Securing Turnbuckles

[Brion Toss]

Hi there,
You'll see illustrations for the technique on page 243 of the Apprentice. 3/32" TIG, either type 316 stainless or (my preference) silicon bronze, works best for 1/2" & 5/8" turnbuckles.
The barrel doesn't back off because the vertical portion of the rod crosses the central bar.
And yes, it is a lovely alternative to cotter pins for this application, as it needs no tape. Done neatly -- and some practice is required here -- it also looks sleek. For athwartships cotter holes, put the TIG in from outboard, because the vertical part is then what you see from the dock. For fore-and-aft holes, put them in from aft, because you'll see the vertical part from the cockpit. Looks better. But work on making sharp, neat, 90 degree turns.
Fair leads,
Brion Toss