Taper the bury

[Heelbilly]

I spent last week working with dyneema for some new guylines. It was easy to work with and I learned a lot.

Today I added Amsteel to my resume by adding whoopie hooks to my slings and making loops for attachment to the hammock. I discovered it to be a little less forgiving than the dyneema.

To start, I cut about 1/8 inch off the end bury of my whoopie and pulled it out (saved a few inches of adjustability). I noticed the end was not tapered except for an angled end cut.

After struggling with the very first bury with an angled end cut I tapered the rest. How do ya'll accomplish the bury on Amsteel without the taper? I like the end bury without the taper better for the end of the adjustable loop.

[gmcttr]

With the taper, you can put 1/2 or more of the taper through a wire fid, double it back on itself and don't need to pinch the fid closed...

IMG_3128 (Medium).JPG

Without the taper, you can only place a minimal amount into the wire fid and it helps to pinch it tight or at least have a fairly tight fit to begin with. It can also help to use a tapered tool (pencil) to open up the amsteel entry point to make getting the bury started easier...

IMG_1537 (Medium).JPG

It sounds like you already know that in most cases it is better to have the taper to maintain maximum strength in the splice.

[Redoleary]

I'm a fan of the angled cut, but it's more work to get it thru. You can try to sort of roll it in your fingers while you pull that helps a bit, but the easiest thing is to cut it on a 45 (or so) then completely frey the last inch of the line, even cut a few more strands out if you want then bury it. You are presumably going to back splice it after you make the bury and it will help with that too.

[Heelbilly]

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, I like the full taper on the continuous loops for strength. But I discovered that I like the angled end cut for the end bury because of the abrupt change in diameter as a stopper. What I didn't discover was the "minimal amount" to grab without the full taper.

And, I did end up with a completely frayed inch or so on my first attempt. However, it was not by design.

[nacra533]

Amsteel is dyneema.

If you are making a fixed continuous loop, with a little measurement, you can taper it in the final step.

Once you have everything in place, pull out the tail and tape itr, then suck it back up in the braid.

I also stitch the crossover, ALWAYS, to keep it from coming loose under no/light load.

[Heelbilly]

Amsteel is dyneema.

If you are making a fixed continuous loop, with a little measurement, you can taper it in the final step.

Once you have everything in place, pull out the tail and tape itr, then suck it back up in the braid.

I also stitch the crossover, ALWAYS, to keep it from coming loose under no/light load.

The 1.75 dyneema cord I got from Brandon at Warbonnet feels and works totally different than the 7/64 amsteel. The 1.75 cord allows an untapered end to be doubled and pulled through the bury with no problem. The amsteel is nearly impossible without the proper technique, as I discovered.

Curious about stitching the crossover. Have you had a continuous loop with locked Brummel, as described in the sticky, pull apart without stitching the crossover?

[Shane]

Amsteel is dyneema.

If you are making a fixed continuous loop, with a little measurement, you can taper it in the final step.

Once you have everything in place, pull out the tail and tape itr, then suck it back up in the braid.

I also stitch the crossover, ALWAYS, to keep it from coming loose under no/light load.

Always stitch the bury

[nacra533]

The 1.75 dyneema cord I got from Brandon at Warbonnet feels and works totally different than the 7/64 amsteel. The 1.75 cord allows an untapered end to be doubled and pulled through the bury with no problem. The amsteel is nearly impossible without the proper technique, as I discovered.

Curious about stitching the crossover. Have you had a continuous loop with locked Brummel, as described in the sticky, pull apart without stitching the crossover?

I don't do a locked Brummell on a loop, too much effort. Loop it, crossover and bury the tails. I haven't read the sticky, so not sure on technique you are using. I assume you turn it inside out like on a one ended eye.

If its truly locked, no reason to stitch it. Also no reason to bury the tails or taper other than looks. On the surface, it woud seem the strength loss in the lock is greater than the stress concentration of an un tapered tail in a loop.

[Heelbilly]

Got it! Thanks for the explanation. After checking your gallery, I see why always stitching is preferable...nice setup.

Here's a link to the sticky I mentioned if you're interested: https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...ad.php?t=13779.

Additionally, the buried portion of my Brummel locked continuous loops will be larks headed onto my hammock. That should keep them loaded, I guess.

[nacra533]

That isn't locked, at least the way you need it to be. You need the lock to keep the circle from getting large. That method keeps the circle from getting smaller. The OP states it isn't technically locked in the article.

That being said, that's pretty much how I make them with a few small differences and a good method and great tutorial.

A proper splice won't slip under load, stitched or not, only when lightly or not loaded. Stitching the crossover and area where the tail enters the braid will keep it from coming loose under those conditions.

Im a sailor and do some rigging. One concern is lightly loaded lines flogging in the wind or waves. This will loosen splices when not stitched. Stitching is the proper technique, which is a good habit to get into.

Will a continuous loop larks headed to a hammock likely come loose?, very likely never.