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Crimping

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.
Awesome Gilbert, you da man! :D

Still reading through your post & looking at pics, but wanted to add 1 thing regarding melting the ends of the mono(a practice I advocate & also use on every crimp).

From [url]http://bluewaterhunter.com/techtips.html#2[/URL]

When using monofilament as your shooting line you should always "burn or melt" the cut end which will help keep the line from sliding through the crimp/sleeve if not crimped properly.

I have actually speared and landed blue water fish utilizing the burn or melting method WITHOUT actually crimping the crimp/sleeve at all. Oh bra, lucky uh!

You're my hero Gilbert - if only I had the tools to play with... :hmm
 
No Gill..you da man. Great post and thanks for spending the time testing these out. Karma coming your way.

Brad
 
Good to know my time was well spent. I was thinking of doing a test like this for a while. I just needed the excuse to do it. There are also some other tests that could be of use/interest to the spearos out there: wishbone tying methods, loss of rubber band power after prolonged loading (ie. "creep"), etc., etc… I've already tested a few American style trigger mechs just to verify manufacturers' claims. I can't share this particular bit of info though, as I could suffer legal consequences.

Bill, are you speaking of Jim Rizzuto of Hawaii Fishing News? Do me a favor and forward this thread to him and see if thinks its worth publishing. But then again, that would mean sharing the results with the polefisherman in Hawaii who are after the same fish. We all know that spearfisherman and polefisherman are sometimes at odds with each other. I was onced barked at after unknowingly swimming by an anchored bait that a guy on shore had slid. " Eh brah, why you scare away da fish!?!?!" I should have been more observant, after all, we do share the same resource for fun and food. But nevertheless, see what he thinks. I like casting a line into water too!

Gil
 
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"Bill, are you speaking of Jim Rizzuto of Hawaii Fishing News? Do me a favor and forward this thread to him and see if thinks its worth publishing."

Will do Gil and thanks again. He also has a Monday column in West Hawaii Today.
Aloha
Bill
 
Cheers Gil - some great tests !

Think I need to revise my strategy for crimping and tying. Mustn't let those big ones slip away.

That was really helpful and has helped me tremendously. Many thanks.

Ed
 
Here is one solution to joining the shooting line to the reel line I use this snap here and a proper swivel to join my shooting line to the muzzle bungee.The swivel is rated to 300 lbs I think and the snap is good for the same.
You just squeeze the sides of the snap together and it opens.
 

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another view of the snap and swivel
 

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Really good info Gil. I have had lots of frustrating experience with crimps. My close up vision isn’t great and I have made many errors that resulted in lost equipment. I’m looking forward to using your info.

I have come to the same conclusion over trial and error that spectra and dyneema line holds better with loop knots than any kind of standard fishing knots. It’s just too slippery for knots that tighten down on themselves. I think any of the standard line-to-line fishing knots like, uniknot, albright, or blood knot won’t work well.

I now use loop knots exclusively with spectra and dyneema. I even use them to attach to the spear by looping the whole spear through the knot. I tie a slightly modified called a surgeon’s loop by taking the loop twice through knot. Here an illustration of it. I read where this holds a little better.
don
 

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Hey fellas,

I never caught this thread before now but it's a good one and a good test by Gil. We use monofilament almost like the one he described, slightly larger 400lb 2.0, swaged with 2.2 double barrel Nickle or black treated copper crimps/sleeves.

I just wanted to add a couple things that can also make the difference between failure and non failure from my use and experience with mono over the last ten years on spearguns and fishing rods:

Black finish copper sleeves or nickel that match the mono being used (same brands) will always ensure a good connection since that's what the fishing manufacturers test their own mono strengths with (their own crimps or mono and vice versa). Use 2.2 crimps with 2.0 400lb mono, 1.9 with 300, etc...(match the hatch).

Stay away from the alluminum natural colored double sleeves, for some reason we find them weaker and easier to swager than the others and the few times we've tried'em there have been some failures.

The B method Gil described is the most common and works well, remember 70% of 400lb mono is nearly 300lbs of direct force and you should never be offering such resistance anyhow while fighting any fish or a rock. The floats, stretch in the mono, or the reel line should be used to play the fish to avoid ripping or break offs. It's an old saying among pro's the "rookies have break offs, pro's have occasional pull off's" A pull-off is beyond your control some time as the spear rips out or comes out as you play the fish and the connection, a break off or failure is user error. To cut to the chase, if your equipment is properly set up and connection is solid it's up to you to know how to properly play the fish to avoid both break offs or pull off's.

Some small things a watchful eye will always check are the holes where the shooting line loop attaches to the spear-shaft, I always take care to make sure they are beveled again with a small cone file or sand paper. A sharp shaft hole will cut the mono loop clean in a second with a sudden burst of pressure or power if it's too sharp. The other thing we do on all the guns we set up is a small last pre-ship check test, attach the spear shaft barb to a solid object like a work bench and pull it steadily from where the shooting line attaches to the muzzle bungie in the front of the gun applying a hefty amount of pressure to stretch your shooting line three or four times. Since mono stretches, it's best to try to stretch it when it's new so you don't have to reset your loop length and shock bungie length after the first few uses. You're also verifying that your crimping job is solid and there are no nicks or weakpoints in your shooting line you might have overlooked.

Lastly, if you're serious about your equipment and rig your own stuff invest $30-40 in a good Swaging tool like the one Gil showed. The other one that was shaped like needle nose pliers I saw at the beginning of this thread is okay, but you can never get the same torque or replicate the crimping job the proper crimper/swager will do closing the crimps correctly and professionally. The end result between a half ass crimping job and a good one is the difference between landing or loosing a strong fish.

Good luck, Mark
 
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