As Karl suggests, I bought a multi-size set of needles from Wal Mart. Cut them to length and sanded off the pink paint. Worked well for the larger sizes which were hollow. For the smallest size, I had to drill out the first 1/2 inch or so. This was a little tricky to keep from going through the needle wall. I also drilled a small hole through the end of each needle for putting in a stitch to hold the line while splicing.

With a little practice, I can now do a basic splice and I also learned to do a soft shackle.

BTW, I made two soft shackles and am going to try those with the traveller sheet to see if I can get consistent centering and avoid having to tie. The potential snag will be if its a hassle to run the sheet through the traveller with pre-tied knots.


Blade F16 USA 725