gjhdiver 0 #1 October 20, 2007 I was explaining what one of these was to a new jumper the other day. They didn't really believe me. Anyone else remember the toggle on the Top Secret ? I remember the joke in the UK was that the top secret was the reserve wouldn't come out. We still jumped 'em though. One guy even had a blast handle fitted to his. He was safe though, becuaue he had drilled out the center post. We were good like that. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zing 2 #2 October 20, 2007 AKA as the last hope rope, or the Jesus Cord, and Top Secrets weren't the first, or only, rig to use them.Zing Lurks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 5 #3 October 20, 2007 Yup .. see: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1528053;search_string=last%20hope%20rope;#1528053 ..and other threads referenced there. HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gjhdiver 0 #4 October 20, 2007 Quote Yup .. see: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1528053;search_string=last%20hope%20rope;#1528053 ..and other threads referenced there. HW Cool. I thought I was just the only one who remebered them. Let's talk about blast handles now then They dissapeared overnight back in the UK, as they were the subject of a BPA ban after one or two "unfortunate incidents". I remember the whining of those who had to get them replaced. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimjumper 25 #5 October 20, 2007 I saw a blast handle as late as '97 on a wonderhog rig. It was being jumped by a retired Navy Seal who had thousands of jumps on it. The freeflyers thought it was cool and wanted to know where to get one! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 5 #6 October 20, 2007 Quote Let's talk about blast handles now then Been there too...http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=2321988;search_string=can%20one%20of%20you%20old;#2321988 HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wmw999 2,123 #7 October 21, 2007 QuoteBeen there too...So you're saying that nothing old is new here? Wendy W.There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 0 #8 October 22, 2007 QuoteQuoteBeen there too...So you're saying that nothing old is new here? Wendy W. Pretty much. When lineovers and line twists revert to Mae Wests and barber poles, we'll have come full-circle. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybill 19 #9 October 22, 2007 Hi diver, Jesus cords, Blast handles all good stuff. Ya' shoulda' been there when it was happening!! See the other posts and have fun.SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkeenan 13 #10 October 22, 2007 Quote Let's talk about blast handles now then I jumped a blast handle on my main for quite a while. It was handy because after pulling, you could snap it back onto the ripcord housing to keep from losing it. Kevin_____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
howardwhite 5 #11 October 22, 2007 Quote after pulling, you could snap it back onto the ripcord housing to keep from losing it. Or you could just use a lead sinker, a.k.a. "ripcord stop."HW Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kkeenan 13 #12 October 22, 2007 Quote Or you could just use a lead sinker, a.k.a. "ripcord stop." Yeah, right. That was really the ultimate "Sport Death" accessory. _____________________________________ Dude, you are so awesome... Can I be on your ash jump ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
STAAAAANDDBYYYY 0 #13 August 12, 2009 My first rig was a syndicate owned top secret which took 3 of us to pack the reserve so I was glad to have the Jesus cord. My first own personal rig was a wonderhog fitted with a blast handle. I never had any probs with the top secret but the glast handle came out tops on 3 memorable occasions Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Niki1 1 #14 August 13, 2009 Quote My first rig was a syndicate owned top secret which took 3 of us to pack the reserve so I was glad to have the Jesus cord. My first own personal rig was a wonderhog fitted with a blast handle. I never had any probs with the top secret but the glast handle came out tops on 3 memorable occasions Blast handles got a bad reputation from people who didn't understand how to use them. They were designed to be uses as a male part that was inserted into a fitting on the end of the ripcord housing. Useing it like this, the center post didn't affect anyting. BUT if it was used as a female part, that is inserting the housing into the blast handle, the ceter post was then inside the housing with the spring on the outside. This required a straight in line pull if the housing was tacked down close to the end. Or you could tack the housing 3" or 4" from the end and then there would be enought flexibility above the outside spring and inside center post to pull in any direction. Mine blast handle had the center post drilled out and I tacked 3" from the end. Used it 3 times without a problem. I also saw a friend go down to 500' trying to pull his. He finally got out and when he got back to the packing area, he was pretty embarrassed because he had been "meaning to get that drilled out" for a while. I don't know if Gary Dupuis invented the Last Hope Rope or not but he was putting it on the rigs he built in the early '70s. At an Easter Meet, '71 I think, he showed it to Steve Snyder and Snyder thought that was pretty slick. About 6 months later, Snyder is in DeLand and shows Gary his Jesus Cord. Gary says, (those of you who know Gary can hear him) "You ain't had no malfuctions, have you?" Snyder says, "Well no but how did you know." Gary says, "Because you're still alive." He then picks up Snyders rig by the reserve ripord and swings it in a big circle. Snyder, D-5 had not left ANY slack in the lanyard. Just goes to show ya that nobody's bullitproof.Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done. Louis D Brandeis Where are we going and why are we in this basket? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbrown 26 #15 August 13, 2009 With the Last Hope Rope the issue wasn't with a blast handle, because I remember many LHRs attached to cloverleaf or Martin Baker type handles. The issue was possible cone lock on the reserve container. This was before closing loops, when a steel cone with a hole drilled through it was where you slid your ripcord pins. With the tension of the spring loaded pilot chute underneath, it was quite possible for the cones to lock up in the grommets, even though the ripcord had been pulled. The other issue with LHR's was that if they were attached to ANY kind of a ripcord and the ripcord was thown away after the pull, the LHR would catch the ripcord and leave it trailing up into the deploying reserve lines. It was recommended that LHRs be attached to the chest strap as a precaution to prevent this. I once mentioned this to a friend, who said he wasn't worried about it. Less than a month later he went in under a streamered reserve, where his LHR on the ripcord contributed to the chain of events. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skybill 19 #16 August 14, 2009 Quote Quote after pulling, you could snap it back onto the ripcord housing to keep from losing it. Or you could just use a lead sinker, a.k.a. "ripcord stop."HW Hi Howard, 'Remember the lead "Sinker" ripcord stop. Took quite a few off of Security Systems (the old "Kelvinator" rigs)!! Funny about those things, in one of the final scenes in "The Gypsy Moths" when the kid lands and is stumbling around in a daze holding the ripcord, Hackman comes up to him and grabs the end of the ripcord and looking at it he says,"When you pull it you sure pull it huh kid!" Now that's a pull!! Also, "That's Hollywood!!"SCR-2034, SCS-680 III%, Deli-out Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Krip 2 #17 August 14, 2009 Quote Quote Quote after pulling, you could snap it back onto the ripcord housing to keep from losing it. Or you could just use a lead sinker, a.k.a. "ripcord stop."HW Hi Howard, 'Remember the lead "Sinker" ripcord stop. Took quite a few off of Security Systems (the old "Kelvinator" rigs)!! Funny about those things, in one of the final scenes in "The Gypsy Moths" when the kid lands and is stumbling around in a daze holding the ripcord, Hackman comes up to him and grabs the end of the ripcord and looking at it he says,"When you pull it you sure pull it huh kid!" Now that's a pull!! Also, "That's Hollywood!!" Didn't some folks replace their lead stops with knoted rubber bands based on the theory that the rubber band could be compressed and would pull thru the ripcoard housing or something.Anyone know about the rubber band "upgrade".? Did they work if caught on the reserve? I'm guessing not since we didn't see many. But ks was always outside the mainstream.One Jump Wonder Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Niki1 1 #18 August 14, 2009 Didn't some folks replace their lead stops with knoted rubber bands based on the theory that the rubber band could be compressed and would pull thru the ripcoard housing or something.Anyone know about the rubber band "upgrade".? Did they work if caught on the reserve? I'm guessing not since we didn't see many. But ks was always outside the mainstream. Yeah, that theory was just that. A theory. Didn't work in the real world. By the way. To TBrown, I didn't mean to combine the comments about the blast handle and the Jesus Cord. 2 separate comments. I should have made that more clear.Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done. Louis D Brandeis Where are we going and why are we in this basket? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riggerrob 558 #19 August 14, 2009 "Quote .... The issue was possible cone lock on the reserve container. This was before closing loops, when a steel cone with a hole drilled through it was where you slid your ripcord pins. With the tension of the spring loaded pilot chute underneath, it was quite possible for the cones to lock up in the grommets, even though the ripcord had been pulled. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Funny! But my impression was that MIL-SPEC cones were made out of brass, with nickle-plating. Problems ocurred when brass cones wore out. Often they got grooves in the sides, causing them to hang-up on side flap grommets. The solution was switching to cones made of suspension line. Soft cones were not nearly as durable, but they eliminated one malfunction mode. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites tbrown 26 #20 August 18, 2009 Quote"Quote .... The issue was possible cone lock on the reserve container. This was before closing loops, when a steel cone with a hole drilled through it was where you slid your ripcord pins. With the tension of the spring loaded pilot chute underneath, it was quite possible for the cones to lock up in the grommets, even though the ripcord had been pulled. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Funny! But my impression was that MIL-SPEC cones were made out of brass, with nickle-plating. Problems ocurred when brass cones wore out. Often they got grooves in the sides, causing them to hang-up on side flap grommets. The solution was switching to cones made of suspension line. Soft cones were not nearly as durable, but they eliminated one malfunction mode. You're right of course. I remember now, after reading your reply, that wear on the cones was the problem. I'm not a rigger and it's been a long time. Most kids today would be horrified if they ever saw a set of cones, or the bungees we used to hook up, or almost anything else we used to jump. I just wouldn't jump a piggyback in those days, not until the "Wonderhog" generation of rigs came along at the end of the seventies. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Niki1 1 #21 August 18, 2009 You're right of course. I remember now, after reading your reply, that wear on the cones was the problem. I'm not a rigger and it's been a long time. Most kids today would be horrified if they ever saw a set of cones, or the bungees we used to hook up, or almost anything else we used to jump. I just wouldn't jump a piggyback in those days, not until the "Wonderhog" generation of rigs came along at the end of the seventies. I started jumping a piggyback with about 100 jumps. It was a lot more conveinent (not having 2 seperate pieces of equipment) and a LOT easier moving around in the plane. 500 jumps or so later, Bill (T-Bow) Smith put the logic to it. "Why, when it means the most, be in freefall in an unfamiliar, unpracticed body postion?"Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done. Louis D Brandeis Where are we going and why are we in this basket? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Join the conversation You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account. Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible. Reply to this topic... × Pasted as rich text. Paste as plain text instead Only 75 emoji are allowed. × Your link has been automatically embedded. Display as a link instead × Your previous content has been restored. Clear editor × You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL. Insert image from URL × Desktop Tablet Phone Submit Reply 0
tbrown 26 #20 August 18, 2009 Quote"Quote .... The issue was possible cone lock on the reserve container. This was before closing loops, when a steel cone with a hole drilled through it was where you slid your ripcord pins. With the tension of the spring loaded pilot chute underneath, it was quite possible for the cones to lock up in the grommets, even though the ripcord had been pulled. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Funny! But my impression was that MIL-SPEC cones were made out of brass, with nickle-plating. Problems ocurred when brass cones wore out. Often they got grooves in the sides, causing them to hang-up on side flap grommets. The solution was switching to cones made of suspension line. Soft cones were not nearly as durable, but they eliminated one malfunction mode. You're right of course. I remember now, after reading your reply, that wear on the cones was the problem. I'm not a rigger and it's been a long time. Most kids today would be horrified if they ever saw a set of cones, or the bungees we used to hook up, or almost anything else we used to jump. I just wouldn't jump a piggyback in those days, not until the "Wonderhog" generation of rigs came along at the end of the seventies. Your humble servant.....Professor Gravity ! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites Niki1 1 #21 August 18, 2009 You're right of course. I remember now, after reading your reply, that wear on the cones was the problem. I'm not a rigger and it's been a long time. Most kids today would be horrified if they ever saw a set of cones, or the bungees we used to hook up, or almost anything else we used to jump. I just wouldn't jump a piggyback in those days, not until the "Wonderhog" generation of rigs came along at the end of the seventies. I started jumping a piggyback with about 100 jumps. It was a lot more conveinent (not having 2 seperate pieces of equipment) and a LOT easier moving around in the plane. 500 jumps or so later, Bill (T-Bow) Smith put the logic to it. "Why, when it means the most, be in freefall in an unfamiliar, unpracticed body postion?"Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done. Louis D Brandeis Where are we going and why are we in this basket? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Niki1 1 #21 August 18, 2009 You're right of course. I remember now, after reading your reply, that wear on the cones was the problem. I'm not a rigger and it's been a long time. Most kids today would be horrified if they ever saw a set of cones, or the bungees we used to hook up, or almost anything else we used to jump. I just wouldn't jump a piggyback in those days, not until the "Wonderhog" generation of rigs came along at the end of the seventies. I started jumping a piggyback with about 100 jumps. It was a lot more conveinent (not having 2 seperate pieces of equipment) and a LOT easier moving around in the plane. 500 jumps or so later, Bill (T-Bow) Smith put the logic to it. "Why, when it means the most, be in freefall in an unfamiliar, unpracticed body postion?"Most of the things worth doing in the world had been declared impossilbe before they were done. Louis D Brandeis Where are we going and why are we in this basket? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
