How to Back Splice Rope

Splice – describes the act of joining the ends, or the end and a standing part, by interweaving strands. The Back Splice is used to stop the end of a stranded rope from unlaying.

One of the problems that is encountered with back splicing a rope, is that many people do not like the fact that back splicing a rope increases the diameter of the rope.

If your the end of the rope is going to pass through say a pulley, then maybe whipping the end of the rope with common whipping or sailmaker’s whipping may be preferable.

However and advantage of back splicing the end of a rope also has the advantage of making the rope wider, giving the user something better as a hand hold.

Splicing Tools:

Often when splicing, a Swedish fid is a very useful tool. The Swedish Fid is used to prise apart the the three strands of a rope and the hollow shape allows the one strand to be passed under the other in the lay of the rope.

Swedish Fid for Splicing

Often when splicing a rope, as Swedish fid is used to assist in the process. The Swedish Fid is passed under that strands of the main rope, the hollowed out section then allows the loose strand to be easily passed under the main strands:

Swedish Fid		USA	UK
	When splicing rope, these are great tools to help you get your strands under the lay of the rope.	Shop USA	Shop UK

Back Splicing Coloured Rope

Soon after making the above video, I realised that maybe a brown rope on a brown background was not such a good idea. So to make things a little easier, I though I would do the same video using a coloured rope.

Back splicing is a rope end finishing technique used to prevent fraying and unravelling of the rope. It involves unlaying the strands of the rope, creating a crown and tucking them back into the rope’s core, creating a smooth and neat termination. It is commonly used in sailing, boating, climbing, and rescue operations, where a secure and reliable rope termination is crucial. Properly back spliced rope ends can enhance the longevity and strength of the rope and provide added safety in high-risk activities.