Hand swaging lifelines.
- Thread starter Bill Cerino
- Start date
Nope, never sued Johnson. 
The Johnson crimping tool is designed to crimp sleeves. The Hayn fittings are designed to roll swaged. Two very different methods of attaching wire to fittings that are not interchangeable.
The Johnson crimping tool is designed to crimp sleeves. The Hayn fittings are designed to roll swaged. Two very different methods of attaching wire to fittings that are not interchangeable.
Would not want to trust a hand-crimped fitting for a lifeline. Swaging is already a compromise instead of splicing an eye in wire.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 23,022
Bill. I would not want to trust my lifelines in the Atlantic or Pacific oceans during a race to hand swaged fittings. I used a rigging company with a machine to make the swage. They proved that the machine was producing swage fitting which met the compression specifications for the wire and swaged unit. Consistent swaged fittings are nearly impossible to achieve with hand crimping tools.
Swaged Rigging Terminal Failures Raise Concern - Practical Sailor
Since 1974, Practical Sailor’s independent testing has taken the guesswork out of boat and gear buying.
www.practical-sailor.com
I've never understood the resistance to using hand swaged (nico press) cables. I built all new standing rigging for my M25 9 years ago and haven't died yet. As reported here a week or so ago I did have the unpleasant experience of taking the mast down wile on the trailer and snagging a tree limb , which did nothing but support my opinion on the strength of swages, as the only thing that broke was a SS quick link (note photo) on the forestay (ignore quick pin in same photo). I've also logged over 2000 hours airtime flying hang gliders in a previous life, which also use hand swaged side wires to support the wings. of course quality tools and proper use of them is vital no mater what you use, but I've trusted my life to them and will again. YMMV.
, which did nothing but support my opinion on the strength of swages, as the only thing that broke was a SS quick link (note photo) on the forestay (ignore quick pin in same photo). I've also logged over 2000 hours airtime flying hang gliders in a previous life, which also use hand swaged side wires to support the wings. of course quality tools and proper use of them is vital no mater what you use, but I've trusted my life to them and will again. YMMV.
Last edited:
The original question was can you use a crimping tool to connect swaging terminals to a lifeline, the answer is a resounding no. Are rolled swaged connections better or worse than a properly crimped (aka Nico Press) connection is a different question. Properly done, the crimped connections with at least 2 sleeves are pretty strong. There are some drawbacks to them, but they are strong enough for many applications.I've never understood the resistance to using hand swaged cables. I built all new standing rigging for my M25 9 years ago and haven't died yet. As reported here a week or so ago I did have the unpleasant experience of taking the mast down wile on the trailer and snagging a tree limb
View attachment 231959
One big drawback for crimped connections in life line applications are the ends of the wire that stick out and can snag sheets, sails, hands, lines and whatever. I wouldn't use them.
There are fittings designed for machine swaging and for hand crimping. CS Johnson calls their hand crimping products "Handy Crimp", I believe, and it is used for crimping with the designed crimping tool and NOT a machine swaging machine. I believe Hayn also has products for both. You cannot use machine swaging terminals for hand crimping. The ones designed for hand crimping are cheaper, convenient for the boat owner because he/she doesn't need special equipment beyond a hand crimper. Hand crimping products work well, but I guess if you are going off shore, it is best to spend the extra bucks for swaging your fittings on to your lifeline wire.