are to be used as hand-lines, stanchions, man-ropes, railings, or in fact wherever a neat appearance counts, are usually wormed, served, and parcelled. Worming consists in twisting a small line into the grooves between the strands of rope, _A_, Fig. 138. This fills up the grooves and makes the rope smooth and ready for serving or parcelling. Parcelling consists in covering the rope already wormed with a strip of canvas wound spirally around it with the edges overlapping, _B_, Fig. 138. Serving is merely wrapping the rope with spun yarn, marline, or other small stuff, _C_, Fig. 138. Although this may all be done by hand, yet it can be accomplished far better by using a "Serving Mallet," shown in _D_, Fig. 138. This instrument enables you to work tighter and more evenly than by hand, but in either case you must have the rope to be served stretched tightly between two uprights. Often a rope is served without parcelling and for ordinary purposes parcelling is not required. A variation of serving is made by "half-hitch" work, as shown in Figs. 139-140. This is very pretty when well done and is very easy to accomplish. Take a half-hitch around the rope to be served, then another below it; draw snug; take another half-hitch and so on until the object is covered and the series of half-hitch knots forms a spiral twist, as shown in the ill.u.s.trations. Bottles, jugs, ropes, stanchions, fenders, and numerous other articles may be covered with half-hitch work; and as you become more expert you will be able to use several lines of half-hitches at the same time. Four-strand braiding is also highly ornamental and is easy and simple. The process is ill.u.s.trated in Fig.

141, and consists in crossing the opposite strands across and past one another, as shown in _A_, _B_, _C_, Fig 141. Still more ornamental is the "Crown-braid" which appears, when finished, as in Fig. 143. The process of forming this braid is exactly like ordinary crowning and does not require any description; it may be done with any number of strands, but four or six are usually as many as the beginner cares to handle at one time.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 138.--Worming, parcelling, and serving.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 139.--Half-hitch work.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 140.--Half-hitch work.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 141.--Four-strand braid (making).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 142.--Four-strand braid (complete).]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 143.--Crown-braid.]

When the rope-worker has mastered all the knots, ties, bends, hitches, and splices I have described, he will find a new field open to the use of rope in innumerable ways. Barrels, casks, bales, or other objects may be roped, or slung, with ease and security; ropes will be pressed into service for straps and belts; and buckles may be readily formed by the simple expedient shown in Fig. 144. If a swivel is required it can be arranged as shown in Fig. 145, while several simple slings are ill.u.s.trated in Figs. 146-148. In a factory, or machine shop, rope belting will often prove far better than leather, and if well spliced together will run very smoothly and evenly even on long stretches. As a recreation for killing time aboard s.h.i.+p, or on rainy vacation days, few occupations will prove more enjoyable than tying fancy knots and making new splices and bends or inventing new variations of the numerous. .h.i.tches, ties, and knots you already know.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 144.--Rope buckle.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 145.--Swivels.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 146]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 147]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 148]

[Ill.u.s.tration caption: FIGS. 146, 147, and 148.--Slings.]

HALTERS FOR ANIMALS

Every now and then a temporary halter is needed for a horse, and in Fig. 149 such a halter is shown. This halter is made by putting the end of a long rope around the neck of the horse and then tying a common bow-line knot. (See Fig. 150.) Fig. 151 shows the second step to be followed, that of pa.s.sing the rope around the animal's head twice, while Fig. 152 shows how the second loop is pa.s.sed under the first. In Fig. 153 the rope is shown sufficiently long enough to enable it to be pa.s.sed over the ears of the animal and leave the halter completed, as shown in Fig. 154.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 149--Put a Loop over the Horse's Nose.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 150--The "Bowline" Knot.]