Making a McDonald Brummel Eye Splice
With the rope marked and holes prepared, pass the end through the further hole to make the eye. Then pass the end through the near hole to twist the fibers either side of the hole. Pass the eye through this hole to untwist the fibers each side back to normal. Tighten to the locked position.
McDonald Brummel Eye Splice Details
Warning: in practice use a much long tail and a more gradual taper – see below. Short ends were used in the animation to allow close-up photography. In addition, a much larger eye is usually desired.
McDonald Brummel Technique: Margie McDonald, who illustrates the Brion Toss/Margie McDonald series of Working Rope books, developed the technique shown in this animation. The result is a normal locked Brummel using a single end but her method reduces the steps and the complexity.
The Difference: Only the hole near the end has to be inverted and then restored. The other hole makes the eye, does not have to be inverted and, therefore requires no restoration.
Additional Brummels: McDonald's technique can be continued to produce a stack of Brummels. However, the strength of a Brummel splice derives from the long buried tail – not the Brummels themselves. Accordingly, only a single step is illustrated here with the assumption that that it is completed with a long bury.
Technique only: The animation shows only the critical steps of her technique. For more information about Making the Holes, Tapering the End, Ideal Length, and Stitching visit the pages about the Locked Brummel - Using One End and the Long Bury Splice.
