A wander through the warehouse of any shipchandler (one who supplies ships and boats with all their needs, not merely candles) worthy of his calling will reveal, hidden away in a dark corner, close by the barrel of oakum¹, a crate or two of some curious dark brown, strangely veined, wooden, long, tapering to a blunt point, ice-cream-cone-with-single-ball shaped items known as 'fids'². More properly known as 'hand fids', these vary in length, ranging from about six to around 14 inches, and are one inch to about three inches in diameter at their widest part. Some large fids have a flat base to support the cone. These are 'standing fids' or 'deck fids'.

Near the fids you will expect to find the marline spikes. These are of similar lengths to fids, but made of steel, with a fairly sharp point, but are much thinner and not tapered in the same way. The thinnest ones often have an eye at the thicker end.

What Are They For?

Fids and marline spikes are used to prise and then keep apart the strands of a rope during manufacture, repair and maintenance. Fids are used with fibre ropes and marline spikes are used for wire ropes - Ropemaking is an ancient art with a history all of it's own.

For many reasons, on a ship a rope sometimes has to be spliced together with another, and sometimes it is necessary to make a loop at one end of a rope. Some of these ropes can be 300mm (12inches) or more in diameter - more than a little hefty and no task for a scout, however many badges he might have. In order to do this, one rope is untwisted at the position of the joint, and the joining rope unravelled at the end. The strands of the joining rope are then inserted in between the strands of the other. The fid (or marline spike in the case of wire rope) is pushed (or 'fiddled') between the fibres of the rope to open up the strands, and holds them apart, allowing the strands of the other rope end to be woven in. In the case of very large ropes, a standing fid is used, which, sat on the deck, holds the rope open while a hand fid is used on the top of the rope. Once the inter-weaving is complete, the area is bound with waterproof twine, tarred marline, or a very thin binding wire. A small marline spike can be used as a needle for this, though a special giant-sized, slightly curved, rope needle is usually preferred.

Alternative uses for fids include enabling you to appear clever at trivia quizzes, to solve crossword puzzles and to eke out a turn at Scrabble.

Marline spikes make useful weapons and are seen as such being slammed angrily into a wooden mast during a fight scene in films about pirates. This ignores the fact that in those days there were neither wire ropes nor stainless steel. There is also a knot called a marline spike.

What Are They Made of?

The wood used to make fids should be lignum vitae - the heart of the elm. This 'living wood' is so-called because it never dries; it always retains an oily feel to it - an in-built lubricant. The best fids are turned wholly from this material, though cheap versions may have a metal cap at the larger end, and other oily woods (such as ebony) can be substituted for the lignum vitae to make the cone - the working part.

Cow horns, incidentally, also make good fids.

The best marline spikes are generally made of stainless steel and are stored, lightly oiled, in a purpose made leather sheath or wrapped in oily paper. Inferior versions are made of polished carbon steel, and even greater care is required to protect these from salty air and water.