road trip - saw this somewhere near Mississippi River on I-94 today. I would like to see the
nicopress tool for this.
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Looked like 4 to 5" but reel says 3 3/4 - not sure that is diameter of the
wire rope.
I did an installation in Thunder Bay once and needed a few additional shackles. Didn't like the quality of Home Depot so we found our way to supplier who dealt with the shipping industry. When we told him what we were looking for, he told us to meet him in his warehouse and he'd try and find something small enough for us. We walked through a warehouse stocked with shackles that shipped one or two to a
pallet. Cables and fittings used to dock lake and ocean going freighters are a different world than we see in theatres.
Once upon a time in my Stratford days, a designer wanted some bigger chain for a 'draw bridge across a moat' piece of scenery to be flown as a change-over item in the Avon
proscenium space. The designer asked the TD what he had available in 'big' chain. The moral of this tale is: "Big" is a relative term and I've never forgotten how to measure chain since.
The TD asked the designer how big and the designer held his fingers apart about 4" and indicated links approximately 4" in length. He was also thinking something in lightweight plastic or nylon. We had a Dominion Chain plant in Stratford and the TD had a contact. Dominion Chain was called and asked what they had in
stock in "big chain". The contact asked how big? The TD answered "Oh maybe 4". The contact advised 4" was a little bigger than they dealt with in Stratford and asked how much / how long? The TD suggested approximately 100'. This was in the days before computers and the internet. The contact advised he had a truck coming up from Toronto that afternoon and he MAY be able to get 100' of 4" on it. As luck would have it, the stars fell into alignment and Dominion Chain Toronto managed to put 100' of 4" chain on the truck to Stratford. When it arrived at the Stratford plant, the contact left it on the truck and sent it over to the Festival's main
stage where they assumed it was wanted. A lengthy transport wound its way into the Festival's tiny parking lot and the Festival's
Master Carpenter was summoned. In the trailer was a double-length fork lift
pallet fitted with a very sturdy box approximately 4' high with 100' of 4" galvanized chain cresting over the top of the 4' deep box.
Chain is measured by the diameter of the wire from which the links are forged.
From memory, one link of 4" chain was between 1-1/2 and 2 feet long and would have made an anchor for the boats of most people I know. There were two spreaders forged within each link to maintain its shape under load. (Whatever its
SWL may have been.)
The fly lines at the Avon definitely weren't going to deal with this as a change-over item.
Having no way to even get the double skid box off the transport the Festival agreed to pay the
return shipping and restocking fees to
return the chain to Toronto.
I've NEVER forgotten how to measure chain.
@BillConnerFASTC I wouldn't want to have to carry the Nico test
gauge for your cable.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard.