A winding rope capping consisting of two tapered iron wedges that encircle the
rope, the end of which is prevented from unravelling by casting onto it a small
block of white metal. The wedges are contained by a steel bow, over which four
or five wrought-iron hoops are driven. The greater the pull on the rope, the
more the wedges grip it as they are drawn into the encircling hoops. Mason
Source:
Dictionary of Mining, Mineral, and Related Terms
