On Sun, 25 Jan 2004 22:13:39 -0600, "Aaron Hammer" wrote:

Another question.

What is blind splicing? Know a good reference to learn it?

Not much luck Googling up a description, so I'll give it a try.

Let's assume you're splicing a red section to a white section.
Lay the ends of the two lines side-by-side, with about 12" of overlap.
Make a small mark on each line in the dead center of the overlap with a felt
tipped pen. Call this the 6" mark.

Then put a mark on each line where the tip of the other line ends (ie: this
mark would be 12" from the end of each line). We'll call this the 12" mark.

From here you can use Cortland's tool, or you can make your own by cutting a
two foot piece from a High E guitar string, heat up a spot in the middle, and
fold the line flat in half using a pair of pliers. Key here is to make a very
tight bend, but to do that without breaking the string (unless you're plain
lucky) takes a little strategically placed heat.

Take the red line in hand. Stick the tip of the tool (or the folded end of the
wire) into the red line at the 12" mark, pointing toward the 6" mark. Staying
within the hollow core, thread the tool into the line, emerging at the 6"
mark, leaving a couple of inches of the tip of the tool exposed.

Now take the tip of the white line and insert it into the tip of the tool (or
within the tight bend of the wire). Make sure it's tightly lodged, then gently
back the tool out of the red line, dragging the white line within. Remove the
tool from the red line (at its 12" mark) and unhook the tip of the white line.
The 6" mark on the white line should be exactly aligned to the 6" mark on the
red line at this point.

You're half way done!

Now take the white line in hand. Poke the tool into the white line at its 12"
mark, pointing towards the 6" mark. Push the tool to the 6" mark, pop the tip
out, hook the end of the red line to the tool, pull the tool back out,
dragging the red tip with it.

Don't snug the line tight yet!

You want to end up with the tips of the two lines buried inside the cores.
Trim the two tag ends so they are barely sticking out, then draw the line
smoothly from the center of the splice outwards. Keep massaging the splice
until the ends are hidden, then repeat with increasing tension, until you've
drawn the slice taught.

Et voila!

If you're the paranoid type you can suspend the splice a couple of feet from
the ends and put one drop of super glue directly at the ends (the 12" marks).
I've never done that, yet I've never had a splice let go.

Cheers

/daytripper
(waiting for a DRC job to finish...this late night work is getting old...)