• Welcome to the DeeperBlue.com Forums, the largest online community dedicated to Freediving, Scuba Diving and Spearfishing. To gain full access to the DeeperBlue.com Forums you must register for a free account. As a registered member you will be able to:

    • Join over 44,280+ fellow diving enthusiasts from around the world on this forum
    • Participate in and browse from over 516,210+ posts.
    • Communicate privately with other divers from around the world.
    • Post your own photos or view from 7,441+ user submitted images.
    • All this and much more...

    You can gain access to all this absolutely free when you register for an account, so sign up today!

crimping without a crimper

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
Last edited:
Reactions: SubSub
Must fully disagree....USE aluminum oval crimps and NOT copper. Copper is hard, brittle and will cut line where aluminum will not. 2 crimps is not better than one actually worse. Twice the opportunity to cut line and twice the weakness of line by using crimps. One single properly applied crimp work for even the biggest fish. Yes heat a screwdriver tip and ever so slightly melt the end. It will prevent slippage. Proper crimping technique is very important also. Don't overcrimp
 
Reactions: SubSub

I use a single copper crimp and it seems to work. I've never had shooting line fail at the crimp. However, I know that many people who shoot big tuna etc. use two crimps.

But I'm curious about the logic of saying that two crimps give twice the opportunity to cut the line and twice the weakness. If we use no crimp at all, then we avoid any possibility of cutting the line but then there is nothing to keep the line from slipping. We must use a crimp because the hold on the line outweighs the danger of cuts. Why won't two crimps provide an extra hold that outweighs the additional chance of cuts?
 
I guess that depends on how you crimp. If you over crimp, you squeeze / stress the mono. And if you do that twice, well I guess that would be twice the risk. But if you crimp correctly and don't f*** up your mono in the process I don't see why it wouldn't work with two crimps, but on the other hand I don't really see any reason what so ever to put two on. which have you heard of most, crimp slip or line/mono failure?
 
The reason I dont like to use aluminium swages/crimps is electrolysis. It doesn't take very long for the aluminium swage to corode if it is resting against a wet salty stainless steel spear. I use the copper alloy ones only now if there is a choice to avoid them becomming sacrificial anodes. I am happy to use a single swage on 300lb mono, but I always like use two when using 400 & 500lb mono for larger fish. I have seen swages slip often on fish like tuna when they haven't been done properly, this includes factory/shop swaged mono. I always do my own swages as this also gives me that extra level of confidence.
 

Hi Bill,

As you might remember, my large target fish are dogtooth tuna and giant trevally on Pacific reefs. Pound for pound the hardest fighting fish in the ocean, no other fish come close to include tuna and marlin. I am anal about my gear because of that.

Ill tell you why I use aluminum crimps

1. Copper vs Aluminum....serious big game fishermen use either brass or aluminum, never copper. When I first started spearing I used copper because that was what the stores had and I didn't know any better then over the years I learned why aluminum is better.
-- The most popular aluminum crimps are long and short - oval barrel or the 2 hole barrel. I use long aluminum oval sleeves.
-- Aluminum crimps are soft and don't have sharp edges. When crimped properly, they will not crack or break and squeeze and grip the line vs copper which because of its hardness will not do that. Edges of copper are sharp and many people have lost fish when the line is nicked by those sharp edges. Also with copper, the place on the crimp where you actually crimp the sleeve can get small cracks and over time along with the sharper edges of a copper crimp can actually nick any part of line around the crimp and cause overlooked damage.

2. Aluminum does not corrode in the sense it would cause any damage to a crimp for spearfishing. The only thing close that would happen is that they might become discolored over a long period of time. Not a factor as by the time they might change color, I would be changing out the line because of line damage not associated with crimps.

3. Two crimps vs one....A long time ago I did a lot of on-line research on crimping, read many articles and watched videos and the consensuses was that one proper crimp is better than 2. To summarize the reason is two fold, one a proper crimped long barreled crimp can hold an amazing amount of pressure enough for most fish encountered by fishermen and second reason is that because of the damage most people make by doing improper crimps this damage is increased 2-fold and does weaken and damage line.

4. I NEVER accept factory crimped mono. Ive seen too many botched jobs to NEVER trust them. Just because they come from a "factory" does NOT mean they are superior. With something as critical as crimps never take a chance.

5. I have moved away from mono. I am using the "benthic" type hard shell lines now due to the abrasion resistance they offer vs mono. I crimp this also using the same techniques I explained before.

6. I really like your large crimper....but for me traveling, they are just too heavy. They are the best because they are adjustable and allows a person to not over crimp seeves

Make sense?
 
Makes sense to me Woody. If you are shooing dogtooth and GT then what you use must work and I defer to your experience.

5. I have moved away from mono. I am using the "benthic" type hard shell lines now due to the abrasion resistance they offer vs mono. I crimp this also using the same techniques I explained before.

Now you have my attention for sure. After seeing spearq8's video comparing shooting lines, Ive been trying out the stuff:

https://benthicoceansports.com/collections/lines-rigging/products/1-7mm-stiff-dyneema

Is that what you're using. And if so, which size. I started with the 1.4 mm but its pretty hard on the hands and floats around a lot, so recently I rigged a gun with the 1.7 mm. I suspect you may use the 1.9 mm? I've been putting a single crimp on it and I'm concerned whether that is safe. I think I've shot just three fish using that stuff, and the biggest was only 40 pounds. If a crimp holds that line with a dogtooth, then I feel good about it.

BTW, I didn't realize that you were the same guy using a different name on Spearboard until I saw your apology for being late in the discussion about getting rid of the disgusting Politics and Religion forum because you were discussing crimps with me over here.
 

HA!

Bill, I use the 1.7. I tried the 1.9 and its just too thick. I use a single crimp but tie a knot as a tail to try and prevent it pulling out. The line is good and I also use it as reel line. Ive been using this type of hardshell line for a long time. It was originally developed for kite line and marketed under another brand name (cant remember the original name) Its good stuff and can be used for anything to include wishbones
 

That's good to know. I haven't been sure I could trust a crimp on this line, but if you can shoot a dogtooth with it than surely it will hold that 79 pound white sea bass that I'm going to shoot this year. I'm tying a knot too.
 
Reactions: foxfish
It is my turn to fully disagree. I would never give an advice if I was not confident. I never had an issue with a sleeve cutting the line if you do it right. Your claim that two crimps are worse than one defies the laws of physics. Aluminum crimps are thick walled in comparison with copper - aluminum is weaker given the same thickness and creates more drag. Also when I shoot actively I replace my line every week without even examining it since the mono is weakened every time the fish drags it across rocks. Dragging across some corral would pretty much destroy it. 100 meters of mono 1.4mm cost about $10 and each sleeve costs about 4 cents tops. My shooting line thus costs about 50 cents to replace. It is a disposable item that if not replaced regularly will make you lose a fish and/or a spear.
 
I’m using the 1.7 mm stiff spectra so I took a piece and went to a tackle store to find aluminum crimps to fit. It was surprising how different brands labeled the same size line differed. I finally settled on crimps labeled as 2.0 mm. The line was just very slightly loose but I figured it was the best I could do.

Then I had trouble finding the right hole in my crimping tool. One hole was slightly too large. It seemed to squeeze the aluminum a lot, but when I leaned on it hard the line slipped. So I tried the next smaller hole and it left a thin line of aluminum down each side where the crimp escaped the jaws. It did seem to hold but I’m not comfortable with it looking like that. Maybe the problem is the thickness of the aluminum. I think I’m going back to the 1.9 mm copper crimps that I’ve been using for that line. They fit perfectly in one hole in the crimper and they seem to hold fine.
 
Last edited:
 
....a good crimping tool , the correct crimps and the correct line for the desired purpose are the best option to do proper, safe and fast crimping.
..nonetheless i have never owned a crimpingtool myself. at the time when i had to do my first crimping, i had no crimpingtool,
so i used the side-cutter that i had. with the result that my crimps was holding up any pressure applied.
so i kept doing my crimps with a side-cutter , and since i never had one of my crimps failing.
many hundreds of crimps for many years. so there was no need for me to ever buy a crimpingtool since my crimping was working
100 percent . many fishes in all different sizes had been shot that way, and while i had any part of eqipment breaking at some point under pressure, never had my crimps fail.
with the exeption of going to bluewaterhunting using lines and big floats with the goal of catching large peagics,
i would go and get all my crimps done with a friends pro-crimpingtool. specially those on steel-cable and those connecting the slip-tips.

but again, just because things work that way for me, i would still recommend to anyone serious about their equipment,
to get a good crimpingtool. and run some test before diving. take a piece of mono and some crimps , crimp them and then
apply force to them, to be sure you done it right.

 
The reason I dont like to use aluminium swages/crimps is electrolysis. It doesn't take very long for the aluminium swage to corode if it is resting against a wet salty stainless steel spear. ...
Really? I've never noticed a problem with aluminium crimps. Nor with old, anodized aluminium climbing carabiners ("Clogg, Wales") that I have used on my floats for 12 years. I do rinse all my gear with freshwater after use though.
 
Really? I've never noticed a problem with aluminium crimps.
Aluminum and stainless are a BIG no-no. Their contact creates a galvanic corrosion process. Aluminum on a nylon mono would be a non-issue. My father once built a gun with an aluminum handle with stainless bolts holding it together. After a couple of seasons he could not unscrew the bolts. You learn the hard way!
 
Really? I've never noticed a problem with aluminium crimps. Nor with old, anodized aluminium climbing carabiners ("Clogg, Wales") that I have used on my floats for 12 years. I do rinse all my gear with freshwater after use though.

..it can be a problem. of course it have much to do on how intense you using your equipment and how well you maintain it.

here an example with copper crimp and stainless cable....
 
..it can be a problem. of course it have much to do on how intense you using your equipment and how well you maintain it.

here an example with copper crimp and stainless cable....
View attachment 51923
Also a galvanic corrosion. Actually a proper way to crimp a stainless cable is with a stainless crimp (expensive) or with a TIN COATED copper one.
 
..this is a pic of an old aluminium reel-plate that i tightened with stainless-steel-srews onto a woodgun..

 
Really? I've never noticed a problem with aluminium crimps. Nor with old, anodized aluminium climbing carabiners ("Clogg, Wales") that I have used on my floats for 12 years. I do rinse all my gear with freshwater after use though.
If you arent putting a lot of strain on the mono, shooting big fish, using a stainless steel spear, or are replacing it every week or less, it wont matter so much. But if you store your gun with a stainless spear & an aluminium swage resting against the spear near salt & dampness, you are asking for trouble. I did used use Jinkai swages 25 years ago but saw how they became corroded in just a few days on a boat, I changed to copper alloy & will never go back. Also saw & still do, lots of big fish lost because of corroded aluminium swages from folks who wont listen to experience. If you are going to change your mono every week or sooner in marine environments aluminium may be best for you, but its another weakness or risk that can be easily eliminated.
 
Reactions: Mr. X
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…