Swaging question

[vetdrem]

It is my understanding that a properly installed swage is stronger than the cable itself. It is a good idea to check the installation using a "go-no go" gauge, or measuring it with a mic to make sure. If it's correct, the second swage shouldn't be needed.

Louie

[vetdrem]

I can think of many, many tasks associated with building an aircraft that are more difficult to do correctly than swaging a cable. Thousands of amature builders have accomplished hundreds of thousands of these tasks with great success. I am sure that there have been failures, as with anything, but given due diligence, this is NOT a task that is beyond amature builders.

Louie

[RandyL]

Good topic and a timely one for me. Does the expensive ($234) Nicropress tool yield better results than the "economy tool", or is it just a matter of convenience & speed?

Nicropress expensive swager...
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...wagingtool.php

[kmul]

i cant tell you which is better but i have the expensive one. it can feel awkward until you have used it a couple times. mine came set too tight so suggest a test swage first. integral cable cutter cuts cleanly. found that somtimes the initial and middle swage would guage ok but not always after the swage next to it done. just a matter of another squeeze and reguage it. i guess this would happen with the cheapo one too. i like it. maybe is not worth the extra $ for occasional use but if you like good tools its nice.

[Mark]

I have had to remove cables before by removing the swaged sleeve. The first time I cut into one, I thought I could cut one side of the sleeve between the cables and it would pop right off. When I cut it open, I could not budge the cable from the sleeve. Then I cut the other side of the sleeve. Neither half would move on the cable. It took two pairs of vice grips to pry each sleeve half from the cable. What happens in a proper swage is that the sleeve actually blends and forms itself into the cable. (By the way, the swage was made using the No. 1 Hand Swager (expensive one). The cable cutter on that thing is incredible. I also use it for swaging the electrical terminals on the #6 wire used for the battery and starter wiring.) Maybe your local EAA has one you can borrow.

I believe that most builders can produce better quality than a factory. By taking the time to make a proper swage, the rudder cables are the last thing you're going to worry about. As for double swaging, if it makes you feel good, go for it. An ounce (or six ounces) of prevention is worth a pound of peace of mind...

[Bryan]

For what it is worth, I was informed several years ago NOT to double swage cables. The reasoning behind this was that unless done perfect there would be more slack in one piece of cable between the two swages. This would allow the two pieces of cable two work against each other and cause them to loosen. Example: between your hands hold two pieces of rope and leave one looser than the other and then try pulling on the two and after a while they would both be the same. The question then would be did only one let the rope slide or did both allow movement? I was told to take the time to do the one properly and you will never have a problem. I have a friend that helped me and we actally tested a swaged cable to failure. The cable failed before the swage. This was with the single swage. I hope this all made sense to everyone. We were using the high dollar swaging tool.

[Jorge&Cindy]

Only time I can find where double swaging is acceptable is when doing a repair or splice to a cable:

Double swage

Single swage

[Agfoxflyer]

I have had plenty of practice swaging cables on my Series 5. I had three sets of cables on my plane before it ever flew. Let me explain. When the kit was delivered in 1998 the nicopress sleeves were copper. A few months after I installed the cables, Skystar issued a service bulletin. Stainless steel cables and copper sleeves do not get along. SB said to replace. So I did. Being the first time I had ever done swaging, I thought mine looked good. However after looking at pictures I decided to redo the whole process again for the third time. Fortunately only about $20 worth of cable each time. I have both the cheap swager and the "glorified bolt" cutter with swaging jaws. I found the cheap one akward. The more expensive one (not the most expensive one) was about $140.

[Skybolt]

I know... a little late, I was looking at the earlier questions about how to cut cables.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalo...lcocutters.php

I have the model # C-7F.
Well worth the investment, easy cutting, clean edges and easy to thread.

Cheers. Eric

[FoxBob]

So, it would appear that the swage should be about as close to the bushing as you can manage, but perhaps just far enough away so that the washer doesn't overlap the swage.