Splicing Grogs On Site

Last updated December 15, 2024.

• Grog splices
• Split connections
• Video

In my original post about grog splices, I said it took about 10 minutes to splice a full connection in the field. I got a lot of feedback that splicing in the field was either:

• Too complicated
• Too time consuming
• Added too much potential for error

A few days later, I decided to make a video showing how easy it was to do a connection on site. To my surprise, it only took 5 minutes for me to splice the whole connection, even while explaining what I was doing.

In addition to showing how quick splicing on site is, this video highlights how simple the process is, and in particular how few decisions there are to make while doing it. The key is to premake your grog splices at home, which allows you to take them apart at the anchor and have a perfect guide of how to resplice exactly as it was at home. Below I’ll cover what you need to field splice grogs, how to resplice grogs you’ve premade, and what key points you need to make sure to do in the field.

1. Two premade grogs per connection point
   • At home, you should make sure you’ve made your brummel correctly, have bury lengths >4" (measured from the brummel), have evenly split your dyneema when making the holes (6 strands on each side of the splice for 12 strand braids), and have practiced making grogs enough to feel very comfortable making them.
   • If you’re new to making grogs, consider having someone double check your grogs while you’re still at home - in person ideally, or over the phone or internet.
2. A fid that works well with your amsteel
   • If using selma fids, I highly recommend sizing up compared to the diameter of your amsteel. For example, use a 5.5 for 5mm amsteel, or a 7.5 for 6mm amsteel.
3. The webbing pieces to connect
4. Someone to double check your work

That’s it! No tape or measuring tools required.

1. Take apart your grog.
   • I normally leave the grogs attached to the webbing bag for the segment they will be connecting. For transportation and storage, I leave the tails unburied but the brummel made.
2. Pass the loose dyneema of the first grog through all points you are connecting.
   • Make sure you get every loop you need to splice in. In some cases, that’s either both main loops or both backup loops. In other cases, it will be all four, or may include DLV or Y2K style loops.
   • It may help to push the loops to one side (towards the center of the grog, opposite the splices) to give yourself more room to splice.
3. Identify the strand that has the sharper bend left over from the brummel (strand A). This is the strand that will be spliced through first.
   • If you have trouble identifying which strand is spliced through first, consider marking it while taking apart the brummel.
4. Pass the other strand (strand B) through strand A at the hole left over from the old brummel. Make sure you pull strand B through far enough that the hole in strand B has passed through the hole in strand A.
5. Pass strand A through the hole in strand B and pull on the loop created to make sure you’ve made a proper brummel.
6. Bury the tail of strand A back in direction it started from.
   • The brummel will have a hole on the strand A side, that enters into the braid of the main loop. On this side of the grog, you can splice the tail directly back into the hole.
7. Bury the tail of Strand B back in direction it started from.
   • The brummel on this side won’t have a clear hole like the other side. Choose the closest pick (a V-shape made by the braid of the amsteel) to the brummel that’s fully accessible. You should be able to bury this tail without interfering with the brummel. Generally I can see one pick that would be quite difficult to splice, and I choose the next pick down from that one to bury into.
8. Repeat steps 2-7 with your second grog.
9. Inspect both grogs well to ensure everything was done right.

This list will cover the most important things to make sure of when field splicing grogs. It leaves out some of the key points for making grogs because it assumes the grogs were premade properly beforehand, and are just being respliced. Some of the main things its missing are checking proper bury length, and making sure the original holes are made to split the braid evenly (i.e. 6 strands on each side of the hole for 12 strand amsteel).

1. Make sure the brummel is properly done. Each strand should go through the other once, and be spliced through once. Pulling on either both tails, or opposite sides of the loop shouldn’t move the splice at all.
2. Make sure the tails are buried in the right place. One should go into the hole made by the brummel, and the other should be as close as possible to the brummel (about one pick away from the brummel.) Verify that the exposed tails (between the brummel and start of the buries) don’t look bigger than they need to be.
3. Make sure the ends of the tails aren’t sticking out of the end of the bury. The tails should be fully buried, but it can be easy to take the fid out too early while burying them. The side of the grog opposite the brummel should be smooth with no loose strands sticking out. The only feature of that side is a small thin spot between the buries.
4. Make sure you have connected exactly what you think you connected. In addition to connecting the right sides of the webbing, making both mains on top and right side up, etc., verify that everything that needs to be connected for safety is. Pull on both mains, both main and backup pairs, and both backups separately to make sure every failure mode is protected.

This should cover the main potential mistakes in field splicing the grogs, assuming the grogs were made properly beforehand. Premaking the grogs is key to eliminating decision making on site, which in turn helps reduce the possibility for errors. There may be other mistakes that I’ve missed though. If you think of any, please let me know.