A short splice can be used in place of a knot to join two ropes or the ends of the same rope together. If two ropes are being joined with a short splice, they should be the same type of rope and have the same diameter. Some of the applications of a short splice follow:
- Splice the ends of a long line that has been cut, or when a frayed or unsafe portion needs to be cut out.
- Splice the ends of a short length of rope to form a rope grommet.
1) Unlay the ropes, intertwine the strands, and tie a temporary whipping to hold the ropes together. With pieces of string or some tape, temporarily whip the ends of each strand to keep them from unraveling (see constrictor knot).
2) Starting with one strand (blue) of the left rope, take it over one of the strands on the right rope, and tuck it under the next strand on the right.
3) Roll the rope towards you and take the next strand (white). Carry it over the strand on the right rope, and tuck it under the next strand.
4) Roll the rope towards you again and take the third strand (green). Carry it over the next strand on the right rope, and under the one after.
5) At this point, three strands of the left rope should be tucked under two strands on the right rope. Continue by making another tuck with each strand.
6) Continue the process until three tucks have been made with each strand. Remove the temporary whipping and splice the other ends in the same way.
