No matter what you do, you will get friction between the retrieval line and the cloth in the spi when you douse on "the wrong" side. Pulling the spi down only on "the right side" will minimize this, but limit your strategy and tactics.

We have found that stripping the cover off the part of the line running _inside_ the spi when dousing to be a good measure. Dont remove more than you absolutely have to, becouse handling the stripped line is a bother. If you decide to strip, err on the short side first so you dont take off more cover than you need to. If you find it difficult to handle the stripped part of the line, try using some tight fitting garden gloves with rubber palms.

When we discussed this issue one or two years ago, different spi cloths, lines and snuffers was also mentioned as a source of burn holes and marks on the spi.