Wire Seizing Tutorial MASTER Wide Ratio

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~ Wire Seizings ~

The Art and Craft of

Traditional Ship Rigging



“

Dickerhoff was royalty and he knew it for he wasrecognized as master of a vanishing art. He was a

rigger extraordinaire and all about him, ordinary menbecame obsequious when he spoke. When he cared to

expound, there came from his thin lips all the wisdom ofa hard-sailing generation at sea” . – Ernest Gann.

Dedicated to Jack Dickerhoff ~Master Rigger~



Clapping on a wire seizing is a skill that can only be mastered by latchinto a seizing stick made out of your favorite hardwood.

I will illustrate with images and narration how to clap on wire seizing onhistoric vessels that would satisfy the scrutiny of even the bulliest of bofrom a hundred years ago.

I enjoy clapping on a wire seizing and nd it a skill that every rigger/bosu worth their salt should have in their ditty bag of traditional rigging skill



At the end of the tutorial, I will show some seizings I have clapped usinto 3/16” diameter seizing wire during rigging restorations on four historships:

• 1886 three-masted full rigged shipBalclutha • 1897 three-masted barqueGlenlee

• 1904 four-masted barque Moshulu .• 1891 scow schooner Alma

An excellent source of written background on this skill is the Rigger’s Apprentice, by Brion Toss.



T e seizing illustrated in this tutorial was clapped on by myself andrigger Dan Powers several years ago. It was a throat seizing to formthe eye of the port main topgallant backstay gang on the full rigged

ship Balclutha at San Francisco Maritime NHP.



T e Set Up



After setting the legs up, determineapproximate location for the throat and

rst seizing.

T e throat seizing will be clapped on inthe space between my hands. I want tomake sure that the riggers screw or stgrip is positioned close to where the top ofthe seizing will be.

Secure the st grip, but leave enoughclearance for the seizing stick to pass. Donot fully tighten the st grip yet- just snug!



If a riggers screw is not available, using a “Fist Grip” or “DoubleSaddle Grip will work nicely in keeping the two legs parallel andnot wrapping around each other.

Fist Grip orDouble Saddle Grip.

note: avoid using a regular wire rope clip as this will damage the service.

Rigger’s Screw

Good Bad



If the turnback has a hard eye (thimble or heart)be sure to wrap the score with a selvedge pieceof canvas.

T e canvas will wick tar around the insidecircumference and provide some chafeprotection for the service.



Lining up the legs to the same plane as the face of the solid thimble.Sometimes it takes two rigger screws to twist the legs around as inthis photo of re-serving and re-seizing the “original” 1886 vintagemizzen lower shrouds onBalclutha .



Once the legs are set up, it is time to cut

the canvas for placing under the seizing.

T is backstay eye has a memory and aslight knuckle from the old wire seizing.By choosing which direction to clap onthe seizing, I can work the legs straightagain. Remember the torque of thestick as it is turning will bring a fouledor twisted leg fair, but may also make afair leg foul - a double edged sword.



Cut the canvas 1/2” wider than the nished seizingand 25% longer than the circumference of the two legs.



1x7 annealed galvanized seizing wire is thepreferred wire to use for wire seizings.

Annealing the wire makes it softer andeasier to “feel” the wire slightly stretchbefore it parts.

note: cut the seizing wire to length. Cut a fathom more than you think andnote how much you cut off at end for future seizings.



Loosely coil the wire and securethe bights with a twist of scrapseizing wire.

T is scrap piece of wire can bepushed along the bights as theypay out, keeping the coil secure.



Apply tar to the area where the seizing

will be put on and in between the legs.

notice: the st grip is still just snug and nottightened to a full do just yet. Remember

you need to insert the end of the canvasbefore fully tightening.

Tight

Snug



Black down the canvas strip~ both sides~



Insert tarred canvas between thelegs and wrap around back to start.

T en cut to length.

note: the canvas needs to be securely anchored between legs and complete wrap plus a bit to fully cover the crimp knot at the end of the seizing wire



Now tighten the st gripor riggers screw to a full do.

note: put canvas or thin leatherunder st grip to act as chafe gear.



T e Start



REMEMBER to reeve o ff the seizing wirethrough the seizing stick beforeforming stopper knot.



Poke a hole about 3/8 - 1/2”down from top of canvas withoutcatching any of the canvas.





Form the stopper knot in the endof the seizing wire coil.

Knot is a simple bight folded

over with pliers.Cut tail at about 1” long



Draw stopper into crotch.

note: lead tail downward (this will be covered by the roundturns of the seizing).

Keep tail in the grove betweenthe legs.



T e stopper is placed on the opposite side from the start and the canvas is passesame direction the seizing stick will travel.

Remember there is a slight knuckle in

this royal backstay. I set up the rst legthat the seizing will pass so it will rollstraight under tension of the the passed wire.

note: this seizing will be passed counter-clockwisefrom the start or “against the Sun.”



Keep the stopper cut leg centereand pass the sail twine lashing.

note: avoid using electrical tapeas the rubber may break down

and form a weak acid over time







T e Round Turns



You remembered to pass the wire through the stick…righ

If not, it is better to undo thecoil and repass the wire thanredoing the canvas.

Legend



Fro

Ba

Legend

S h o u

l d e r

Frontside

Backside

Leg LegCrotch

S h

o u

l d e r

Vice



T e rst round turn is led with a slight upward angle from the start. Usemoderate tension to seat the stopper, then ease off a little bit as you go arouthe back side.

Have your passer keep an eye on the crimp knot to ensuree it does not rotashort leg from out of the crotch. T is would cause a bump to form under t

canvas and eff

ect the clean laying down of the round turns.



My seizing stick has a at sectionon the handle. I use this to regulatethe tension I am applying to the wire.

If the legs start to twist, you can lasha stout stick or piece of broom handleto the legs with a hold back to preventthe set up from twisting too much.

If you use a riggers vice instead of thest grips, a light line can be passedfrom the frame of the screw as ahold back.



Remember to ease off on yourtension on the shoulders and

stretch the wire across the frontand back faces.

After a while you will be able tofeel the wire slightly stretch.

You should be applying enoughtension to squeeze out tar fromunder the seizing - otherwise theturns are on too loose.

T e rst full pass



A look on the backside.

Notice how the wire is close aboard andtouching the prior pass. Try to allow NOgaps to form between the turns.

Tracking the turns with no gaps is criticalto the success of the nished seizing.

I like to have the current turn almost rideoff and slide down the previous turn as it

settles into place. But be careful as youcan catch a wire of the prior turn andsplay it open.





…stretching across the face



…easing off a touch onthe shoulders.

note: the side opposite thestart (stopper side) will have itsturns level, while the frontside willhave its turns slightly angled.



Look for tar squeezingout and for too much

twist in the legs.note: sometimes it ishelpful to lash the eyeto the vice (below the

jaws) using a stretcherbar to prevent

undue twisting of theeye.



…streeeeeetch along the face



…easing off on the shoulders



…easing off a touch onthe shoulders.

note: the slight twisting in the legsdue to the torque of the mallet.

Generally, this twist is notproblematic, but if you are clappingon several seizings like with theturnback of a shroud - you may

want to alternate your passingrotation between the throat and rstto end seizings to eliminate anyhelix or twisting of the turnbacklegs.



A good passer is key to a greatseizing. Notice how Dan is about180 degrees from me to avoidstepping on each other’s toes.

Also note that he is “ahead” of meand not “behind” me. I nd it mucheasier to pass into the “slack” of the

wire than to “pull” it from thepasser.



When you think you are almostsquare - measure the width of

the legs. Here it is 1-3/4”. A seizing should never be lessthan square. I have seen somethat were almost too long and usedup needless wire and time in theirmaking.

On throat seizings I make them 2 turnpast square and square on the other on(1st mid to end seizings)

How wide ???



To have two extra turns pastsquare will put the height of thethroat seizing at 2”.

T e diameter is 1- 3/4 and theseizing wire is 1/8”.

C t th t t k h



Count the turns to know how manyfor other seizings and note it in

your rigging log.

It is a good idea to keep a running

Rigger’s Log to refer back to in thefuture. Let me see…how manyfathoms of wire did I use for theseizings last time????



note: always count turns on the shoulder opposite the starting shoOtherwise you will get a mis-count.



T e Riding Turns

When the seizing is the correct width it is



When the seizing is the correct width, it istime to begin the riding turns.

T e riding turns always begin on theinitial shoulder of the round turns.Slightly angle up the lead and lay the layinto the contline or valley between the

rst two turns.

I remove one turn from the handle of thestick to back off on the tension.



Try to use even tension andavoid sinking the riding turnsinto the round turns.

I do not try to stretch the wire on the riding turns.

Back side



Front side



note:

• fewer turns on handleand how my ngertips arecontrolling tension bysqueezing when required.

• left hand controlling

the tracking of the wire byangling the head of the stick.





Do not sink the ridingturns into the round turns.



14 full turns ( with this diameter served wire)- one more to go.

T e last contline space is visible at my ngertip.



Starting last riding turn.





Last riding turn - gettingready to set up for frappingturns.

Back side





Using light pressure but maintaining

tension, angle lead downward.Hold this position and have passerhold wire in position on nal shoulder.

I like to angle the lead of the wire slightlydownward to give it a bit of a memory. T is

helps the start of the rst frapping turn as you will see.



Remove stick from wire

• gather mallet and two small spikesor prickers.

• Dan is holding last turn onshoulder, while I am preparingto drive pricker between the legs.





T e Frapping Turns



With passer holding shoulder of last round turn pass, drive home a pricker o Work quickly for the hole will slowly close up.

note: on synthetic marline it closes almost immediately while on natural mafor 10 seconds or more.

Bac



Pass the wire through. As bight shortens, bend itdownward slightly to feed into crotch with a at angle.

Narrowing bight

Notice the slight downwardlead of the bight that we putinto the wire in the lastriding turn.



After passing wire, insert pricserve as a fairlead to prevent lriding turn from riding up andoff the shoulder.



Back side

Point of pricker

Last riding turn



Front side

Last riding turn



Dan is snubbing last riding turn onshoulder with the at of a marlingspike

while I take tension on frapping turn with a mallet.

note: using the pricker as a fairlead and Dan holding the turn on theshoulder with the spike, makes for a square shoulder on thebody of the seizing after pulling the frapping turn tight.



The spike is snubbing the wireand preventing it from riding up

h h ll k i



Pricker is fairleading the pass to preventthe wire from riding upward.

when he mallet takes tension.



Once frapping turn is tight,drive pricker home to lock itin place.

.

Once it is locked- the tension is captured and you caremove mallet and set up for next pass of the wire.



Drive pricker for next pass.





Pass wire and tighten with mallet.

note: pricker is driven in to hold tensionand to keep the last riding turn fromsplaying upward - as happens often

with wire seizings.

Back side

l i k



note: leave pricker on rst passuntil second pricker takes thetension on the bottom in nextstep.

Back side



Front side

Take tension with lead of

wire slightly downward rst thenrotate handle and pull upward.(see handle in next photo)

note: when you rotate the handleup to take tension - rotate it“clockwise” to automatically

tighten the lay of the wire.



Front side



Rotate handle of mallet to lead wire slightly upwardand lock tension by driving home pricker.

note: rotate handle clockwise to avoid unlaying seizing





Back side

Take tension, remove lowerpricker. Hold tension withmallet and drive home spiketo lock frap.

note: always take tension with the mallet beforeremoving the pricker. I like to leapfrog the prickers so one is alwayssnubbing the load.



Use the mallet to smooth out any kinks in wire afterheaving home the each frapping turn.



Remember to take weight

with mallet before removingthe pricker or spike.

note: this is the beginning ofthe second frapping turn.

Back side

Back side



Taking tension on frappingturn before removing pricker.

note: Dan has the second

pricker for the top of thefrapping turns at the ready.

Your passer is key to a good seizing by anticipatinext move and having the correct tools at the re



Lower pricker is locking in

tension allowing me two handsto poke hole and pass end of wire.

Using alternating prickers likethis allows you to walk away fromthe seizings and not lose anytension of the turns or fraps. One

pricker is always taking the load.



Frapping turns locked in place.d f h h h h



Ready for the nishing hitch.

Te frapping turns shouldcrossover each other at the top

and bottom crotches. T is is mucheasier in smaller diameter wire.

T is seizing is made with 1/8” dia.seizing wire and I have the turnslying next to each other to form aclean entry and exit for the fraps.



T e Finish

Pass the wire under both of thefrapping turns and slowly tighten



Back side

frapping turns and slowly tightenthe bight.

note: enter under the second turnand out under the rst turn.• repeat this direction on the other

side - under the second turn andout from under the rst.





Before fully tightening the bight,apply a dab of tallow or Crisco.

T is helps the hitch to renderaround.

note: pricker remains lockingthe frapping turns.





Begin to take weight withthe mallet and removepricker.

Hold this position until your passer can snub thestanding part of the bight.



Dan snubbing the standing part. T is allows me to take weight andrender the slack through withoutunduly loosening the last frappingturn.

Often the entire bight will slid into thecrotch. By using the spike to snub thestanding part, only the working end will

move. this makes for VERY tight frappingturns.

Standing partWorking End

Direction of pull



Working End



Front side

Pass the wire a second time toform a pseudo clove hitch whendrawn together.





Snub here



Like before, draw the hitchtighter. Make sure to onceagain snub the standing part.

Snub here



Snubbing the standing part while drawing tight the working end with the mallet.

After drawing the hitches



gtight with the mallet untilthey fetch up on one another.

Once the hitches are set in thecrotch and cannot move anymore - use a spike to nick the

wire in the crotch.

T is will cause the wire tobreak cleanly off in the crotch.





Step back and inspect your work.



Are the frapping turns tight?

You should be not able tomove them by hand.





A Gallery of Seizings



1886 Full Rigged Ship BALCLUTHA



1886 Full Rigged Ship BALCLUTHA

1897 Barque GLENLEE



www.thesquarerigger.com/glen

http://www.thesquarerigger.com/glenlee.html





1904 Four-masted barque MOSHULU



1904 Four-masted barque MOSHULU



1891 Scow Schooner ALMA



I hope this tutorial will be bene cial to those sailors and riggers who wolike to learn this traditional marlingspike skill. Like any learned craft, ymust have patience and accept that the rst couple of dozen seizings wil



must have patience and accept that the rst couple of dozen seizings wilbe ones a bosun will cast an approving eye upon and voice a “well done

Persevere in your craft and this skill will be one that you will be proud any ship would welcome.

During my wonderful time aboardBalclutha as a rigger and later as HistShips Rigger Foreman, I learned many things from my shipmates andespecially from Karl Kortum ~ foremost among them was “Do it right,

you got something”.





Fair leads, Jamie White

www.thesquarerigger.com

http://www.thesquarerigger.com/



Copyright © 2014 by Jamie WhiteAll rights reserved.

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Wire Seizing Tutorial MASTER Wide Ratio

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