Lashing a thimble without splicing

[Breaking Waves]

and this is useful for hand sewing ....

https://www.treebuzz.com/forum/threa...process.24769/

note important comments on the needle tip

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Breaking Waves

and this is useful for hand sewing ....

https://www.treebuzz.com/forum/threa...process.24769/

note important comments on the needle tip

Nice work. However, you do NOT need to clamp if using a seaming palm. It is easy to tension the thread as you go, far easier than tensioning using an awl. Also a lot faster. More like 15 minutes, with practice. I've made at least 100 of these.


One of the smart things he did was cram the stitching into just a few inches of rope. It is stronger this way, and that is how industrial eyes are made.

[Breaking Waves]

Originally Posted by thinwater

However, you do NOT need to clamp if using a seaming palm.

I think he was just trying to duplicate as closely as possible the machine sewing procedure, where the two strands of rope are clamped together on the sewing platform.

It is a shame that the primary author on that thread was not so very interested in testing. I agree with the cautionary notes made by the commercial guys that one should understand the variability and mean values of ones sewing before using it for anything serious. I have done enough testing of other peoples splices and sewing to know that some are very good but even some 'pros' are not even if they 'look' right. It is just pretty much impossible to know without breaking quite a few, and you ofc learn a lot from doing so.

For most people, who have not done testing and improvement, I would think that simple knots will be significantly stronger than their sewing. It takes a certain personality and attention to care and detail to do this sewing consistently well by hand.




One of the smart things he did was cram the stitching into just a few inches of rope. It is stronger this way, and that is how industrial eyes are made.

yes, as we know for end eye splices that is essential especially in somewhat stretchy material. In an evenly loaded 'loop configuration' it is somewhat less essential.

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[thinwater]

Originally Posted by Breaking Waves

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Yes, all of this. ^^

If sewn eyes seem like something you want to learn, make some with minimal stitch count and then break them between winches or similar.

The most common use on sailboats is probably the dead end of a hand-tensioned tackle, where a knot is too bulky and a conventional splice is either difficult (old rope) or too long (the tail bury wont go through the blocks). This is generally a very non-critical application, and often a 3/8" rope will be holding little more than what you can pull with one hand.

I prefer knots for halyards; they are sized for stretch, not strength, and I like to re-tie every year to move the wear points.

I would not stitch anything to do with anchoring or mooring; too much chafe risk.

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One way to use a thimble with a knotted eye is a tube thimble. Or cover the eye with webbing.