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hackish

Relines - snippety snipp snipp - Scissors?

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I've been cutting vectran lines. At first I had a pair of $35 clauss titanium series scissors. After 2 relines they were so dull they wouldn't cut zp nylon. So I paid $70 for some henkels superflection series. These cut better but having cut off only a single set of lines I can already tell they're getting dull.

The lines are old, frayed and dirty but not full of sand,mud or anything noticeably abrasive.

Is there a better way to remove old lines? A different tool? How do the guys who reline 50+ canopies a year do it?

-Michael

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How do the guys who reline 50+ canopies a year do it?



I use orange-handled fiskars. They cost about $8 a pop. Loosen the larkshead just enough to get one point in, and keep the tips close together as you push the blades forward onto the line. So you're never really opening the scissors, and you aren't using your hand strength to cut the line - you're just sliding the two blades across it and letting them do all the work.

A couple pretty significant bonuses to using cheap scissors for this:
- it's not so heartbreaking when you have to throw them away.
- you can also buy cheap scissor-sharpeners (about $15, I think) that work incredibly well on cheap scissors, though they probably are worthless on high quality blades.

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ChrisHoward

Box cutter. Works great and new blades are cheaper than new scissors.



I don't have the confidence to bring a box cutter that close to a multi-thousand dollar canopy. Or sometimes in my case a multi-hundred dollar worn out tandem canopy :)

-Michael

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betzilla

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How do the guys who reline 50+ canopies a year do it?



I use orange-handled fiskars. They cost about $8 a pop. Loosen the larkshead just enough to get one point in, and keep the tips close together as you push the blades forward onto the line. So you're never really opening the scissors, and you aren't using your hand strength to cut the line - you're just sliding the two blades across it and letting them do all the work.

A couple pretty significant bonuses to using cheap scissors for this:
- it's not so heartbreaking when you have to throw them away.
- you can also buy cheap scissor-sharpeners (about $15, I think) that work incredibly well on cheap scissors, though they probably are worthless on high quality blades.



Sorry for not mentioning the gals too. I have never looked for scissor sharpeners... good idea.

I've been using a temp pin to slip into the tape and pulling up tends to loosen the larkshead enough that the cut off loop comes out. Maybe the super tight larkshead is a tandem specific problem.

-Michael

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Sorry for not mentioning the gals too



ha! in this context, I take the word "guys" to be non-gender-specific. No apology necessary :)

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I've been using a temp pin to slip into the tape and pulling up tends to loosen the larkshead enough that the cut off loop comes out. Maybe the super tight larkshead is a tandem specific problem.



Some lines will be tighter on the tabs than others, as I'm sure you've noticed. I usually push up on the line, toward and against the tab, to loosen up the larkshead, then cut at the apex of the loop.

I wouldn't have the nerve to use a box-cutter either. I don't need any more patch practice, nor do I enjoy replacing line attachment tabs, haha...

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betzilla


Some lines will be tighter on the tabs than others, as I'm sure you've noticed. I usually push up on the line, toward and against the tab, to loosen up the larkshead, then cut at the apex of the loop.

I wouldn't have the nerve to use a box-cutter either. I don't need any more patch practice, nor do I enjoy replacing line attachment tabs, haha...



No doubt a knife slip would hit the seam on the loaded rib too, just to make a repair more "interesting".

Just for kicks I tried to slip the end of the temp pin into the loop on the larks head but couldn't get it in there... At least not without risking damaging the tape and becoming grumpy having to fix things. Do you think this problem is specific to the 1000lb vectran?

-Michael

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Just for kicks I tried to slip the end of the temp pin into the loop on the larks head but couldn't get it in there... At least not without risking damaging the tape and becoming grumpy having to fix things. Do you think this problem is specific to the 1000lb vectran?



I don't think so, though vectran being a little "grabbier" than other line types, it might just be tougher to pfutz with.

if I had a canopy in here at the moment with an over-tight larkshead on a line tab, I'd shoot a little video to show you how I handle it. Maybe later in the week when I'm at summerfest, I'll team up with the fabulous Miss FluffieDuckie to make it happen.

The worst mishaps I've had in hundreds of relines (I miss relines. Don't get to do many of those at my current gig) are maybe 2-3 line attachment tab replacements required, and maybe two fingertip cuts and a palm stab. Could definitely have been worse!

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I quite enjoy doing relines because it takes a canopy that nobody wants to jump and puts enough love back into it that the TIs will rush to grab the rig that has the one with fresh lines!

I would be interested to your line removal process. I don't have a tacker and doing a nice looking tack on a 20U takes some time. However I just hacked up a needle synchronizer and hopefully it will improve the process slightly.

I'm enough of a computer geek that I'll be adding a stitch counter to it too! Backup 12 stitches, Switch to zig-zag and go forward 24. Not center start but it does start on the unloaded end and satisfies the manufacturer requirements.

The thing I'm always nervous about is cutting the tacks on the stabs. I take a razor blade and sweep the line itself several times to get the zig-zags then it will spread enough to get a ripper between the line and tape to cut the straight stitches.

So far I've gotten complete removal of old lines down to 30 minutes.

From there I install all the cascades, then A's and finally C's. Spend a few minutes verifying line lenghts, then trap those and tack the cascades. Install the brake lines, tack those, then the stabilizers and finally do the inspection.

It's still a 7h job.

Similar process for others?

-Michael

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scotts

Looking at these pictures, couldn't you just use a pair of diagonal cutting pliers and cutting just below the line tab? The larkshead would be easier to pick out if it doesn't come out on it's own.



I tried that. It was far less successful than you'd think. Even with some really good quality sharp cutters it would not even cut a noticeable amount of the line.

-Michael

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Gingher 12" ( blade is 6 1/2")

professionally sharpened two or three times a year, slide tip under larks head and push ( i.e. don't squeeze the handle) forwards.

I probably only do one or two line sets a week but I find these the bomb. For cutting line off the roll I love my Sollingen Finny seated edge snub nose scissors

find the local guy that does scissors in your area, whilst a home sharpener is ok nothing beats a professional job
I like my canopy...


...it lets me down.

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Yeah!

Whatever betzilla said.
Her trick (of loosening the lark's head knot) means that you only have to cut through 1 layer of suspension line.
I tend to use the end of my hemostats to loosen lark's head knots.

I use a pair of Kevlar scissors that I got from a friend of a friend of a friend who used to work for Lockheed Martin .... after I showed him a rigging trick.

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I have 6 pairs of Gingers here. Down the street is a blade sharpening service.

My work flow: cut the lines above the bar tack, close to the attachment point. After they're all cut, take a pair of needle nose pliers and grab the line, pull it away from the attachment point.

When all my scissors are dull I take those down the street to the sharpening guy and smile.

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betzilla

I wouldn't have the nerve to use a box-cutter either. I don't need any more patch practice, nor do I enjoy replacing line attachment tabs, haha...



The blade never gets anywhere near the canopy. Cut the line just above the bartack and then work the remaining piece of line out of the larks head. No chance of damage. Lost count of the relines I have done and have never had to replace an attachment.

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Has anyone tried the Craftsman Handi-cut shears? I have cut a lot of things with these shears, just never any vectran. The blades are thin and very sharp. Plus, blades are cheap to replace without a special trip to a sharpening service.

And it looks like they have a newer version that has more options.
50 donations so far. Give it a try.

You know you want to spank it
Jump an Infinity

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monkycndo

Has anyone tried the Craftsman Handi-cut shears? I have cut a lot of things with these shears, just never any vectran. The blades are thin and very sharp. Plus, blades are cheap to replace without a special trip to a sharpening service.

And it looks like they have a newer version that has more options.



Yes I tried those too. Years in the automotive trade means that I have a huge selection of cutting devices. I went through my tool chest trying to find something that worked well.

To effectively cut vectran you need something that's sharp and actually shears it. Anything that just compresses a blade against it leaves enough filaments uncut that it's not effective.

Some of the best suggestions so far are resharpening a cheap set of scissors and cutting the lines up close to the cascade with a knife.

I've got 5 more canopies to reline here and my objective is to get faster at it. So far I'm at 30 min for the line removal and 50 min for installing the pieces. Still have to trap and tack.

-Michael
-Michael

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Has anyone tried cable cutters for steel bicycle brake/shifter cables? Take a piece of old line and stop at a bike shop. See what they use.

Better yet, heavy duty toenail clippers. We know toenails can be a bitch to cut sometimes.

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scotts

Has anyone tried cable cutters for steel bicycle brake/shifter cables? Take a piece of old line and stop at a bike shop. See what they use.



Yes. Severed most of the line but left enough behind that you couldn't pull it apart. You can see 3 attempts.

scotts

Better yet, heavy duty toenail clippers. We know toenails can be a bitch to cut sometimes.



Tried that just for you. Complete and utter failure. For whatever reason compressive cutting does not work on vectran. You need something that shears it. See the photo - that barely made a mark on the line.

-Michael

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