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From: M. Wagenbach <wagen_at_u.washington.edu>
subject: [Paddlewise] cable ties
Date: Thu, 13 May 1999 17:45:13 -0700 (PDT)
Dave,

Which size cable ties do you use?   I assume a pretty small one is required
to be flexible enough.

Is the little internal keeper rust-prone?  Three ties have held my knife
sheath to my PFD for about a year, but I'd rather lose my knife than 
my sprayskirt.

Mike Wagenbach
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From: Dave Kruger <dkruger_at_pacifier.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] cable ties
Date: Thu, 13 May 1999 19:50:23 -0700
M. Wagenbach wrote:
> 
> Dave,
> 
> Which size cable ties do you use?   I assume a pretty small one is required
> to be flexible enough.
> 
> Is the little internal keeper rust-prone?  Three ties have held my knife
> sheath to my PFD for about a year, but I'd rather lose my knife than
> my sprayskirt.

Maybe I'm using the wrong words to describe these things.  They are
typically nylon, and are used to secure wires to harness points under
dashboards and the like.

No rusting possible, and I get ones which are 3/16 - 1/4 wide (usually 10 -
12 inches long) to get enough gripping force.  I've worried they would come
loose, but I've had some on a sprayskirt bungee for two years.

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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From: M. Wagenbach <wagen_at_u.washington.edu>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] cable ties
Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 11:39:23 -0700 (PDT)
On Thu, 13 May 1999, Dave Kruger wrote:

> M. Wagenbach wrote:
> > 
> > Dave,
> > 
> > Which size cable ties do you use?   I assume a pretty small one is required
> > to be flexible enough.
> > 
> > Is the little internal keeper rust-prone?  Three ties have held my knife
> > sheath to my PFD for about a year, but I'd rather lose my knife than
> > my sprayskirt.
> 
> Maybe I'm using the wrong words to describe these things.  They are
> typically nylon, and are used to secure wires to harness points under
> dashboards and the like.
> 
> No rusting possible, and I get ones which are 3/16 - 1/4 wide (usually 10 -
> 12 inches long) to get enough gripping force.  I've worried they would come
> loose, but I've had some on a sprayskirt bungee for two years.
> 
We're talking about the same thing: cable ties, wire ties, zip ties; I
can't remember any other names.  But those I have in front of me here are
not 100% nylon.  inside the head is a tiny piece of metal, steel I bet,
which form the pawl of the ratchet that keeps you from withdrawing the
tail after you stick it in.  I could envision this being replaced with a
plastic pawl, but I don't recall whether I have ever seen that. 

If the metal corroded, the closure would fail.  It could be backed up with
glue.  Does epoxy stick to nylon?

Mike

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From: Dave Kruger <dkruger_at_pacifier.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] cable ties
Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 15:55:01 -0700
M. Wagenbach wrote:

> We're talking about the same thing: cable ties, wire ties, zip ties; I
> can't remember any other names.  But those I have in front of me here are
> not 100% nylon.  inside the head is a tiny piece of metal, steel I bet,
> which form the pawl of the ratchet that keeps you from withdrawing the
> tail after you stick it in.  I could envision this being replaced with a
> plastic pawl, but I don't recall whether I have ever seen that.

And I've never seen them with a metal fitting in the head!

> If the metal corroded, the closure would fail.  It could be backed up with
> glue.  Does epoxy stick to nylon?

Not well at all.  I don't know of anything which adheres well to nylon. 
Maybe 3M 5200?

A big yep to whomever pointed out that relying on cable ties to secure the
bungie around the sprayskirt rim may be questionable.  I worry about it,
and carry spare cable ties, but I feel queasy about it.  I may just take
needle an thread to mine and sew a nylon sleeve to butt the ends together. 
No more worries.

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR
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From: Steve Cramer <cramer_at_coe.uga.edu>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] cable ties
Date: Sat, 15 May 1999 22:51:28 -0400 (EDT)
On Fri, 14 May 1999, M. Wagenbach wrote:

> We're talking about the same thing: cable ties, wire ties, zip ties; I
> can't remember any other names.  But those I have in front of me here are
> not 100% nylon.  inside the head is a tiny piece of metal, steel I bet,
> which form the pawl of the ratchet that keeps you from withdrawing the
> tail after you stick it in.  I could envision this being replaced with a
> plastic pawl, but I don't recall whether I have ever seen that. 

The all-nylon ones are pretty common. These are permanent or nearly so.
Look in auto parts stores or hardware depts.

Steve Cramer                     
Test Scoring & Reporting Services      Sometimes you never can 
University of Georgia                    always tell what you 
Athens, GA 30602-5593                      least expect the most.


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From: Hank Hays <lhays_at_canby.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] cable ties
Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 13:16:29 -0700
At 11:39 AM 5/14/99 -0700, M. Wagenbach wrote:
>If the metal corroded, the closure would fail.  It could be backed up with
>glue.  Does epoxy stick to nylon?

Not very well, but it would help.  

Good luck.  

Hank Hays
Lightning Paddles
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From: Bill Leonhardt <WJLeonhardt_at_bnl.gov>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] cable ties
Date: Fri, 14 May 1999 17:05:00 -0400
 
>At 11:39 AM 5/14/99 -0700, M. Wagenbach wrote:
>>If the metal corroded, the closure would fail.  It could be backed up with
>>glue.  Does epoxy stick to nylon?
 

FWIW:

Most of the cable ties that I see used are made entirely of Nylon and are
typically white although other colors exist.  For most applications, the
standard Nylon is OK but it does not stand up well to UV radiation (aka sun
light).

Cable tie manufacturers have a UV resistant formulation available which is
typically black in color.

I have had several of the standard ones holding cork balls to the grab
loops of my spray skirts and also keeping the cut ends of deck bungies from
unraveling for several years without a failure but perhaps some caution
should be used with your skirt.  Here's why:

A couple of years ago I was with a group on an evening paddle on the Hudson
River near Cold Spring.  We stopped while a thunderstorm passed and, when I
was about to get back into my boat, the spray skirt bungy knot became
undone and the bungy slipped inside the skirt.  At first I didn't want to
hold up the group but I felt uncomfortable (both literally and
figuratively) so I borrowed a pair of needle nose pliers and took the time
to fish out the bungy and re-do the knot.  Later, during a very dark part
of the paddle, the wind kicked up and, if I had a loose skirt, I definitely
would have taken on a bunch of water, which may have made my boat tippy,
which may have led to a swim in the dark, which may have...

The moral:  Don't wait until the water is crashing down on your skirt to
find out the mechanism for preserving the tension in your bungy doesn't work.

So, this is my long winded way of saying that you can get cable ties that
are ALL Nylon.  Can't you tell it's late on a Friday afternoon?

Bill Leonhardt
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