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Old 11-01-2025, 20:44   #1
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Is this swage safe?

Hi,

I’m working on some lifelines. Is this swage ok visually? I don’t have a go/no-go guage yet, must order one. This is 1/8 SS from West Marine, copper-zinc swage, three presses. I’m using a hand swaging tool from Ace Hardware that is not as clean as the tool at West Marine (which I used a bit today) but costs 1/5 the price. Is there anything visually wrong with this one? The three swages somewhat overlap. Thanks!
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Old 11-01-2025, 21:04   #2
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Re: Is this swage safe?

I don't trust it, each of the "squeezes" looks different.
There's a reason that the original tool. as made or licensed by National Telephone & Telegraph became the standard of the industry.
The length of wire protruding out of the sleeve wants to be at least one diameter.
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Old 12-01-2025, 00:39   #3
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Re: Is this swage safe?

^^^^
Yep, those "squeezes" look pretty daggy to me, and in fact don't look like they have compressed as much as the ones that I have done.

I'm not a pro, but I would suggest trying again!

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Old 12-01-2025, 00:55   #4
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Re: Is this swage safe?

Ok, I’ve been practicing…
Here is a side by side of the same 1/8 sleeve crimped by two different machines. The right one was crimped by the West Marine bench machine (probably $250+). The left was swaged by me using a $50 hand swager.

The left one looks less even, but it is actually more compressed thsn the West Marine one is. Note that it is actually a bit longer after swaging after starting at the same size. So the cheaper machine is actually swaging it tighter than the West Marine one. It is not as pretty, but it is slso not as bad as my first few were…
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Old 12-01-2025, 02:29   #5
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Re: Is this swage safe?

There are you tubes on this. Your swage needs to be one wire diameter below the thimble and the tail extends one wire diameter past the thimble. and https://www.google.com/search?client...Y6mOBzJ0,st:38
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Old 12-01-2025, 03:06   #6
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Re: Is this swage safe?

It definitely is not getting completely to spec. The ACE sleeves are very soft aluminum even softer than copper.

The hand one from Loos is pretty cheap that you tighten with wrenches. Does a much better job. At the very least use 2 sleeves per end or it's actually not that hard to spice that wire especially if you also know how to splice 3 strand line.
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Old 12-01-2025, 05:56   #7
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Re: Is this swage safe?

Just for the record, that’s not a swage. It is a crimp.
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Old 12-01-2025, 06:12   #8
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Re: Is this swage safe?

If in doubt, just use two inline. Those crimps are not expensive.
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Old 12-01-2025, 09:09   #9
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Re: Is this swage safe?

You might check with CS Johnson re proper lifeline fittings & tools.
https://csjohnson.com/
Suncor https://suncorstainless.com/wp-conte...compressed.pdf
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Old 12-01-2025, 09:31   #10
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Re: Is this swage safe?

My local chandlery let me use their big ol' crimping tool. You might check if you have a chandlery nearby who will loan you one. On some things I'm a little neurotic. I like to have two crimps, but I'm sure that is overkill. Sometimes I like overkill. And MicHughV says, they're cheap.

edit, oops, I see you did it at West Marine. Well my crimps came out a little deeper than either of those.
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Old 12-01-2025, 09:39   #11
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Re: Is this swage safe?

Nope, no way, you need two on there at a minimum. I had one on a cable for my hammock and it slipped out dropping my wife on the deck. She was not pleased.
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Old 12-01-2025, 09:47   #12
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Re: Is this swage safe?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Boatguy30 View Post
It definitely is not getting completely to spec. The ACE sleeves are very soft aluminum even softer than copper.

The hand one from Loos is pretty cheap that you tighten with wrenches. Does a much better job. At the very least use 2 sleeves per end or it's actually not that hard to spice that wire especially if you also know how to splice 3 strand line.
The sleeves are not from Ace and are copper with zinc coating.
I have the Complete Riggers Apprentice with instructions on splicing 1/19. I would prefer not to do that if I can avoid it. It does not have very detailed instructions on this but about twenty pages on splicing 1/19, which nobody does anymore.

I will be looking for another tool, the ACE one is going back, it just isn’t that good. I may also just drive to the West Marine flagship store in New Port Beach if their rigging shop will use my wire…

That said, the Ace crimper actually crimped it visibly more than the West Marine crimper. It is clear just upon visual inspection and in the pictures.
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Old 12-01-2025, 10:05   #13
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Re: Is this swage safe?

Back in the good old days, WMP had a DIY crimping tool mounted on the counter by the crimp fittings. It was a lot faster than the hand tool that used wrenches to tighten, but I carried the hand tool on the boat, and it made just as good crimps as the big one.
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Old 12-01-2025, 10:07   #14
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Re: Is this swage safe?

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Originally Posted by donradcliffe View Post
Back in the good old days, WMP had a DIY crimping tool mounted on the counter by the crimp fittings.
They still do, one of the fittings in my picture was crimped at West Marine. I also have a hand tool and the one picture compares them.
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Old 12-01-2025, 11:59   #15
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Re: Is this swage safe?

I use a different material for this - more like post at #5.


If not using tractor grade heat shrink after the press, I would hide the short end within the ferrule - leaving any amt of wire out invites scratches and cuts to respective limbs.


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