Afixing Safety Bonds to Lanterns...

[Barney]

Sorry Dave, I disagree!

The small side-cutters I have (again for trimming electronic legs etc) cut much cleaner than a gun and I can get much closer with the cutters. You just have to make sure that you are using cutters that have a 'bite' that's on one side of the cutters (rather than the more common middle bite). Many guns I have seen still leave a little bit sticking out that you can (and will) catch yourself on.

 

I have had to demonstrate this several times during installations to disbelieving colleagues :blink:

[jamienip]

Although time consuming, could file the sharp ends off.

[Darkfold]

No, just get a set of modeling snips. They have an edge on one side, giving a flat cut on one side and are usually dirt cheap to replace when someone halfinches them.

 

Search for 'sprue cutters' and dont spend more than about £10-12 on em. I have a set of Xuron sprue and wire cutters. Lovely little buggers and sharp as.... they'll cut most soft metals as well (copper and brass as long as its quite thin) perfect for wires.

[jamienip]

What would the problems be with spot welding the things to the yoke arm?

[zonino]

I think you'd have to get them retested, also kinda makes a mess of the fixture!

[jamienip]

Myabe not so bad on the underside of the yoke arm, but SWL rating wise I suppose it would drop. Just a thought as to some fresh ideas.

[Doug kelly]

Yeah this is a valid option for the few S4s we have kicking about, or Pars but I'm mostly looking to do this to our stock of 40 SLs which the loop on the existing bonds is just not quite big enough to make it round the bottom of the yoke assembely.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you speak nicely to Siobhan at Rope Assemblies they will make them up for you with either the size of loop you want or can leave the crimp uncrimped for you to crimp yourself.

 

 

Doug

 

Moderation: Quote fixed.

[Nick Evans]

If STAC chains are outlawed under PUWER LOLER the Machinery Directive and all the other nonsense there is no way safety chains will survive. Don't they now have to be CE marked and tagged with SWL, inspected every 6 months etc? A massive leap forward in safety, the number of safety chains I have seen fail is er....nil (but that does not mean it does not happen, oh no!)

[Darkfold]

Probably true. Fortunatly the max load we end up rigging at the moment is 5kg inclusive of safety chain and c-clamp nuts bolts etc. I'd say (just a guess) that it would not be possible for a regularly inspected chain to fail in these circumstances. Hell, I'm more worried about the bar its attatched to most of the time as the school never has them tested or even has an installation record giving working loads...

 

If I could afford safety bonds I'd love to use em.

[robloxley]

SLX use a special type of crimp to attach their safety bonds - the advantage is that the bonds dosn't get choked round bars; however you have to crimp it the right way round with the karabiner on the short bit of wire, else you can choke the safety round the bar & will be relying on the crimp to hold the lantern. This is probably hard to get your head round unless you've an example to look at.

[timantley]

There's nothing wrong with using the cable ties, as long as they're done in a way that means they're not going to take any weight. Although they're just easy to cut off as they are to get on, don't look as tidy, and they're a ******* when you cut your hand on one you've just snipped the excess off!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Alternative method is to use pair of pliers to 'twist' the cable tie end; on smaller ties it will break smoothly under the leading edge of the clasp head. You have to twist with the pliers flush as possible.

 

I was shown this in the early 90's while doing electrical work in conduit trays; the need to smoothly remove the loose end is paramount- not only for worker safety, but so that the cabie tie doesn't 'cut' other cables.

[jamienip]

Alternative method is to use pair of pliers to 'twist' the cable tie end; on smaller ties it will break smoothly under the leading edge of the clasp head. You have to twist with the pliers flush as possible.

 

I tried to just twist and pull before, but ended up breaking the the important clasp bits off

[ianl]

you could bolt or rivit a small metal P clip (as used to screw pyro cable to wall) to the underside of the yoke with the safety wire passed through it

 

 

 

 

Dear All,

 

In recent months I am noticing that some of my safety bonds/chains go walkies at any given oppertunity, so I'm looking to afix them to our lanterns using something more permanent than black cable ties.

 

 

 

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Tomo]

If I could afford safety bonds I'd love to use em.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They are about a fiver a pop, and piecemeal replacement is easy to do.

 

Buy a few every time you hire something (nearly all hire places will sell them), and you'll replace the lot pretty quickly.

[MrPete]

As a slight deviation from the OP, when using lanterns of a more mature age that don't have a secondary suspension point (like the ol' Patt 223s, etc.), is there a safe way of attaching safety bonds to the lanterns directly as well as the normal through the yoke & bar method?

 

Would it change the function/rating/safety of the safety bond if this is possible?