Re: Tubular Kevlar for lanyards where heat may be an issue.

[John N]

Another source for Spectra / Technora / Dyneema Amsteel core rope/cord:

T-100 Technora-Spectra Double Braid
1/4" Maxibraid Plus Yellow/Blue
7/16" Aracom T White/Red
Amsteel Dyneema Single Braid

 

[John N]

Berkeley Point's Spectra Cord:

berkeleypoint.com

 

[Rothrandir]

holy crap, that stuff is amazing! i connect the lanyards on my lights to a clip on my belt loop, and i would like to get a top of the line lanyard for my top of the line light...the arc ls. any suggestions? i have no way of splicing so i would prefer have something already made.

 

[John N]

Don has some pictures of some teathers made of Spectra cord on his web site, including instructions on how to make them:

http://dmcleish.com/spectra/index.html

If you don't want to make your own I think that limits things quite a bit. Berekeley Point has some cool teathers, although not Spectra, and not belt oriented. Maybe something will strike your fancy tho:

berkeleypoint.com

You might also check out Gearkeepers.com, they have some cool retractable ones:

gearkeeper.com

-john

 

[John N]

Oh, BTW, the stainless mini-clips that Berekeley carries are VERY cool. Now if only they would make them in Ti....

http://www.berkeleypoint.com/products/hardware/S0185-0035.html

 

[John N]

Back to the cord business, I noticed the Kelty Triptease Guyline has a Spectra core.

It's not nearly as strong (188lbs), but it is very thin, and has reflective stuff woven into the outer shell.

Cool stuff - I purchased some without knowing about the Spectra core.

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=3791&parent_category_rn=4500662

-john

 

[McGizmo]

Hi John,

Is the Kelty cord loose enough to bury the tail back into the core for a splice? 188 lbs is fine for a tether but I sure prefer the looks of a splice over a knot. Of couorse you can always sew the tail on to the body and then put a whipping over the joint...........

- Don

 

[John N]

Don,

Yah, I think so. Note the core is not braided.

-john

 

[McGizmo]

Thanks John,

As long as the tail will bury, the look is good and a tight whipping will likely bring the splice well into a workable load capability. Cool, I'll have to grab some of that when I am in REI next. BTW, there is some new fiber hitting the yacht racing scene now. I didn't catch the name but it has some strength, stretch and creep specs that make it preferable to spectra for running rigging. It does however degrade significantly when subjected to UV and I understand it tends to fuzz like the vectran does. As long as high temperature isn't an issue, spectra is pretty tough to beat.

- Don

 

[John N]

Here are a few quick snapshots:

http://www.navitsky.org/cord/
(Image "kelty2.jpg" shows sheath being bunched up)

From top to bottom:
1) Glow in the dark cord from Triple Aught Design
2) Kelty
3) CMG Infinity lanyard w/GID dots
4) Spectra cord from Berkeley Point

 

[John N]

Another one:

Spectra 2000 fiber. 150lbs, Spectra core, spectra woven cover. Looks like being sold as high performance kite string.

http://windstarkites.com/FlyLine-SportandStuntKiteLine.htm#BBSBlue

 

[John N]

Another thread source (kevlar, spectra, nomex) - this one has online ordering.

http://www.thethreadexchange.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=TTE

 

[John N]

Moving a bit off topic (as if there was a topic here), you can get Cordura (and other cool cloths) from Seattle Fabrics. Very tough stuff. They have a retail store in Seattle.

seattlefabrics.com

 

[McGizmo]

John,
Thanks for posting the links! I have a bunch of spectra thread. It can be a real treat getting the tension right ;-) This stuff is slippery!

- Don

BTW I have various weights of the kite string also. Handy stuff. It's good for stiching that won't break or rot.

 

[Bushman]

[No message]

 

[John N]

Kevlar cloth:

http://www.fiberlay.com/scripts/silverware.exe/catalog@d%3A%5Cdfs%5Celevclients%5Cfiberlay%5CELEVATOR.FXP?SEARCH_TREE01=05CARBON/KEV

Anyone know where you can get Spectra cloth in some semi easy way?

-john

 

[McGizmo]

John,

Those kevlar cloths shown are for GRP laminate constructions with epoxy, vinlyester or polyester resins. I believe spectra was tried early on in laminates but the resins would not bind with the spectra and it wouldn't wet out, or so I have been told. Anyway, I haven't run across any cloth in my travels or searches. I have found woven webbing in spectra and you can get sail cloth in spectra/ mylar laminates.

- Don

 

[Bushman]

After sending email i decided to cross post this...

Thanks to the thread about tubular Kevlar, I have constructed my first loop in 1/4" nylon flat webbing material. It came out pretty good for my first try. I had to use 00 surgical silk for whipping because that is all I had. The tensile strength of the silk leaves alot to be desired! I am now really interested (read hooked!) on making these lanyards.
I used a piece of paper clip for the fid. I tried a piece of the cmg lanyard material from an infinity but had could not feed the fid though the tight braid of the 1/8" material... I suspect it is due to the fact that it is not as "slippery" as the spectra?

I am planning an order of the spectra cord and whipping twine that is on the Berkeley point web site as well as my first set of mini clips (do you prefer matte or shiny finish) I suspect that the matte finish would not hold its "look" very long.

can you think of anything else that I might need to look at before I order?

 

[John N]

as well as my first set of mini clips (do you prefer matte or shiny finish)

I don't know yet. I have several "shiny" which are very cool. I just ordered some more and added a couple of the matte to the order so I can check them out. I suspect I'll like them both about the same.

Of course I also added a couple of the Ti gate clips, ought to be very cool. I have no idea what I'll use them for, but they'll be cool!

-john

 

[John N]

can you think of anything else that I might need to look at before I order?

I'm curious if the 3mm New England Tech cord or the 3/16 Yalelight might make a better lanyard than the Spectra cord*.

The up side is it has the nylon casing and will look better and resist abrasion better. The downside is it will be stiffer, harder to work and bigger(?).

I've got some 3mm New England Tech cord on order so I'll take a look at it when I get it. I haven't ordered any Yalelight yet.

Maybe Don has some thoughts about this.

-john

* Don't get me wrong, I like the Spectra cord - I just ordered another 100'.