Titanium Power Tool

[caribadive 0]

My friend is a packer, and he keeps bending his power tool closing containers. I thought I saw a thread about a titanium power tool, but I can't find anything searching the threads. Does anyone know anything about a titanium power tool?

[GaryRay 0]

yeah ive seen it at groundzero at lake elsinore. ive never seen one bend. i still like to just use a pull up cord since it works just fine for me.

http://www.square1.com/manufacturers/square1/p1450.asp

heres a link.

JewBag.
www.jewbag.wordpress.com

[VTmotoMike08 0]

Wow, mine is made of some misc medal that looks like some kind of steel and I can't imagine how much force it would take to bend it. I think a brand new closing loop would break first.

Anyway, titanium sure seams like an expensive material to make a simple tool out of.

[councilman24 36]

It was advertised in the classifieds here, but seems to have expired.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[caribadive 0]

I've never had a problem either, but he pulled 3 bent power tools out of his locker, and believe me they are bent. I was just at Elsinore, and they can't find them either.

[GaryRay 0]

weird, they probably sold out of em at elsinore with chicks rock just happening. 20min away is perris which is where square1 is, thats probably your next best chance.

JewBag.
www.jewbag.wordpress.com

[g2gjump 0]

Yes there is a seller on here who deals titanium packing tools he made me two brass ones. I've been using it for two seasons and it showed no signs of breaking.

check this thread out.
the guy who makes them is the user "jondavidson"
send him a personal message and i'm sure he would be happy to help you http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2491486;#2491486

Edit to make a clicky

[peregrinerose 0]

Have him switch to pull up cords. After a couple of weekends, the callouses will be so thick, it won't shred his hand any more. I've been a packer for 3 years, and find the power tools too cumbersome.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[Rdutch 0]

Quote

My friend is a packer, and he keeps bending his power tool closing containers. I thought I saw a thread about a titanium power tool, but I can't find anything searching the threads. Does anyone know anything about a titanium power tool?

bending power tools usually doesnt happen from pulling to close your rig, The bend usually happens when closing tandems, you have to be carefull when you pull your tool through the last flap, there is tension on your tool and you need to be carefull to pull it straight through the hole and not put tension on the end or the tool before it is out of the grommet.

Ray
Small and fast what every girl dreams of!

[swilson 0]

If he's using it properly, it's almost impossible to bend. If not, it's ridiculously easy to bend.

In the attached pictures, using it like in 0369, you should never bend it. But you have to put even pressure on all your fingers, and not pull more with the inner or outer fingers. If you use a closed fist when you are pulling on it, the pressure is generally pretty even.

If you use it as in 0370, with your fingers spread, the increased leverage will bend it pretty easily.

If your fingers are skinnier than mine, and you can easily fit three fingers in the middle, as in 0371, there is no support on the one end, which will also bend it.

[Halfpastniner 0]

It doesnt matter what their made out of...there still way to easy to lose! I went through 2 this year and decided to go back to the pull up cord...havent looked back

BASE 1384

[hackish 8]

I wouldn't class titanium as a great material for making these. Titanium isn't really that strong - it has an exceptional strength to weight ratio. The key to making one of these powertools so it won't bend is going to be in the heat treatment of the metal.

-Michael

[phoenixlpr 0]

Quote

I wouldn't class titanium as a great material for making these. Titanium isn't really that strong - it has an exceptional strength to weight ratio. The key to making one of these powertools so it won't bend is going to be in the heat treatment of the metal.

I don't get the problem domain. I've been using a PackBoy for about a year. Its still strait as it was and with the original cord. I've snapped several closing loop so far.

[DrewEckhardt 0]

Quote

I wouldn't class titanium as a great material for making these. Titanium isn't really that strong - it has an exceptional strength to weight ratio. The key to making one of these powertools so it won't bend is going to be in the heat treatment of the metal.

-Michael

Titanium has a much greater elastic range, so although it has half steel's stiffness you can bend it much farther before it deforms permanently.

Personally I just skip the things. I bought one with a heavy spectra cord and found that it was _much_ harder to get the closing pin in a proper length loop than when I was using a wider pull-up cord. Between that and the added time to attach and detach the cord closing took longer than not using the tool.

[friday999 0]

There are two types of these tools that I used. "Power tool" bended very fast, "Pack boy" survived for years now (I replace the cord now and then, of course).
Get a pack boy.

[Auryn 0]

Quote

Have him switch to pull up cords. After a couple of weekends, the callouses will be so thick, it won't shred his hand any more. I've been a packer for 3 years, and find the power tools too cumbersome.

I've packed for 4 seasons now, and I find that a pullup cord is indeed much faster for sport rigs. However, Sigmas require a power tool of some sort. the pictures that are posted in this thread are very instructive- my experience has been exactly the same. If they're used properly they won't generally bend. However, if you're packing for money and bend a tool every 1500 pack jobs you're out 20-60 dollars at most a season. Since I make about 10 grand every 1500 packjobs, replacing a 20 dollar tool isn't that big of a deal.

a fun jumper that uses one should almost never have to replace any of the models that are available, if they're used properly.

there are VERY few professional skills that have such a low outlay of $ for tools as packing does.

[jondavidson 0]

I do indeed sell titanium packing tools! Follow this link, or look in the classifieds under miscellaneous.
http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/classifieds/detail_page.cgi?ID=56670;d=1

I started making these tools because I was so unimpressed with the existing ones on the market. The handles on my Tugger tools don't bend in normal use because I space the grooves far enough apart that the load is spread across the length of the tool, rather than the ends. Heat treatment of the metal is not a factor, the design of the handle is critical.

I also hand tack each finger-trap. Yes, I know that a stitchless trap can work well, but I feel much more confident in sewing them, and this has proven to be very successful.

It's all a dream I dreamed one afternoon,
long ago.

[livnbored 0]

I've been packing for ten years and when I first used a power tool in 2000 I found it very cumbersome. I decided to spend the entire boogie using it because I figured I just wasn't use to it.
Conclusion. I will never use pull up cords again - unless I lose my tool.
I've bent two of them, one of them packing sigmas and the other when I was trying to rush a closing (but I suppose I'm always rushing).
My hands don't peel like they use to and though the calouses on the sides of my hands are thicker, I think they look sexier.
There are two tools somewhere out in the landing area at Skydive Burnaby and one in the woods surrounding Skydive New England.