My new fids

[Fox]

On Tuesday I ordered a pair of new fids, big ones for splicing anchor cables. On Wednesday I rang the maker up to clarify a point about the metal ring on one of them. Today they were delivered. How's that for service!

[Captain Midnight]

Very nice indeed, Foxe! Funny you should post this topic, about three days ago, I finished carving a fid of my own! I saw one on a web site that I liked which was selling for about $15 (U.S.), and decided to try my hand at it. It turned out nicely, but it has taken several days to dry, as I gave it a hand rubbed finish of boiled linseed oil and buffed it to a high gloss. I have recently ordered a copy of The Marlinspike Sailor, so I thought the fid would come in handy for trying some of the projects in the book, when it arrives. Mine is about 6" x 3/4". If I can manage to talk a friend of mine into making digital photos, I'll post them here for you to see.

[MorganTyre]

Very nice fids. What is the metal ring for? So you can drive it with a mallet without splitting the fid? I've not really had the chance to use a traditional wooden fid, what with 99% of my splicing needs being modern double-braid. I think I may go about making one or two. At the very least they fit in with my costume. What size line are you splicing?

Capt. Midnight - That's a great book as an intro to marlinespike seamanship. Among your standard lanyards, etc. there are chapters with plans for a small seachest (of the sort one might store ships papers in), chest beckets, drawings for cleats, rope-stropped blocks, deadeyes, etc. I feel compelled to caution you though. Depending on which edition you are getting there may or may not be instructions at the back of the book for splicing double-braid (yacht braid) line.

DO NOT FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS!!! The method illustrated was samson ropes original suggested splicing instructions and the end result is a very weak eye. The core of the line isn't buried - just cut short right before where one would bury it. This means on one side of the eye there is no core, just cover so this side is only half as strong (or so) as the reported line strength. In an ideal world both sides of an eye are loaded equally and so are only supporting half the load as the line itself so - all things being equal - the eye is in theory pleanty strong. However, this isn't a perfect world so thanks to friction or any of a million other reasons one side can be loaded more than the other meaning the bulk of a load may be hanging on cover alone. If you want to learn modern splicing techniques (and I highly reccomend it) try looking at new england's or samson's current splicing instructions. They aren't the best splice in the world (I use a modified version of samson's instructions which I can explain if you are interested) but they are a million times better then the one in the book.

[Fox]

Yar, the ring is for using it with a mallet. I'm working with anchor cables and warps up to 28" so your average sized fid or marlinespike doesn't make a great deal of an impression on it!

[Rumba Rue]

Hmmm, there doesn't seem to be any place for the batteries....

[The Doctor]

Hmmm, there doesn't seem to be any place for the batteries....

I knew you were gonna say something like that!

[kass]

Is that a fid in your pocket or...

[JoshuaRed]

Ain't no mistaking what sailors use fer snowman noses, eh?

[Captain Midnight]

I was admiring the ones on this web site: Sailor's Fids, especially the one with the spiral carved grip, so I decided to try my hand at carving my own. Here is the result:

It has a hand rubbed finish of boiled linseed oil, and I hand knotted the "marlinspike" fob for it, which consists of a Boatswain's Weave (or Portuguese Sennit) body, terminating in a Monkey's Fist knot.

[Fox]

Nice work! Very nice indeed!

Since we're showing off our ropeworking tools here's my new(ish) marlinespike that I've finally got round to fixing a hemp lanyard to (you only need to drop a marlinespike from the top of a mainmast once to learn that lesson!), and my fid-hammer. I've put one of the larger fids in the pic to give a scale.

[MorganTyre]

Nice work! Very nice indeed!

Since we're showing off our ropeworking tools here's my new(ish) marlinespike that I've finally got round to fixing a hemp lanyard to (you only need to drop a marlinespike from the top of a mainmast once to learn that lesson!), and my fid-hammer. I've put one of the larger fids in the pic to give a scale.

Very nice tools Foxe. What is it that you work on that you need all those fids? Also, what sort of head does that hammer have on it? From the profil it almost looks like a claw hammer. That actually brings me to a historic question... What would a period ship-board hammer look like? I personally like a ball-peen hammer for working line but obviously there is nothing period about that. I'm curious about rigging tools, not something that a ships carpenter might carry.

[Fox]

Well, this is my day job:

But I also work on these two when I get the time:

Pilgrim, a Brixham trawler built 1895

Garlandstone, a Tamar ketch built 1903

The hammer head is indeed a claw hammer. It's more or less identical in shape to one raised from the wreck of the Trinidad Valencera, one of the Armada ships.

Butler's Dialogues describes fid-hammers: "...a certain kind of hammer called a fid-hammer, having a fid at the one end, and a hammer at the other; together with a head and a claw, wherewith to drive in and pull out a nail."

I'm fairly sure it's a fid hammer to the right of the anchor in this 1693 illustration:

[jessie k.]

Once again, I'm the ignorant one among smart people, but I've never heard of a fid in my life...and I'm wondering how they're used.

[kass]

No, Jessie. You're just not a sailor, that's all. Smarts doesn't have anything to do with it!

I don't know what they are either. I just know they have something to do with securing ropes on a ship. And you can't wear 'em.

[Fox]

They're basically for parting the weave in rope for splicing. Bigger ropes require bigger fids.

You might not be able to wear them but you can club people with the big iron bound ones

[Cut-throat]

Or if there are any Vampires around, they're great stakes.

OK, I really shouldn't have gone there

[kass]

Yeah, I always carry a couple in my bucket boots, just in case...

Sounds like a party!

[Cut-throat]

Uht-oh Kass said the B word.

[kass]

Didn't you know? I get special dispensation! Well, I don't wear them to Pirate events, you see...

[Cut-throat]

Adding to that will only get me in trouble .

[kass]

I had to stop myself too, Cutthroat.

Have a pint, baby!

[jessie k.]

Hmm, I may have to start carrying a couple myself. They could come in handy.

[Fox]

You can use the big iron bound ones on vampire elephants...

[jessie k.]

Good idea, I've been seeing a lot of those lately.

[MorganTyre]

I just know they have something to do with securing ropes on a ship. And you can't wear 'em.

I think you mean belaying pins here. They have more of a handle to them.

http://www.tallshipbounty.org/belay_04.jpg

Great shipboard weapon and I suppose acceptable to carry if your persona is a ships carpenter or a rigger but otherwise (being as it's an essential piece of gear not really allowed off ship) not something likely to be shoved in your belt while playing cards at the tavern. That being said, I once held an ironwood pin that you could probably kill someone with.

Historic question - most belaying pins I've seen are wooden. However, I have seen some iron ones on a modern replica ship. Would iron pins be historically accurate?