I separate my strands right down the middle so there is no question. For length, you want to take your maximum needed length, multiply it by 2 and give yourself a little extra for your pull cord and your splice.So just a few questions since I have not spliced nor worked with amsteel. First I understand not to separate the filaments but when separating the strands is there a certain amount that you need on each side for example 8 strand 4 on each side?? Second how do you measure the minimum or maximum length of the amount you will need to make a whoopie sling for say the platform mods?