Glad your a-okay.... I use the 4/4 method, 4" gives me a 2" closed loop and 4" buried... nothings moving yet...rather be safe than end up on the ground...
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Glad your a-okay.... I use the 4/4 method, 4" gives me a 2" closed loop and 4" buried... nothings moving yet...rather be safe than end up on the ground...
Sounds like you made a "whoopsie" sling instead of a "whoopie" sling. :rolleyes:
The strength of the fixed loop comes from the bury. The lockes brummel can provide a little strength but the constriction around the bury is what is needed. The primary reason for the locked brummel is to prevent the bury from coming out when the loop is not loaded. You can make a fixed loop without the locked brummel that holds just fine. People do this and then run a few stitches through the bury to prevent it from coming out when not loaded.
Manufacturer's recommendations for the fixed loop bury is somewhere around 6 inches, I can't remember exactly with 2 inches of that being a taper. I have made them shorter but I'd never go less than 4.5 inches. Not surprised that 1 inch did not hold. Glad you did not get hurt.
The same happened to me his past weekend. I was using a continual loop that I had gotten through a buy on the for sale forum and wasn't sure how well they were made. Well the bury was too short and I hit the ground. I'm glad I don't hang very high so it was just a short fall on soft ground. :rolleyes:
Samson's recommended bury is 42 times the diameter of the cord.
7/64" = 4.59" + 2.29" taper
1/8" = 5.25" + 2.625" taper
Samson Rope claims a 90% to 100% strength with the lengths above.
I spoke with someone just last Friday who pulled a set of whoopies to failure using these specs.
Result: the rope failed (not on a splice) at the exact rating of the rope.
Since we hangers do not normally reach this maximum strength of Amsteel, many feel that the length of the buries can be shortened.
How much can they be shortened?
I bury all my suspension eyes a minimum of 4" (when using a locked brummel). I've never had a failure yet and am not interested in finding this lower limit.
It failed in about 2 seconds. (no swaying involved) After It happened, I looked at the other sides locked brummel---it was ready to go too! To be honest, if I had followed directions, and put a proper bury on it, it would have been fine. (but, as my wife will tell you, Ive never been into that whole "following directions" scene!)
Also, from now on I'm going to bring a small piece of wire with me when I hike---so I can repair/modify my amsteel while in the woods if needed! (for those who havnt made whoopie slings, a bent over piece of wire is used as a splice tool)
I know that I have been tempted to use less amsteel on a project, especially when I see how fast my stash is dwindling, but so far I have gone ahead and done it as recommended. I always think that no matter it it is expensive, it is still only a matter of less than a dollar to make sure something works. Penny pinching doesn't work here.
I try and go min 4 inches,,better at 5 just to be safe,,never had a failure yet.
I'm always tempted to cheat a little bit on bury length, and it rarely ends happily for me when I do. Fortunately my failures have occurred at home rather than out in the field, and they have taught me a valuable (sometimes painful) lesson: as much as I would like the extra 3-5 inches, they are a small price to pay for peace of mind :D
I've always understood that "locked brummels" are there to hold the loop together, only when no load is applied. It just keeps them from falling apart when they are thrown loosely into your storage bin at home, etc.
The bury provides the strength for a loaded situation. If you skimp on the bury, you are skimping on the strength of the suspension.
I have completely abandoned locked brummels in favor a sewing a few hand stitches into the bury.