Splicing a Broken Woven-Wire Line Wire with a Western Union Splice: 8 Wraps per End, a 6-Inch Overlap, and Pliers-Bent Tails

Western Union splice on galvanized fence line wire with fencing pliers on a wooden post

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Cut back to clean wire, overlap the two ends about 6 inches, and wrap each end around the other at least 8 times, tight and closely spaced. Bend the tail ends flat with the pliers so no point sticks out.

How many wraps does a Western Union splice need on fence wire?

At least eight tight, closely spaced wraps at each end, according to the USDA NRCS woven wire fence specification. Wrap each tail around the standing wire, not around a loose end. The splice only works on soft, low-tensile wire, so use a compression sleeve on high-tensile wire.

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service's woven wire fence specification says wire is spliced with a Western Union splice with not less than 8 wraps at each end, or with sleeves applied by a tool made for the job.

The British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture's fence wire fact sheet notes that no knot is as strong as the wire it joins, and that high-tensile wire is brittle and is better joined with mechanical splices.

Splice Choice by Wire Type

Wire Joining method Detail Source
Soft, low-tensile Western Union splice 8 wraps per end NRCS
High-tensile smooth Compression sleeve or mechanical splice Tool-applied NRCS and BC
Woven wire verticals Twist-wrap joint Where two stays meet BC
Anywhere Mechanical splice Full wire strength BC

Materials and Tools

  • Fencing pliers for gripping, cutting, and bending the wire
  • About 24 inches of spare soft galvanized wire of the same gauge
  • Leather gloves and safety glasses
  • A second pair of pliers or a vise grip to hold one side
  • A marker and a tape measure

Splice Steps

  1. Release tension. Cut the wire at a post so the break is not under load, and wear eye protection.
  2. Trim the ends. Cut both ends square with the pliers' cutter.
  3. Straighten. Remove kinks for about 8 inches back from each end.
  4. Overlap. Lay the ends side by side with about 6 inches of overlap.
  5. Start the first wrap. Bend the right tail around the left wire with the pliers and pull it tight.
  6. Wrap it. Make at least 8 closely spaced wraps, with the coils touching.
  7. Reverse the other end. Wrap the left tail around the right wire the same way.
  8. Finish. Press each tail end flat against the wire so nothing snags.

If the wire is too short to overlap, add a 24-inch spare piece and make two splices.

Check the Repair

  • Count the wraps on both ends before you let go
  • Re-tension the run to the same feel as the rest of the fence
  • Check the splice after a cold night, since wire contracts
  • Use a sleeve instead if the wire snaps again at the splice

The same wire work shows up when you rejoin panels, as in fixing a sagging welded-wire dog kennel panel. Posts that have shifted are covered in pulling and resetting frost-heaved T-posts. The hardware cloth mesh size and gauge guide explains how mesh gauge changes how it cuts and bends.

Once the wire is whole, it has to go back on the posts, as in attaching hardware cloth to metal T-posts and pipe frames.

FAQ

Can I just twist the ends together?

A plain twist slips under load. The wraps are what hold the splice.

How tight should the wire be afterward?

Tension it like the rest of the run. A slack splice becomes the sag point.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hardware Cloth Guide: Mesh Sizes, Gauges, and Which Build Each One Fits

Image
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Pick the mesh by the smallest animal you need to stop, then pick the gauge by how hard that animal will push, pull, or chew. 1/4-inch, 23-gauge is the mouse, vole, and vent mesh. 1/2-inch, 19-gauge is the coop, run, and rat mesh. What size hardware cloth do you need for each job? Use 1/4-inch, 23-gauge galvanized hardware cloth wherever mice, voles, young rats, chicks, or snakes are the threat, including vents and soil barriers. Use 1/2-inch, 19-gauge for chicken runs, coops, hutches, and anything raccoons will pull on, stepping up to 16-gauge only where you need extra strength. Never use chicken wire as a predator barrier. UC IPM's rat exclusion pest note says every hole larger than 1/4 inch should be sealed to exclude both rats and mice. It specifies 16-gauge, 1/2-inch galvanized wire cloth for ventilator grills and 19-gauge, 1/2-i...
Read more

How to Attach Hardware Cloth to Wood Frames (Staple, Screw & Batten Spec)

Image
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Staple 1/2-inch hardware cloth into wood every 1–2 inches along every post, plate, and rail, drive exterior screws through fender washers at every corner and every 12–18 inches on long edges, and wrap corners 2–4 inches. Add a 1×2 batten over high-pressure edges. Hardware cloth only stops predators when the edges stay put. Sparse staples, zip ties, and bare cut wires become peel handles for raccoons and cats. When You Need This Use this when you are: Cladding a new coop or run frame and want the fastening spec before the first staple goes in Replacing soft chicken wire or torn mesh that predators already peeled at the edges Hardening an existing hardware-cloth wall where corners lift or mid-span edges flutter Building out walls, doors, or run panels that share the same wood-frame fastening rules Skip this if diggers under the perimete...
Read more

How to Attach Hardware Cloth to Metal T-Posts and Pipe Frames (Tie & Clamp Spec)

Image
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Fasten 1/2-inch welded hardware cloth to T-posts and pipe with galvanized or stainless wire ties every 2–3 inches along every post, add hose clamps every 12–18 inches on round pipe, and lap every vertical join 2–4 inches on a post. Where bare metal will not hold an edge, bolt on a treated wood sister and staple into that. Wood frames take staples; metal does not. Zip-tied mesh looks tight on install day and peels under climb pull within a week. When You Need This Use this when you are: Building or retrofitting a chicken run on T-posts , EMT , or round/square metal pipe and need fastener rules that are not wood staples Replacing zip-tie-only hardware cloth that already shows lifted edges or stretched ties Cladding a cattle-panel or pipe-frame run with 1/2-inch welded mesh for predator closure Closing panel joins and corners on metal post...
Read more