Installation
Installing the TRE Safety Thimble II was quite a daunting task. I will admit, I was overthinking this one big time and I let it get the best of me. Once I collected my thoughts, sat down and really started figuring out how to do it, it was actually really easy.
The knot you're going to want to use to install the safety thimble is called a long bury splice. I have scoured all of Google far and wide and while there is a TON of information on this knot, most of it is jumbled and confusing. The BEST site you will find to learn to tie this knot can be found here. That website explains the long bury splice knot in a very straightforward, elegant, step-by-step process. If you follow those instructions and use the fids provided by Ricky, you'll have no problem at all. Just take your time and watch the animation on that website numerous times before starting your knot.
I was extremely apprehensive about this knot because the only knot I've ever known how to tie is one in my shoe laces. I didn't think I had the skill to do something like this, but I was as wrong as can be. In fact, once I started doing it I quickly realized how easy and simple it was, including the concept of how it works.
So, my advice there is not to overthink things. It's really not that hard once you sit down with your rope in your hands. After completing my knot I felt a lot better about myself and feel like I've gained a useful skill should I ever need it on the trail.
Again, the website you want to use for learning how to tie the knot required to install your safety thimble can be found here: http://www.animatedknots.com/longbury/
Requirements
At first glance this seems to be a simple way of making an eye splice--just thread the end up the middle. However, several requirements must be met to achieve both reliability and strength:
Conclusion
The most important thing with all those requirements is to make certain that the length of the buried tail is 72 times the ropes diameter, or roughly 3 and 1/2 fid lengths. The animation on the site shows a very short tail length because they had to be able to fit it all in that tiny view they had to work with. Using a short tail like they did in their animation would be catastrophic in a real world situation where you were pulling thousands of pounds with your winch!
For some informative videos on how to do this, I suggest watching the following:
Installing the TRE Safety Thimble II was quite a daunting task. I will admit, I was overthinking this one big time and I let it get the best of me. Once I collected my thoughts, sat down and really started figuring out how to do it, it was actually really easy.
The knot you're going to want to use to install the safety thimble is called a long bury splice. I have scoured all of Google far and wide and while there is a TON of information on this knot, most of it is jumbled and confusing. The BEST site you will find to learn to tie this knot can be found here. That website explains the long bury splice knot in a very straightforward, elegant, step-by-step process. If you follow those instructions and use the fids provided by Ricky, you'll have no problem at all. Just take your time and watch the animation on that website numerous times before starting your knot.
I was extremely apprehensive about this knot because the only knot I've ever known how to tie is one in my shoe laces. I didn't think I had the skill to do something like this, but I was as wrong as can be. In fact, once I started doing it I quickly realized how easy and simple it was, including the concept of how it works.
So, my advice there is not to overthink things. It's really not that hard once you sit down with your rope in your hands. After completing my knot I felt a lot better about myself and feel like I've gained a useful skill should I ever need it on the trail.
Again, the website you want to use for learning how to tie the knot required to install your safety thimble can be found here: http://www.animatedknots.com/longbury/
Requirements
At first glance this seems to be a simple way of making an eye splice--just thread the end up the middle. However, several requirements must be met to achieve both reliability and strength:
- Length of bury: Both Brion Toss and McCarthy and Starzinger recommend that the length of the buried tail should be 72 times the rope's diameter. This is about three and a half full fid lengths (a full length fid is 21 times the rope's diameter.) The very slippery Spectra and Dyneema require this long bury. However, for Polyester, about half this length is sufficient.
- Taper: A tail with no taper creates a weak point because the square end of the buried tail abruptly changes the angle of the rope's fibers. The animation shows a short taper with the marks placed on alternate strands, In practice a much more gradual taper is made by marking every fifth pair or, for a 20 strand hollow braid, alternate fifth and sixth pairs. This long taper means that the load is progressively transferred to the tail accompanied by a gradual change in the angle of the fibers in the standing end. As the fiber angle becomes less favorable, some of the load has already been transferred from the outer braid to the inner.
- Stitching: For a critical breaking strain, stitching adds nothing. However, the critical load is only encountered occasionally. In the interim, movement, shaking, and inquisitive fingers, may displace the tail – even pulling it completely out of the rope – wrecking the ability of the splice to withstand a maximum load. The recommended stitching is a serpentine zigzag right through the rope and buried tail. This stitching is made up in one direction followed by a similar return pattern back down with the rope rotated 90 degrees. The two ends of the stitching are then tied together, pulled into the splice, and trimmed.
- Locking: The Locked Brummel provides stability, just like the stitching. However, it adds no strength. How could it? The Long Bury technique achieves about 100% of the breaking strain. Nevertheless, many riggers, climbers, and arborists, routinely use the Locked version. It is a quick and reliable way to lock the splice together in the right position.
- Whipping: For the greatest security, the splice should be whipped at the throat – the point where the two ropes exit from the splice to form the eye.
Conclusion
The most important thing with all those requirements is to make certain that the length of the buried tail is 72 times the ropes diameter, or roughly 3 and 1/2 fid lengths. The animation on the site shows a very short tail length because they had to be able to fit it all in that tiny view they had to work with. Using a short tail like they did in their animation would be catastrophic in a real world situation where you were pulling thousands of pounds with your winch!
For some informative videos on how to do this, I suggest watching the following:
