Old timer in Philly told me my rope socket splice was 'too pretty to work'

I was finishing a splice on a 5/8 inch hoist rope at a building on Market Street, proud of how neat it looked. He walked over, pointed at my work, and said 'Kid, that's too pretty. You tucked the strands too tight, it won't settle right under load.' I started leaving the tails a bit looser, and sure enough, my splices hold better now. Anyone else get schooled by an old hand on something you thought you had down?

3 comments

3 Comments

riverg752mo ago

What was the actual sign that the splice wasn't settling right? Did it bulge out weird when you first put weight on it, or did it just fail faster over time?

the_charles2mo ago

Felt a weird little pop when I first stepped on it, not a full break but a warning. Then it started to look lumpy right at the splice, like the cord was bunching up under the tape. Lasted about two weeks before it went soft and wouldn't hold any tension at all. Total waste of time.

claire641mo ago

Yeah that lumpy feeling is the worst... means the core is already slipping inside. Once you see that, it's basically done for. I just cut my losses and re-splice the whole section now, no point trying to save it.