Fingertrapping 550 cord?

[Cloggy 1]

Is there any good way to make a loop with a smooth transition in 550/type III cord?

I'd like the loop to have a smooth transition to make it pass through an eyelet easily without catching.
I can't see a fingertrap working well with the 7 loose strands inside? And sewing the bitter end to the line will not leave a smooth transition.

Any ideas?

Bart

[tsalnukt 1]

what exactly are you trying to do?

[Hooknswoop 19]

http://www.thecoastalpassage.com/eye_splice.html

Google “rope loop splice”. Used in diving and sailing.

Derek V

[councilman24 37]

Have you done that splice with kern mantle construction versus double braid as shown? Seems that having individual separate strands versus a single braided core would make it more difficult. But I'm too lazy to try.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[councilman24 37]

I have never seen an intact kern mantle 'finger trapped' into a loop for any application in skydiving. Only either type IIA (sheath, 'mantle', only) or braided line. Intact Type II or Type III ('550') really isn't used in any applications that I can think of in sport equipment. It is used in steering lines in pilot emergency rigs. Certainly can't think of any where braided line /doesn't/wouldn't work.

I can't think of ever seeing anybody finger trap climbing kern mantle rope either. If we need a loop we tie it. Certainly in boating we splice eyes into braided line.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[dpreguy 14]

Sheath diameter of 550 cord is too small to eye splice/finger trap 550. I would say that the only way to create a reltively smooth eye splice in 550 is to mimic the usual sewing stitch - the double throw ziig zag stitch. It is used above the "L" bars on parachutes, but only as a back up to the usual clove hitch or double half hitch on the "L" bar.

If you use the "joint efficiency" formula in Poynter I, I guess you could use the double throw zig zag stitch using E cord/thread (8.5 lbs) and sew the required number of stitches to equal 550 lbs. 68 or 69 full double throw zig zag stitches. And the zig zag stitches would have to be wide enough to bite into the whole 550 cord - not just the sheath. Just guessing here. Haven't tested that. Works on paper anyway.

[Cloggy 1]

Thanks all for the input.

I've done splicing for double braided rope: only for sailin g. With the small size and the loose strands, I thought making a splice in 550 would end in frustration...

What I ended up doing was to sew the line with a zig zag (I only have a three step zig zag on my machine) leaving a few inches of loose end. I gutted that end (staggered) as much as possible and fingertrapped the sheath back into the cord. Good enough for me, it's not heavily loaded.