Its use in this way is illustrated in Figs. 128-130, which show how to make a handy topsail-halyard toggle from an eye splice turned in a short piece of rope and finished with a double wall and crown at the end. These toggles are very useful about small boats, as they may be used as stops for furling sails, for slings around gaffs or spars, for hoisting, and in a variety of other ways which will at once suggest themselves to the boating man.
The most difficult of ending knots and one which you should certainly learn is the "Matthew Walker" (Fig. 131), also known as the "Stopper Knot." To form this splendid knot, pass one strand around the standing part of the rope and through its own bight, then pass B underneath and through bight of A and through its own bight also; next pass C underneath and around and through the bights of A, B, and its own bight.
The knot will now appear as in Fig. 132, but by carefully hauling the ends around and working the bight taut a little at a time the knot will assume the appearance shown in Fig. 133.
This is a handsome and useful knot and is widely used on ends of ropes where they pass through holes, as for bucket handles, ropes for trap-door handles, chest handles, etc. The knot is well adapted for such purposes, as it is hard, close, and presents an almost flat shoulder on its lower side.
The "Turk's Head," Figs. 135 and 136, is a knot much used aboard yachts and warships and is so handsome and ornamental that it is a great favorite. It is used in ornamenting rigging, in forming shoulders or rings on stays or ropes to hold other gear in place, to ornament yoke lines, and for forming slip-collars on knife lanyards. It is also used to form collars around stanchions or spars, and, placed around a rope close beneath a man-rope knot, it gives a beautiful finish. When made of small line sailors often use the Turk's Head as a neckerchief fastener. Although so elaborate in effect, it is really an easy knot to make, and while you may have difficulty in getting it right at first a little patience and practice will enable you to become proficient and capable of tying it rapidly and easily in any place or position.
To make a Turk's Head, have a smooth, round stick, or other object, and some closely twisted or braided small line. Pass two turns of the line around the rod, A, Fig. 135, from left to right, and pass the upper bight down through the lower and reeve the upper end down through it, as at B. Then pass the bight up again and run the end over the lower bight and up between it and the upper bight. Turn the upper bight again through the lower one and pass the end over what is now the upper bight and between it and the lower, C, Fig. 135.
Now work from left to right, following the lay of the knot (or, in other words, passing your long end alongside the first end), D, Fig. 135, until a braid of two or more lays is completed, as shown in Fig. 136. The Turk's Head may be drawn as tight as desired around the rope, or rod, by working up the slack and drawing all bights taut.
A variation of the knot may be formed by making the first part as described and then by slipping the knot to the end of the rod; work one side tighter than the other until the "Head" forms a complete cap, as shown in Fig. 137. This makes a splendid finish for the ends of flagpoles, stanchions, etc.
Ropes that are to be used as hand-lines, stanchions, man-ropes, railings, or in fact wherever a neat appearance counts, are usually wormed, served, and parcelled. Worming consists in twisting a small line into the grooves between the strands of rope, A, Fig. 138. This fills up the grooves and makes the rope smooth and ready for serving or parcelling. Parcelling consists in covering the rope already wormed with a strip of canvas wound spirally around it with the edges overlapping, B, Fig. 138. Serving is merely wrapping the rope with spun yarn, marline, or other small stuff, C, Fig. 138. Although this may all be done by hand, yet it can be accomplished far better by using a "Serving Mallet," shown in D, Fig. 138. This instrument enables you to work tighter and more evenly than by hand, but in either case you must have the rope to be served stretched tightly between two uprights.
Often a rope is served without parcelling and for ordinary purposes parcelling is not required. A variation of serving is made by "half-hitch" work, as shown in Figs. 139-140. This is very pretty when well done and is very easy to accomplish.
Take a half-hitch around the rope to be served, then another below it; draw snug; take another half-hitch and so on until the object is covered and the series of half-hitch knots forms a spiral twist, as shown in the illustrations. Bottles, jugs, ropes, stanchions, fenders, and numerous other articles may be covered with half-hitch work; and as you become more expert you will be able to use several lines of half-hitches at the same time.
Four-strand braiding is also highly ornamental and is easy and simple. The process is illustrated in Fig. 141, and consists in crossing the opposite strands across and past one another, as shown in A, B, C, Fig 141.
Still more ornamental is the "Crown-braid" which appears, when finished, as in Fig. 143. The process of forming this braid is exactly like ordinary crowning and does not require any description; it may be done with any number of strands, but four or six are usually as many as the beginner cares to handle at one time.
When the rope-worker has mastered all the knots, ties, bends, hitches, and splices I have described, he will find a new field open to the use of rope in innumerable ways. Barrels, casks, bales, or other objects may be roped, or slung, with ease and security; ropes will be pressed into service for straps and belts; and buckles may be readily formed by the simple expedient shown in Fig. 144.
If a swivel is required it can be arranged as shown in Fig. 145, while several simple slings are illustrated in Figs. 146-148. In a factory, or machine shop, rope belting will often prove far better than leather, and if well spliced together will run very smoothly and evenly even on long stretches. As a recreation for killing time aboard ship, or on rainy vacation days, few occupations will prove more enjoyable than tying fancy knots and making new splices and bends or inventing new variations of the numerous hitches, ties, and knots you already know.
Every now and then a temporary halter is needed for a horse, and in Fig. 149 such a halter is shown. This halter is made by putting the end of a long rope around the neck of the horse and then tying a common bow-line knot. (See Fig. 150.)
Fig. 151 shows the second step to be followed, that of passing the rope around the animal's head twice, while Fig. 152 shows how the second loop is passed under the first.
In Fig. 153 the rope is shown sufficiently long enough to enable it to be passed over the ears of the animal and leave the halter completed, as shown in Fig. 154.