Some tips on making grommets for the oars of
the gigs Erica and Glide.
T. R. Torgersen, August 2004
Helpful equipment: knife, small stuff or masking tape, mallet, a suitably sized working-fid or marlinespike, and a large fid for working the finished grommet. O.A.R.S. has a large, yew-wood fid that was made by Carl Meinzinger for stretching and sizing grommets.
Arguably, the best material for making grommets is hemp, but this is harder and harder to come by these days. Go for hemp; -- manila is the alternate choice. The O.A.R.S. experience is that manila stretches to unserviceability faster than hemp. A well laid-up grommet of hemp will last 9-11 months, or longer, on the gigs.
The source of hemp rope that O.A.R.S. used most recently (June 2003) was provided by Carl Meinzinger. The dealer is Rawganique.com, based in
Diameter of the rope to start with should minimally be 9/16-inch (14 mm), but 5/8-inch (16 mm) makes a more robust grommet. My recommendation is to go for the 5/8-inch diameter because it makes into grommets that stretch less, and produce a more serviceable, aesthetic grommet for the gigs.
Now, if you are using 5/8-inch rope, cut a length of your grommet-rope that is 50 inches long. A general rule would be about three times the outside circumference of the grommet you want, plus some extra so you have some material for making the tucks to bury the ends. Lets assume you are using three-strand rope. When three-strand rope is unlaid, it will yield material for three grommets per 50-inch cut-length of rope. But don’t unlay it yet! Carefully seize each of the three strands at both ends of the rope. Use small stuff and constrictor hitches, or masking tape. This ensures that as much of the original lay, or twist, in the strand is preserved. Next you will need to mark some places along the length of rope that will assist you later when you begin laying up the grommet (Figure 1).
figure 1 
Measure 12 inches in from one end of the rope. At this 12-inch mark you will need to seize each of the three strands of rope, so mark the place by tying some small stuff around the rope, or by putting a pin in the rope at this point. Measure another 14 inches from the 12-inch point. Mark this place. The next job is to seize each of the three strands of rope at the above 12-inch and 14-inch marks. Constrictor hitches, or clove hitches will suffice as seizings. Remember that you are doing this while the rope is still layed up.
Take note here that the original layed-up piece of rope is formed of three stands that are wrapped in a helical fashion around each other. Each strand, in turn, is formed of smaller yarns that are themselves twisted around each other. This helical form is called the “lay” of the rope. The objective in the next step of untwisting, or “unlaying” the rope is to maintain as much of the original lay as possible. Now, carefully unlay the rope. Do this by carefully unwinding ONE of the strands from the others. As you unwind the selected strand, keep some tension on the twist of that strand by using finger-twist “pressure” on it. Don’t even THINK about just forcibly pulling the stands apart! Take it easy! Let the unraveling be a Zen kind of thing.
When you have unlayed the selected strand, it will retain some of the helical shape it had when it was twisted about its mates. The objective in making a grommet is to re-lay the single strand about ITSELF to form a circle of rope whose ends are invisible. Consult the appended grommet-making illustrations and descriptions of H.G. Smith (1952), or refer to Brion Toss (The Chapman Nautical Guide – Knots. 1990). These sources will show you how to lay up the grommet, and how to tie and tuck in the ends to dispose of them.
However, the trickiest part of laying up a grommet is to know where to begin the “re-laying” process so that you end up with a grommet that has the correct finished circumference. Here is where you use the 12- and 14-inch seizings that you did in the step before unlaying the rope. Take the ends of the helical strand in your hands, and lay it on a table before you (Figure 1). Now, bring the rope into a loop by taking the right-hand end clockwise, and bringing it around so it crosses on top of itself at your 12- and 14-inch seizings (Figure 2).
figure 2
Seize again loosely where the 12- and 14-inch marks lie on top of one another. Now begin spiraling this right-hand strand about itself in the same clockwise direction. See Figures 1,2,and 3 of H.G. Smith (1952) appended. Note how the helices fall in with each other. As you go along, keep a twist on the strand so as to retain its lay. Keep going until you’ve twisted the strand around itself twice to yield a continuous three-strand grommet with two loose ends emerging near each other. If at this point the grommet looks too big or too small carefully undo it, and start the re-laying by crossing the strand in a more appropriate place relative to the 12- and 14-inch seizings.
When you are satisfied with the diameter, it’s time to dispose of the loose ends. Now you will take half of the cords making up each strand, and tie these together in an overhand knot and pull tight. If you tie the overhand in the proper direction (figure 3), the knot will seem to disappear into the lay of the grommet. Next, proceed to splice in the ends as shown by Smith (1952) in figure 4, or Toss (1990). Leave behind those other cords that you did not use in the overhand knot. Continue tucking in the cords, reducing the number cords at each tuck. After the last tuck, cut off all those “hags-teeth,” or loose ends.
figure 3 figure 4 
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