Fid

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Fid in use on a rope aboard a ship US Navy 060614-N-2659P-025 Seaman Jamie Lewis uses a fid to repair a snag on a mooring line aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74).jpg
Fid in use on a rope aboard a ship

A fid is a conical tool traditionally made of wood or bone. It is used to work with rope and canvas in marlinespike seamanship. A fid differs from a marlinspike in material and purposes. A marlinspike is used in working with wire rope, natural and synthetic lines, may be used to open shackles, and is made of metal. A fid is used to hold open knots and holes in canvas, and to separate the "lays" (or strands) of synthetic or natural rope for splicing. A variation of the fid, the gripfid, is used for ply-split braiding. The gripfid has a jamming cleat to pull a cord back through the cord split by the fid's point.

Contents

Modern fids are typically made of aluminum, steel, or plastic. In addition to holding rope open to assist the creation of a rope splice, modern push fids have markings for precise measurements in a variety of sizes of rope. The length of these fids is typically 21 or 22 times the diameter of rope to be spliced. A one-half-inch (12.7 mm) diameter rope would have any accompanying fid 10.5–11 in (266.7–279.4 mm) in length with hash-marks denoting the long and short fid measurements. A short fid is 1⁄3 a fid length and a long fid is 2⁄3 the overall fid length.

Modern major rope manufacturers such as Yale Cordage, [1] New England Ropes, [2] and Samson Rope Technologies [3] each have full sets of published splicing directions available on their websites. Typically, all splice directions measurements use fid-length as the unit of measurement.

Below is a chart that shows exact measurements of full fid lengths, short fid lengths, and long fid lengths, using 21 times the diameter of the rope.

Rope
Diameter (in or mm)		Rope
Circ. (in or mm)		Short Fid
(in or mm)		Long Fid
(in or mm)		Full Fid
(in or mm)
3⁄32 in or 2.3813 mm9⁄32 in or 7.1438 mm2⁄3 in or 16.933 mm1+1⁄3 in or 33.867 mm2 in or 50.8 mm
1⁄8 in or 3.175 mm3⁄8 in or 9.525 mm7⁄8 in or 22.225 mm2+3⁄8 in or 60.325 mm1+3⁄4 in or 44.45 mm
5⁄32 in or 3.9688 mm1+15⁄32 in or 37.3063 mm1 in or 25.4 mm2+1⁄5 in or 55.88 mm3+2⁄7 in or 83.4571 mm
3⁄16 in or 4.7625 mm9⁄16 in or 14.2875 mm1+1⁄3 in or 33.867 mm2+5⁄8 in or 66.675 mm4 in or 101.6 mm
7⁄32 in or 5.5563 mm21⁄32 in or 16.6688 mm1+1⁄8 in or 28.575 mm3 in or 76.2 mm4+3⁄5 in or 116.84 mm
1⁄4 in or 6.35 mm3⁄4 in or 19.05 mm1+1⁄4 in or 31.75 mm3+1⁄2 in or 88.9 mm5+1⁄5 in or 132.08 mm
9⁄32 in or 7.1438 mm27⁄32 in or 21.4313 mm2 in or 50.8 mm4 in or 101.6 mm6 in or 152.4 mm
5⁄16 in or 7.9375 mm1 in or 25.4 mm2+1⁄5 in or 55.88 mm4+3⁄8 in or 111.125 mm6+4⁄7 in or 166.9143 mm
3⁄8 in or 9.525 mm1+1⁄8 in or 28.575 mm2+5⁄8 in or 66.675 mm5+1⁄8 in or 130.175 mm7+7⁄8 in or 200.025 mm
7⁄16 in or 11.1125 mm1+1⁄4 in or 31.75 mm3 in or 76.2 mm6+1⁄8 in or 155.575 mm9+1⁄5 in or 233.68 mm
1⁄2 in or 12.7 mm1+1⁄2 in or 38.1 mm3+1⁄2 in or 88.9 mm7 in or 177.8 mm10+1⁄2 in or 266.7 mm
9⁄16 in or 14.2875 mm1+1⁄4 in or 31.75 mm4 in or 101.6 mm7+7⁄8 in or 200.025 mm11+4⁄5 in or 299.72 mm
5⁄8 in or 15.875 mm2 in or 50.8 mm4+3⁄8 in or 111.125 mm8+3⁄4 in or 222.25 mm113+1⁄8 in or 333.375 mm
11⁄16 in or 17.4625 mm2+1⁄4 in or 57.15 mm4+4⁄5 in or 121.92 mm9+3⁄8 in or 238.125 mm14+4⁄9 in or 366.8889 mm
3⁄4 in or 19.05 mm2+1⁄4 in or 57.15 mm5+1⁄4 in or 133.35 mm10+1⁄2 in or 266.7 mm15+3⁄4 in or 400.05 mm
7⁄8 in or 22.225 mm2+3⁄4 in or 69.85 mm6+1⁄8 in or 155.575 mm12+1⁄4 in or 311.15 mm18+3⁄8 in or 466.725 mm
1 in or 25.4 mm3 in or 76.2 mm7 in or 177.8 mm14 in or 355.6 mm21 in or 533.4 mm
1+1⁄8 in or 28.575 mm3+1⁄2 in or 88.9 mm7+7⁄8 in or 200.025 mm15+3⁄4 in or 400.05 mm23+3⁄8 in or 593.725 mm
1+1⁄4 in or 31.75 mm3+3⁄4 in or 95.25 mm8+3⁄4 in or 222.25 mm17+1⁄2 in or 444.5 mm23+1⁄4 in or 590.55 mm
1+5⁄16 in or 33.3375 mm4 in or 101.6 mm9+1⁄5 in or 233.68 mm18+3⁄8 in or 466.725 mm27+4⁄7 in or 700.3143 mm
1+1⁄2 in or 38.1 mm4+1⁄2 in or 114.3 mm10+1⁄2 in or 266.7 mm21 in or 533.4 mm31+1⁄2 in or 800.1 mm
1+5⁄8 in or 41.275 mm5 in or 127 mm11+3⁄8 in or 288.925 mm22+3⁄4 in or 577.85 mm34+1⁄8 in or 866.775 mm
1+3⁄4 in or 44.45 mm5+1⁄2 in or 139.7 mm12+1⁄4 in or 311.15 mm24+1⁄2 in or 622.3 mm36+3⁄4 in or 933.45 mm
2 in or 50.8 mm6 in or 152.4 mm14 in or 355.6 mm28 in or 711.2 mm42 in or 1,066.8 mm
2+1⁄8 in or 53.975 mm6+1⁄4 in or 158.75 mm14+7⁄8 in or 377.825 mm29+3⁄4 in or 755.65 mm44+5⁄8 in or 1,133.475 mm
2+1⁄4 in or 57.15 mm7 in or 177.8 mm15+3⁄4 in or 400.05 mm31+1⁄2 in or 800.1 mm47+1⁄4 in or 1,200.15 mm
2+1⁄2 in or 63.5 mm7+1⁄2 in or 190.5 mm17+1⁄2 in or 444.5 mm35 in or 889 mm52+1⁄2 in or 1,333.5 mm
2+5⁄8 in or 66.675 mm8 in or 203.2 mm18+5⁄8 in or 473.075 mm36+3⁄4 in or 933.45 mm55+1⁄8 in or 1,400.175 mm
2+3⁄4 in or 69.85 mm8+1⁄2 in or 215.9 mm19+1⁄4 in or 488.95 mm38+1⁄2 in or 977.9 mm57+3⁄4 in or 1,466.85 mm
3 in or 76.2 mm9 in or 228.6 mm21 in or 533.4 mm42 in or 1,066.8 mm63 in or 1,600.2 mm
3+1⁄4 in or 82.55 mm10 in or 254 mm22+1⁄4 in or 565.15 mm45+1⁄2 in or 1,155.7 mm68+1⁄8 in or 1,730.375 mm

See also

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References

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