I use "blunt needles" to splice amsteel. They seem to work well. I had much better luck with them than the guitar wire I tried to use the first time. Some of the videos I watched on Youtube made using the wire look so easy, but no such luck here. Here is a photo of the type of needles I am talking about:
The one that I use I think I purchased in a cheep little assortment pack of needles from Wally World.
thank you all
I've managed to do it with the wire leaders, but will definitely try it using those needles as well!!!
Sounds like you got some good advice, and that you got it in the end.
Just a thought for the next time, which may or may not be something obvious: pass as little of the line that is to be pulled into the bury through your splicing tool as possible. I find that whenever I have the worst problems trying to pull line through, it's because I have too much of the loose end in my wire/needle. When that happens, you're effectively trying to pull a double thickness portion through a tight spot, and it's harder to do. The tradeoff is that occasionally you'll not pass enough to hold it, and you'll lose the line halfway through trying to pull it through. But in this case, no harm no foul, you just pull it back out and start over.
I've been using a 3 foot section of guitar wire doubled over and "pinched" at the loop end. I hold the open end with a pair of vice grips, and feed the loop the length of my bury. Once I get it poked out to the other end of the bury, split the loop open and feed the taper into the loop, then simultaneously pull on the vice grips and push on the exit of the bury. This opens the weave of the rope while simultaneously pulling the taper through. I've found this technique to be easier and faster than any of the others I was using (first yarn needles, then an official splicing fid). You can't make a bury longer than 2-3 feet or so (however much of the amsteel you can thread the wire through) but I haven't had any need to. Another advantage of the guitar wire is that it really "grabs" the taper, I have yet to have it slip while pulling it through.
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