At Willow Creek Church, suspending scenery is very common. At times, we may create over 100 cable drops to suspend a certain weekend look that weighs a few thousand pounds. Even though it's a lot of detailed work with the risk involved, I'm comfortable due to the frequency of such proejcts. One area of concern I have for churches who don't suspend scenery very often (and may be considering it for the upcoming Christmas holiday season) is the way they choose to creating cable ends. Using aircraft cable doesn't have to be scary stuff. It can be quick and reliable when done properly using the correct techniques, crimping tool and hardware. Let's unpack some information and quickly eliminate some of your fears.
Tools
There are many great crimping tools on the market including the hand swage tools --- cordless and hydraulic. One of my favorite crimping tools can be purchased for just over $200: the HSC600B from Fehr Brothers. I've used this model for several years, and it consistently produces a great crimp.
But before you crimp, you must cut the aircraft cable; not a task to be dismissed. For example, it's best not to use a grinder to cut the cable because of the heat that is generated. The heat can distort the metal properties in the cable that could cause failure. You may choose to save a few dollars and just use a bench vice, pliers, hammer or teeth to cut the cable. Please take note: It's true that those methods may cost nearly nothing, but they guarantee failure when the cable is pushed to the limits. Always use the correct crimping and cutting tools for your cable and swages.
Swages
There are three styles of swages, also called sleeves or ferrules. Round swages are used for cable end stops; oval and double barrel swages are used to make a cable end loop. The double barrel is my favorite and most used swage. It keeps the cables in their proper places while crimping. All three swages are available in a variety of cable sizes and materials such as aluminum, copper, zinc-plated and stainless steel.
There have been many discussions on which swage holds better under a shock load: copper swages or aluminum swages. From my experience and research the copper swages are shown to hold up better under a shock load, but both are equal under load weight.
Depending on the applications aluminum and copper are used the most for indoor applications and zinc-coated and stainless steel are used for outdoor use. Bear in mind, using two dissimilar metals, or the wrong kind of swage material for outdoor use can set up a corrosive reaction resulting in failure in a short period of time. Also, remember corrosion can also happen by wrapping tape around the swage and cable. Tape is a “No no.”
Remember that a great-looking set is only a success if it is also presents a safe environment. Ensure you are use the proper tools to assemble and fly your scenery, and make a commitment to constantly improve your rigging skills.
