Hi it's time to open a can of worms. I have re rigged my main mast with swagged fittings which were made up to size by a rigging company in Sydney and then installed by me. Now being a bit frugal ( tight I think is correct ) I have to do the mizzen , it's a baby only with a sail of 6m x 2m . I was thinking of using a thimble and swage with 3/16 wire . It currently has 3/16 wire with swagged turnbuckles . We redid my mates 55 year old boat twice like this no problems . Nico press I think it's called in the states . Is it not done like this now so you have to buy more single use only products or is there a more beneficial reason than some one making more money . open to suggestions and or experiences . Cheers
The problem with thimbles with this size wire is getting the bend with out opening the SS wire too much. Recently I re built the rigging on a Corsair using these.http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Stainless-Steel-Wire-Rope-Balustrade-Kit-Jaw-Swage-Turnbuckle-Eye-Screw-Fork-Lag-/321649181482?hash=item4ae3c9032a:g:aukAAOSwRLZUB8VT
Not that particular one or size but that sort of stuff. I made a hydraulic press to compress the swage but ended up using a sledge hammer on swage teeth to get a good grip, SS is hard to press down. There are plenty of companies who do balustrades about that will do the job for you.
Select to expand quoteoldboyracer said..
Hi it's time to open a can of worms. I have re rigged my main mast with swagged fittings which were made up to size by a rigging company in Sydney and then installed by me. Now being a bit frugal ( tight I think is correct ) I have to do the mizzen , it's a baby only with a sail of 6m x 2m . I was thinking of using a thimble and swage with 3/16 wire . It currently has 3/16 wire with swagged turnbuckles . We redid my mates 55 year old boat twice like this no problems . Nico press I think it's called in the states . Is it not done like this now so you have to buy more single use only products or is there a more beneficial reason than some one making more money . open to suggestions and or experiences . Cheers
Hey,
Using the ferrule and thimble method is usually only cheaper if you are using the old turnbuckles.
If you are buying new turnbuckles then they can be more expensive than the swage type plus you have to buy ferrules, thimbles and a hand tool to do the pressing.
The other reasons not to use the method you are using are;
- as said by Ramona, it is difficult to get the wire to bend nicely around the thimble
- to have a full strength swage you should have 1/2 the wire diameter length of with protruding from the swage, this make a sharp point for hands/clothing
If you have pics, lengths and pin sizes I can quote you on making them up with roll swages and sending them to you, you'd be suprised how cheap it might be.
