A concern about the Arborist Splice

[Dan Lehman]

Originally Posted by RonReese

What I hope is true is that the strength of a splice is in the splice per se, not the splice plus stitching. I'm hoping that the stitching is there just to keep the splice from being inadvertantly pulled or worked loose at no or low loads.

If you're concern about the splice strength is for the end of a climbing line,
then I'd think you need little concern (for maximum strength), as that needs only
so much strength (how strong is your body, e.g.?!). What's important is the eye
staying an eye (and not, er, winking or something); and doing so always.

I much prefer stitching ó and invisibly stitching, at that ó to whipping. The purppose of both is to hold the splice together at low loads, when the "Chinese handcuff" effect is weakest. Whippings look emphatic, but they typically engage the interior of the rope minimally. This leaves the support largely to compression from the round turns. This seems less effective, as well as being vulnerable to chafe.

!? I don't see how a few bits of cross-woven (stitched) thread/yarn so much holds
together collections of fibres: afterall, it's not as though one is impaling some solid
object--rather, the stitched lines run through (very small) space, strictly! And being
few and with minimal surface (sheath) contact, they can only generate so much
compression. How (much) does the Chinese finger-trap squeeze effect engage the
interior of the rope?!
Whereas with whipping, considerable compression can be generated (which, remember,
is supposedly only needed at "low" loads--not when considerable tension might so
elongate the material as to effectively reduce compression by reducing the bound
diameter). As for chafe, that depends upon material & usage; in the case of the eye
of a (tree) climbing line, it's readily visible/inspectable (unlike some other applications).
(Some 60-100# monofilament fishline & extended Strangle knots can make for a tough
binding.) How really safe from chafing can stitching be--as it too comes to the rope
surface (in small quantities)? If it's so "invisible", how will you know if it's intact?

--dl*
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