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Installing spelter socket on wire rope

Andy FitzGibbon

Diamond
Joined
Sep 5, 2005
Location
Elkins WV
I want to install a spelter socket on a cable, and am wondering if I should do it myself or defer to professionals. It's going on a small die hoist crane, 3/8" cable, capacity supposedly 3000 lbs. (though the capacity placards were added later, and therefore don't necessarily have any meaning). The top of the hoist is about 8 feet off the ground, ie. things don't get lifted very high.
I think zinc is the traditional fixing medium but I have heard that some sort of epoxy is more popular these days. Anyone have experience with this?
Thanks,
Andy
 
I saw this done once years ago done with a type of Babbitt. I wouldn't trust doing by myself again with out experienced help. If its not done right it can fail unexpectedly. I would bet that just the weight of the lift never mind a load is enough to kill or seriously hurt someone. Can it be reworked to use rope clips or a crimped connection.
 
Epoxy sockets

We used epoxy sockets when we replaced the steering cables on Medea. We got them from Coordinated Wire Rope in San Diego and since they do a lot of the heavy rigging work in the area, we figured their recommendation was good enough for us. Three years now with no problems.
 
I've had the best luck with having the local Wire Rope store terminate the cable for me. They have a 130ton press that swedges a nice bung in place just for this type thing and meets the cable rating (which is way over 3000lb for 3/8 cable). I'd expect it to cost about $20. Worth it for a vitical hoist.
 
I used to test those zinc sockets at work on a Tinius Olsen testing machine and after watching the setup, and testing the sockets, no way would I risk my tuss on it. The professionals have enough trouble with them, much less an amature.
David from jax
 
We do this a lot for anchor wires and the like. The procedure is fairly simple:
1. Reeve the wire through the socket.
2. Unravel the end so that you only have strands of single wires. Put binding wire on the cable to make sure it doesn't unravel too far.
3. Degrease the unraveled end thoroughly.
4. Suspend the socket vertically and make sure the end of the socket is where the cable starts to unravel. Close the end off with a rag or tape.
5. Pour in your resin. This used to be some kind of molten metal, but this has long since been replace by a 2-component resin such as "Wire-Lock" or "Socket-Fast"
6. Wait till the resin is cured and snap off the protruding wires of the cable.

A word of warning: our crews who do this have to follow a course and have a certificate. If the socket fails under load and there is damage to property or personal injury the insurance won't pay if the socket was installed by an unauthorized person.
 








 
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