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  1. #1
    Senior Member kayak4water's Avatar
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    Begging Suspension advice, 1/8" amsteel thwarts whoopie maker

    Hi hangers,

    I didn't know how to search for an answer to my problem.

    Noob am I. For your help, I implore you. Using 1/8" Amsteel from diygear supply, I made three whoopie slings for two hammocks, but cannot, after two or three tries, finish the fourth. With the first three I struggled to get the amsteel to pass through the buries. With the fourth, I just could not make the long bury. I might have tried to convert to a Utility Constrictor Rope but in frustration, I just cut off the offending rope section, made a 12" long Amsteel loop with a fisherman's bend to connect the hammock to a pair of SMC rings, from which a 15' long polyester webbing would connect to a tree. Diagram below:
    Scan_20140509 (2).jpg

    That said, I'd like to temper my defeat at the hands of the whoopie sling deities and still keep things light. In the following set up,
    Scan_20140509.jpg
    the suspension looks more complex than it really is. from left to right: Hammock (black), linked by Larkshead to Amsteel loop (also black), linked by larkshead to one SMC descender ring (blue) to allow for rain drips, Amsteel (light blue) with a trucker's hitch to tree hugger (green).

    Please tell me if you think this would work in practice. I welcome suggestions for improvement. I don't want to fall.

    I don't know why those online videos make burying the rope appear so easy, while it takes me >45 minutes to complete a single whoopie sling with the 1/8" amsteel.

    thanks
    Jeff

    edit: To view the diagrams in their full glory without obscuring the text, I click on a thumbnail above then click on the enlarged image--it then appears in a new tab (in Google Chrome). Then I can move that tab to another part of my screen and view both. baby steps.
    Last edited by kayak4water; 05-10-2014 at 01:50.

  2. #2
    Senior Member
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    Quote Originally Posted by kayak4water View Post
    ...I don't know why those online videos make burying the rope appear so easy, while it takes me >45 minutes to complete a single whoopie sling with the 1/8" amsteel....
    Amsteel is a poor choice for systems using knots. Practice a bit more on splicing.

    Are you tapering the end before attempting to make a bury? What method are you using to make buries.

    Splicing gets easier with practice and learning the correct techniques. As an example, here's a blurry vid I made of making a dogbone...a length of 7/64" amsteel with eye splices with locked brummels on both ends. It took 4.5 minutes. Add a minute to cut and mark the amsteel which was done off camera.



    Let us help with your splicing and you'll find it is easy and fun...many say addictive.

  3. #3
    Senior Member craige's Avatar
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    I agree with everything gmcttr said. Once you get the hang of it you will come to hate the look of knots on braided cord too. I even spliced the line for my shoulder strap water bottle holders

  4. #4
    Senior Member oldgringo's Avatar
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    Don't give up...I've been at this for nearly 5 years, and still get the occasional splice that fights back. <shrug> It happens.
    Dave

    "Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self."~~~May Sarton

  5. #5
    Senior Member Pipsissewa's Avatar
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    I agree with the experts above. And, although a double or triple fisherman's knot is fine to make a loop, a trucker's hitch will probably slip with Amsteel. Good luck!
    "Pips"
    Mountains have a dreamy way
    Of folding up a noisy day
    In quiet covers, cool and gray.

    ---Leigh Buckner Hanes

    Surely, God could have made a better way to sleep.

    Surely, God never did.

  6. #6
    Senior Member AaronMB's Avatar
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    Definitely don't give up! It's fun once you get it; sounds like you need to taper your end. A good splicing tool will help, too, especially in the learning phase. Lots of us use these for Amsteel. I got mine from a fabric shop locally.

  7. #7
    Senior Member
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    I can splice in my sleep. Maybe it helps. ;-) I also tie knots and hitches on a regular basis. It is a matter of picking what is needed for the job. I would not use the trucker hitch with amsteel though it will work. The strap system is fine. The only thing most of us would do is to use splices to make continuous loops.

    FWIW - with loose hollow braid the secret is to taper the end, tape on wire leader that is threaded through what will be the outside part then gently push the outside over what will be the inner rope. Pushing the outside expands the tube, pulling on the wire compresses the tube. Do not use too much tape as that can make a bulge. The wire acts as much as a steering tool as a pulling tool. A little tension to keep things rigid is all one needs on that part. Put a brick on the slack or tie it off to maintain tension then milk the outside up the pole. Don't forget to allow for shrinkage in the outside part. HTH.
    YMMV

    HYOH

    Free advice worth what you paid for it. ;-)

  8. #8
    Senior Member kayak4water's Avatar
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    Thanks for the support. I did taper, cutting four to eight strands of the twelve that the 1/8" amsteel has. I tied upholstery thread to the remaining strands, then passed the thread through the middle of the amsteel and could work a few inches into the long bury of the fourth whoopie sling. I ended up with the 4 strands at the end of the bury pulled a few extra inches out of the rope. I must have gotten "the occasional splice that fights back" or maybe I cut too many strands. Maybe five or six is the right number to cut, making it possible though still difficult to do.

    Viewing the short video gmcttr posted above leads me to believe that 1/8" amsteel is very different from 7/64" On a 1-10 difficulty scale I rate the first three whoopie slings I made with 1/8" amsteel at 8 to 9. If you've found 1/8" amsteel easy to work, then I have some serious technique deficiency. Beyond that, if I make any more slings, I will use 7/64" so maybe things will go easier.


    Jeff
    Last edited by kayak4water; 05-10-2014 at 09:48.

  9. #9
    Senior Member
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    I find the larger diameter of 1/8" amsteel to splice as easily if not a bit easier than 7/64". It sounds like you might have snagged a strand of the amsteel as you passed the thread through which the bury would catch on as you tried to pull it in.

  10. #10
    Senior Member oldgringo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gmcttr View Post
    I find the larger diameter of 1/8" amsteel to splice as easily if not a bit easier than 7/64". It sounds like you might have snagged a strand of the amsteel as you passed the thread through which the bury would catch on as you tried to pull it in.
    Agree. This is the source of most problems.
    Dave

    "Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self."~~~May Sarton

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