[citation needed] Multiple turns of twine (sometimes called small stuff for smaller lines) or heavier whipcord (for large diameter cables and ropes) are tightly wrapped around a rope's cut end to prevent its fibers from unlaying.
In applications where a lot of flexing is expected, the whipping may be impregnated with dilute spar varnish or superglue.
[5] A constrictor knot can be used temporarily to hold the fibres of a cut line until a final whipping can be applied.
Several turns of self-adhesive plastic tape may form a temporary or emergency substitute for whipping.
A tugboat operator once sliced the palm of his hand open down to the sinews after the hardened (and obviously sharp) end of a rope that had been heat-sealed pulled through his grasp.
It is helpful to wrap the end of a line to be fused with several turns of plastic tape first.
A back splice adds extra thickness to the rope end, preventing it from running through blocks and sheaves.
[citation needed] Liquid whipping is a semi-permanent rubbery coating applied by dipping the cut end of a line into a container of the product.