Swag off

[All U Get]

Hi all,

I've been busy with little projects and came across a roadblock. Pearson used a swag on the backstay to support the boom while raising the main. I saw a Macgregor with the same set-up. The pendant cable is long gone except for some fish hooks covered with tape near the swag. While the mast is down I'd like to get rid of it but nicking the stay would be a huge faux pas. Has anyone done this project?

All U Get

 

[woodster]

take a dremel tool with a metal cutting blade and cut the side the the long gone cable is on and then pry it open ...when its open enough take it off the stay that way you don't nick the stay cable

 

[caguy]

You can always leave the feral on. I use mine to keep my flag from sliding down the backstay.

 

[All U Get]

My rigger didn't think cutting the swag was a good idea. This one is about 1.5 inches long, possibly copper of some sort. Its about 15 feet from the end so it is above the deck quite a ways. I thought there would be a tool to carefully pull this apart.

All U Get

 

[woodster]

ahh the old leave well enough alone trick ...that is a good approach

 

[All U Get]

Is it common to use copper ferrules for this application? I'm thinking the ferrule would be the oval type and crimped on, maybe by a huge press. I'm going to look at it again.

All U Get

 

[Capt jgw]

Sounds like a NicoPress fitting. They're usually made of copper, nickel, aluminum out some combination of the above. All cut very easily with a Dremel, but cut on the side where the removed wire was. You're right, nicking the backstay would be really bad. Leaving it alone might be best unless its causing some other problem.

 

[centerline]

My rigger didn't think cutting the swag was a good idea. This one is about 1.5 inches long, possibly copper of some sort. Its about 15 feet from the end so it is above the deck quite a ways. I thought there would be a tool to carefully pull this apart.

All U Get

Like sailors, some riggers have more experiance than others...

There is no problem removing the nicopress swage fitting... but its true that you dont want to nick the backstay itself...

It is copper and that is the normal material for marine nicopress sleeves, tin plated copper.. aluminum will not last and will not even be safe after the first season of use, as there is too much corrosion too quickly.... only copper.
Stainless steel needs a hydraulic press to set them safely, as a nicopress tool will likely be damaged and not get the correct set in the fitting....

To remove the nicopress fitting, gently put the fitting in a vise and use a grinder to flaten one side of it and get as close as you dare to the cable... then turn it over and do the same on the other side... then a couple of opposing crescent wrenches used gently will twist the halves off the wire... it is amazing how strong the copper is, so get as much removed as you can.

One trick to use in your case, you are going to have a short tail onside the sleeve from the broken off pigtail.... you CAN grind into it without damaging the backstay wire, so that would give you the option of grinding one side nearly totally away, so that when you grind away and weaken the other side it will fold open fairly easy...

 

[dscribner]

Try a nut buster. It would split rather than cut the fitting. If it did reach the stay it would tend to splay the wires not cut them since the chisel is oriented in the same direction.

 

[All U Get]

I found a C-frame nut splitter/cracker that will do up to 3/4". I would still grind a flat spot on one side if I go that route. Seems like I would be less likely to screw it up.

All U Get

 

[All U Get]

Like sailors, some riggers have more experiance than others...

To remove the nicopress fitting, gently put the fitting in a vise and use a grinder to flaten one side of it and get as close as you dare to the cable... then turn it over and do the same on the other side... then a couple of opposing crescent wrenches used gently will twist the halves off the wire... it is amazing how strong the copper is, so get as much removed as you can.

One trick to use in your case, you are going to have a short tail onside the sleeve from the broken off pigtail.... you CAN grind into it without damaging the backstay wire, so that would give you the option of grinding one side nearly totally away, so that when you grind away and weaken the other side it will fold open fairly easy...

Well I got my courage up and new metal cutting wheel for my 4" grinder. It probably took 1 1/2 hours because I couldn't flip the cable since it was bound to the mast with the rest of the rigging. I got enough out to put in a vise and grind a flat spot. Then I flipped it to cut where the pigtail was. Our rigger walked by 1/2 dozen times to check on me, (I think).

The ferrule sides were 1/8 " thick so it didn't jump off but had to be pried and persuaded with gentle taps from a 3 pound hammer. Difficult work when you have to carry tools in the trunk of your car, always leaving one behind. I got plenty of the copper removed where the pigtail was, opening a groove wide enough to eventually spin it. The with gentle persuasion it opened enough to fall off. My wife provided lighting and drinking water for the project along with the usual comment, "Now that wasn't too hard."

All U Get

PS thank you for all the responses.