[Brian Duff]

I think that the core offset you are thinking of is what gives the cover the slack to fit two cores inside the line, Kieth. maybe i misunderstand

!!! there should be no jerking or slamming of anything - not with splicing core to core and the covertail not buried inside the cover.

even then, or really with any splicing of new line commonly used on sailboat rigging, would I say that slamming or jerking is never needed or ever good- I can recall having to slam my way home when splicing- or even setting the line up between two points and dropping my weight on it to move thing along- thats how I was taught to treat line when things weren't going easy. Or I had learned anyway.

Now I have figured out that that is not the right way to splice. Being gentle is much better for the line and your body, and easier on the wrists, elbows and shoulders. Easy on the strands, the helix of the lay, and the splices ability to provide near breaking strength of the line in load. So take it easy - no jerking.

Especially not with core to core and no cover bury- on endura briad, that should be an easy slide.

When applying load to tenson the core and milking the cover down over the constricted core, use your body weight leaning back holding the core in one hand and milking the cover down over it with the other. If things really get stuck - then your trying too hard, try less cover at once, or sit down and 'massage' the line to help work slack into the cover strands from further down the cover . Once the cover is up and over the splice you might have some slack ( if you marked right you will not) and it might be ok to loosen the 'knot' you used to work off of, and milk the excess cover back and forth from the eye down the line and back up to the eye.

Be easy on that line- it would not take much abuse to have many strands bearing no load,due to deformation by rough handling. We see it all the time - bunches of core inside cover, loose cover, incorrect buries. Really funny is when you see those big snags or run showing that the tools use to splice had sharp edges or raised shap edeged lettering- or just that the line was really abused. We call those splices ' Frustrated Lumps'

Splicing is actually really easy to do - have a beer- and enjoy !