Eyes in wire rope

[Jack B]

Hi,
I am making the rigging for a restoration project i am doing and have just had a quote for the eyes in wire rope coming in at about £90 (13 splices), (this doesn't include the wire itself which costs £70), in total this would severly damage my planned budjet. I was wondering if I could do it myself by splicing it or using a thing called a Crosby Bulldog Shackle ,(it may not be called that), Would this seriously effect safety or would it be fesible, or is there a place around ipswich who would do it for less
jack.

 

[Croc]

The Bulldog system may not affect safety although I would not trust it and it is amazingly ugly. Talurit type swages are well proven. The best are done in hydraulic presses but they can be successfully done with a hand press (looks a bit like a boltcropper but with the compression dies where the blades would be). They are not as neat as a true Talurit but appear as strong. Copper ferrules should be used on stainless wire and aluminium on galvanised.
Roller swaging will cost you more....several riggers in the area ....but you could try Peter White at White Marine Services at Felixstowe 01394 671111.

 

[exfinnsailor]

Depends if you want the mast to stay up. Suppose you could use Dyneema its stronger than stainless and will last a year or two until the UV gets at it.

Considering this is a crucial part of any sailing boat its hardly the part to be trying to cut corners with.

Look at it another way. If the mast comes down which it will undoubtedly do with a bodge job don't expect your insurance to pick up the bill for new rigging etc.

 

[PetiteFleur]

Hi,
I am making the rigging for a restoration project i am doing and have just had a quote for the eyes in wire rope coming in at about £90 (13 splices), (this doesn't include the wire itself which costs £70), in total this would severly damage my planned budjet. I was wondering if I could do it myself by splicing it or using a thing called a Crosby Bulldog Shackle ,(it may not be called that), Would this seriously effect safety or would it be fesible, or is there a place around ipswich who would do it for less
jack.

You can do the hand splicing yourself but it is hard work! And be prepared to to get cut and sore fingers. What size wire is it? Talurit eye splices are good if the wires not too large - from memory the maximum size is 6mm diameter. And they look neat. Phone around to get prices from different riggers in the Ipswich area. Try Fox's, Suffolk Yacht Harbour or Z-Spars at Hadleigh. Or maybe an Industrial Rigger & wire company- there was one in Ipswich which I used many years ago but I can't rmember the name...... A very cheap way would be to use wire bulldog grips but they are ugly and would need covering up and at least two per splice See:- http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-x-5mm-...tEquipment_Accessories_SM&hash=item3a6d4dea66 Various sizes available on ebay.

 

[Conachair]

Hi,
I am making the rigging for a restoration project i am doing and have just had a quote for the eyes in wire rope coming in at about £90 (13 splices), (this doesn't include the wire itself which costs £70), in total this would severly damage my planned budjet. I was wondering if I could do it myself by splicing it or using a thing called a Crosby Bulldog Shackle ,(it may not be called that), Would this seriously effect safety or would it be fesible, or is there a place around ipswich who would do it for less
jack.

You could use dogs but it's really not the way forward, this what they look like from a quick google

Might not work out that much cheaper, for stainless anyway, by the time you by the dogs and the thimbles. Wire would need to be 7 x 19, the normal yachty stuff is 1 x 19 which you would never be able to bend round the small radius of a thimble.


What's the project? Galv wire and fittings are loads cheaper and plenty strong but they seep rust and the wire would need replaced every few years.

 

[stownsend]

Dyneema together with all fibre tapes and ropes loose about 10 to 15% strength when wet.

Cheers

Stu

 

[Bodach na mara]

I did riging for a converted 6 metre when the mast broke and was renewed. I was taught by a local rigger (retired) and with practise got it down to 40 minutes per splice in 1/4 inch 7/7 galvanised wire and 15 muinutes for 1/8 inch. Your 13 splices in 6mm I would estimate at 8 hours work. Well worth the 90 quid.

Why 13? All wires have two ends!

Do not even think of using bulldogs. They are used as a temporary method only, used sometimes to put the mast up to see if the rigging fits.

 

[prv]

One option not mentioned so far, not that I'm recommending it, just mentioning for completeness, is racking seizings. All the shrouds and stays on Stavros (500 ton square rigger) are made up like this.

Pete

 

[DownWest]

Get thee off to Amazon and buy the Rigger's Apprentice by Brion Toss. All you need to know there. And Yes, there are other easier ways to splice wire rope than the trad Liverpool splice.
DW

 

[vyv_cox]

Are Norseman or Stalok fittings a possibility?

 

[Lakesailor]

Surely the "patent" fixings will be more expensive than the £7 per swage he has been quoted. That seems like a very fair price to me.
I once tried to splice a wire cable.
Never again.

A tool for up to 4mm wire is £65 http://www.marinechandlery.com/products/8733/264/tools-and-kits/ormiston-hand-splicing-tool.aspx

 

[AntarcticPilot]

The OP mentioned this is for a restoration project. SO, whatever is to be used should be in keeping with the original style of the boat, surely? If this is a traditional vessel, then wire splices would be appropriate, if a 60s or 70s vessel then Talurit and so on.

In any case, I'd regard £90 for 13 wire splices as pretty reasonable! Even in 3 strand fibre rope, I'd reckon that 13 eyes would take me something between two and three hours to complete to a good standard - it isn't the splicing, it is the serving and tidying up that takes the time! And in a load bearing application, the splice should be tapered; not difficult, but it takes time. Another person (sorry - can't recall who!) mentioned that they reckoned 40 minutes for a wire splice; that sounds completely reasonable.

Note that wire splicing isn't cost free - to do a neat and quick job would require tools like a rigger's vice and suitable fids for wire splicing.

OK, a mechanical solution like Talurit will be quicker to make the splices, but there is a cost to the materials and you've still got the tidying up to do - I presume the end has to be cropped and so on. £90 for 13 splices is less than £7 each; a quick search suggests that the ferrules would be in the region of a £1 each. And if you haven't got the press, then you've got to buy or hire one. If you don't cost your time, you might do it cheaper - but what about the waste materials involved in leaning how to make a good splice?

 

[Lakesailor]

The OP mentioned this is for a restoration project. SO, whatever is to be used should be in keeping with the original style of the boat, surely?

He may be just refurbishing a boat back to usable condition. "Restoration project" covers many flavours of activity.

 

[dmmbruce]

Dyneema together with all fibre tapes and ropes loose about 10 to 15% strength when wet.

Cheers

Stu

Can you tell me please where you got the data to support this?

Thanks

Mike

 

[DownWest]

http://www.marinechandlery.com/products/8733/264/tools-and-kits/ormiston-hand-splicing-tool.aspx[/url]

I don't rate those LS, tried one once and the result in the larger size I wouldn't trust.
Made a hydraulic one from a 20t bottle jack in a steel frame. Works a treat up to 5mm. A smaller jack would have done, but I happened to have this one to jack my barn roof up.

DW

 

[Lakesailor]

I'll take your word for that. I would have looked at a hydraulic one if I was doing it, but the eye-watering prices would have me down at the local riggers.

 

[DownWest]

To expand on the question, in the larger sizes you have to have more than one go on the ferrule. Bit like nicorpress with the big grip tool. But if you have to use the screw clamp jobby, welt it with a hammer after doing up the screws. Not nice, but more secure..

The bottle jack press took all of an hour to make and has done quite a few swages, friends beat a path to my door. :<)
DW

 

[stownsend]

Appologies, got myself in a muddle, Dyneema doesn't loose any strength by being wet.

Cheers

Stu

Can you tell me please where you got the data to support this?

Thanks

Mike

 

[Jack B]

I have decide to get a hand splicing tool
Thanks
jack