BEARHAWK ~ Copy Cat Tool! MUST SEE!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2024
- BEARHAWK - Using the correct tool is no joke when when building an airplane. In this video I discuss the Nicopress crimping (swaging) tool and why using a "copy cat" is NOT a good idea!
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BEARHAWK LIFE DISCLAIMER:
I am a 900+ hour pilot with various ratings including instrument, commercial, multi-engine instrument, CFI, CFII. Those ratings were obtained YEARS ago and do not suggest that I am an expert today. The purpose of these videos is to 1) share my experience building an experimental amateur built aircraft, 2) promote the most underrated, under-promoted Bearhawk back country utility taildragger aircraft in the world. Recording the building and flying help me with self analysis for my own personal improvement. Nothing in these videos should be taken as absolute fact and are not intended to replace professional guidance from a A&P, IA or a CFI... Feedback is invited; however please keep it positive.
Rob Caldwell
I bought the same tool from Amazon. It appeared to be nicely made and the companies website was full of information but it made terrible crimps so I returned it for a refund. I was making loss prevention cables for medical equipment and the crimps were coming out uneven with very sharp edges. I would definitely not trust those crimps in an aircraft in which I was flying. And I do also fly.
Thanks for the confirmation!
And his eyes were wide open! I commend you on your perseverance, and as an A&P for over 30 years, HELL YA! Good call, good work, your diligence is a tribute to that beautiful aircraft your blood, sweat, and tears has produced! I be smiling! Wish I was your designated inspector for your final sign-off, it would be a privilege to sign that airworthiness doc!
Thank you for the kind words, especially from an A&P!
I was taught the proper way to swage by a NicoPress expert in 1980. There is a difference and am glad you discovered that. You've made the right decision.
Yes. I feel very good about my decision!
I learned the HARD way restoring old muscle cars, don't scrimp on tools!
You did the right thing, better to KNOW, than to always WONDER!!
Yes! I thought "Nicopress" was a method. Didn't know it was actual tool. Live and learn!
Found a link to this video on a forum. I’m building a Kitfox and was researching swaging tools for the rudder cables. Everything else is push/pull tubes so I didn’t want to spend a lot of money for just a few crimps. I’m glad I watched this video and got the link to the magazine article. My mind has been changed and I’m definitely going with the right tool for the job, even though I only need a few swages.
Glad the video helped! Sometimes you just cannot skimp on the proper tool.
I did have a cable pull out of a sleeve in a thankfully non-aviation and non-life threatening scenario. I had used the big-box store type tool to swage a bunch of cable ends on some horizotnal tension cables for my boat canopy. Worked perfect until a big storm came up and pulled one end right out. I thought they were on good and tight. Now I'm going to get one those Nicopress tools for all future work.
You just can't cut corners on something like this. Thanks for watching and sharing your experience!
Only a few cables not already crimped for me on my Chinook Plus 2. But I made *exactly* the same mistake on those. Damn. Time to refactor. Thanks for shining a bright light on this issue.
I was hesitant to make this video as I thought it was just me that mistook "Nicopress" as a method that can be used with any swaging tool. I have been overwhelmed with response from others expressing the same confusion. Glad this helped!
Was that $40 tool from Harbor Fright? After owning a Hardware store for more than 40 years, Always buy the best tool the first time ! You will never regret it.
No. Amazon. And you are right!
Great post! Exactly the same principal applies to electrical compression connectors, ONLY a calibrated ratchet type compression tool gives the reliable connection needed for the reliability of your precious creation.
Great point!
Great video and thanks for "fessing" up. I would have never thought of this problem but I will now. Glad you are not upset about the whole thing. Does it suck, yes it does but destroying your work or even worse getting killed would really suck so good on you for taking the extra steps to correct this and also help others not make the same mistake.
Yeah it sucked, but having to make ALL of the cables and swages at the same time created consistency and uniformity. I probably would not have have built all of the cables throughout the project and done it all at the same time (next time).
Good job Rob. Can't pull over and walk away if there's a problem with your aircraft. Safety first.
Thank John!
THANKS FOR THE CONTINUING GREAT ADVICE!!!! YOUR RIGGING IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!!! coming from a sailor's perspective... I enjoy your videos very much and hope to be in your shoes within a year, building my own Bearhawk.
That's great to hear! It will be a very rewarding endeavor for you!
Ohhhhh Nooooo! So much work. Good call though! Safety First!
It was certainly worth it, Bryan,.
You did the right thing even though it is costing more time and money but you have peace of mind knowing you did it right. I watch a lot of videos on people building there own plane and when they say they have to go out to Home Depot to buy some hardware I always wonder if that's a good idea. Can't wait to see your plane fly!
I do buy things like aluminum angle for mounting brackets, etc from Lowes and HD. But this is not something to go cheap on.
Wow, well done to get this out
I had to do it. Thanks!
When it comes to tools, the "Buy once, cry once" mantra is gospel. As a part time machinist (hobby) I learned the hard way early on to not buy cheap tools. Kudos to you for going back through the aircraft and making it 100%. Oh, retired aircraft captain here too :)
Thanks for the kinds words, Captain!
really appreciate your transparency!!! I don't blame you at all. You've done such a great job with the plane, why take a chance. not overkill at all
Thanks so much!
Thanks for the video! As an A&P I have seen too many bad ones!
I'm glad to hear from an A&P. Thanks!
Excellent video! Definitely makes me take a good look at my equipment before I go make cables for my aircraft. Timely post! Also excellent video work, you got a subscriber today.
Glad it helped! Thanks, Ian!
Thanks for posting. Long ago I've started buying quality tools made in first world countries like USA and Germany. There's a satisfying feeling even just working with, say, Knipex pliers vs Chinese pliers, even though they both do the same thing (though not always equally well). There's a time and place for cheap tools. But your money is always well spent with quality tools (and you only have to buy them once). Yeah, I'm a tool snob in the same way my wife buys shoes :) , but my tools will last forever :)
Well said!
Thumbs up for doing what is right!!!
Thank you!
Just coming to do mine now. Thank you very much
Good luck on your build!
This is exactly where I am now, I have to buy the nicopress to do all my cables, thanks, good confirmation
It's not a cheap tool. But neither is your life!
Thanks for sharing you experience.!!
My pleasure!
Thanks for posting! There’s a lot of folk (including myself) that are probably unaware of this.
I’ve enjoyed your build, and ready to see it fly!!
Glad it was helpful!
Hey thank you for sharing! Good to know. I have never regretted having a high quality tool, and this is a great reminder about how these decisions can ultimately impact our safety.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks so much for watching!
Awesome video, & good for you.
Thanks!
WOW! That was a super fast response, thanks. Can't wait to see this bird fly.
You and me both!
Thankyou for taking the time to make a very impactful video... bravo sir
Thank you! It needed to be said.
Great job on making the decision to replace what might have looked just fine. I have always been the person that will purchase the best tools for the job and have been criticized for going overboard. I definitely commend you on a job well done!!
Thank you! It's been a mixed bag of "atta boys", or, "There's was nothing wrong with that!". For me, it was just peace of mind.
Ho-lee smokes. Thanks, Rob.
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
I'd like to have seen 1 one those crimps cut open. I follow chrisfix and he just did an episode about relocating a battery. He said to do a test crimp and cut it open to make sure the crimp os complete and solid.
Yeah, I did one off camera.
Thanks. I will definitely look for this tool when it comes time for me to run cables
Good! It's a bit pricey, but worth it considering any negative outcome.
Great job mate and great “OCD”Now you have confidence it’s done right.Don’t want to be in the sky and have that in the back of your mind did I do that right.you only get one chance up there.
Thanks, Josh! OCD is definitely another way of putting it! 👍
In 1978, or thereabouts, I lost a comrade in Zimbabwe to incorrectly crimped cables. This fine young man was flying his Fly Baby at an airshow. He was a qualified AMP, via air force training, been flying since he could only reach the stick from his Dads lap. Not even 20 yet but over a thousand hours of flying to his name, (mostly non legal, not log-able of course!) of aerobatics in Tiger Moths, take off and landings and cross countries in a Beech Staggerwing before he soloed. The list is Long!
The Fly Baby has cables through the fixed main wheel axle that hold the low wing monoplane wings in position, like flying wires on a Pitts, beyond the spar root fittings. The builder did not use a genuine Nicopress crimping tool. Some other tool was used which over crimped the cable copper ferrule swages. The individual strands of the cables were seriously weakened, this is not visible to the naked eye, being inside the ferrule. The cables snapped at the copper swage and the wing tips met each other.
Thank you for an EXCELLENT article.
RIP my comrade. You know who you are.
Thank you for sharing this story. I am sorry for the loss of your friend.
Hey Rob, have you been to the "Triple Tree" fly in ? I've been going to the "Joe Nall" event and it has been incredible! It's been cancelled again for 2021, Covid fears. 3000 pilots and guests from all over the world.
What a bummer! I drove to the Triple Tree event once a couple of years ago. I have some friends that fly there and I plan to join them when I am flying.
Thank you for making this, I almost tried to save a buck...
You get what you pay for! Thanks for watching!
Thanks
No problem!
Great video! Did you find the piece of the sleeve that dropped in the tail? Lol.
Oh yes. One of many final assembly tasks... Sweep the bottom inside fabric with a magnet, followed by a shop vac.
I agree with you buddy good call I would have done the same thing 👍
Nothing better than a little peace of mind!
That blue one looks like the same one amazon sells for crimping electrical cables.
I think you are right.
I might of pulled one cable at a time and used it as a length gauge. Better safe than sorry. Good call, it is not fun being in a lawn dart.
I thought about that. However, after cutting the cable under the neck of the copper sleeves in order to pull them through the pulleys, you are now left with a shorter than desired cable. It was easier to swage one end of the cable, attach it, then pull to the desired length and mark the apex of the loop and use that as the most accurate length estimate.
I'm curious. Did you put a go/no-go gauge on any of the crimps that you cut out of the plane? If they pass a gauge check, they're safe, regardless of the price of the tool used to crimp them. You could have checked them with a $13 gauge, given yourself the peace of mind you wanted and probably saved ~$500.
What I should have mentioned in the video... Many of the crimps on the copy cat tool reached the correct diameter to pass the go/no-go gauge. However, there was no consistency or uniformity in the crimps. Many times the copper would squeeze or push out of the dies. This suggested to me that less of the copper was actually contributing to the grip of the crimp. Again, maybe this would have sufficed but the ounce of doubt created was enough for me. I'm sure others may have proceeded differently. I'm not interested in just getting by. I want absolute perfection.
I have since re-rigged all of the control surfaces. I am pleased with the consistency of my new rigging. If I were to do it all over again, I would run strings through all of the cable routing areas and would fish all of the cables and make the swages and connections at the same time. I am pleased with the outcome of this challenging situation.
I appreciate your thoughts. Thanks for watching!
The diameter of the crimp is only one important factor and applies ONLY if the Crimp Tool is a genuine Nicopress tool, using a genuine Nicopress sleeve etc. Read the AC 4313 carefully, and the Nicopress instruction manual. The other factors to consider are, the width of each crimp, the correct placing of each crimp along the ferrule, the correct sequence of the 3 crimps, or otherwise and whether or not the ferrule is in the correct heat treated condition as supplied by the correct, certified manufacturer. If the crimp is over annealed, or excessively hardened by age or vibration or whatever can affect it, then there might be a problem. So, only use genuine crimper tool, genuine ferrule, and genuine go, no go gauge, (unless you're a qualified machinist who can make their own go, no go gauge of course. And not to forget also that the radius of the crimper hole circular edges have a certain accurately machined radius on them. A too sharp, or too round radius Will affect the quality and safety of the crimp.
Always remember that a certified system is called a system because it is exactly that. It is Not simply a collection of parts. If the system is is not manufacturer correct, or complete, then it's no longer a system and fails certification standards.
Don't cut and just pull out the bad cables.
You should cut, tape new cable to the cut cable, then pull out the old cable which pulls the new cable into place. It will save you a bunch of time.
Good idea!
Did the swages made with the cheap tool pass the guage?
What I should have mentioned in the video... Many of the crimps on the copy cat tool reached the correct diameter to pass the go/no-go gauge. However, there was no consistency or uniformity in the crimps. Many times the copper would squeeze or push out of the dies. This suggested to me that less of the copper was actually contributing to the grip of the crimp. Again, maybe this would have sufficed but the ounce of doubt created was enough for me. I'm sure others may have proceeded differently. I'm not interested in just getting by. I want absolute perfection.
I have since re-rigged all of the control surfaces. I am pleased with the consistency of my new rigging. If I were to do it all over again, I would run strings through all of the cable routing areas and would fish all of the cables and make the swages and connections at the same time. I am pleased with the outcome of this challenging situation.
I appreciate your thoughts. Thanks for watching!
its good. but a question. is there stainless steel aircraft cable? just thinking if someone is close to the ocean the air may weaken the cable if not stainless. any thoughts?
There's been much discussion about this topic on the Bearhawk Builder Forum. In short, stainless is brittle and doesn't wear as well as galvanized. We've seen SS cable deteriorate in a short period of time. The galvanized cables are coated with a thin coat of oil for protection.
Is it overkill to test the performance of cable crimps throughout an aircraft's service life with a load tester?
Yes I have a handheld pull tester. Good idea!
@@TheBaldPilot 🤠
Thanks, are you using the MS 51844-24 zinc copper sleeve?
Yes that's it. I've been working from a list of parts from Wicks that Mark Goldberg sent to me.
Before I cut any of them for dramatic effect… I would have at least tried to stress test them after removing. May have been even more “dramatic”
I agree. However, they cannot be removed unless cut first. The swag will not pass through the pulleys so therefore a stress test was not possible because the swages, where the test would have occurred, had been removed.
Hi, is there a number or spec reference that I ask for to get the right Nico press, Part number
Here is the one I am using. www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/topages/64cgmp.php
If you buy the tool with the proper width jaws (to do a 312 crimp), adjust it properly and use a go/no-go gauge you can safely use the cheap knock off tools.
Horrible demonstration of the tools; well I guess no demonstration of the tools actually; just a rant with little substance.
What I should have mentioned in the video... Many of the crimps on the copy cat tool reached the correct diameter to pass the go/no-go gauge. However, there was no consistency or uniformity in the crimps. Many times the copper would squeeze or push out of the dies. This suggested to me that less of the copper was actually contributing to the grip of the crimp. Again, maybe this would have sufficed but the ounce of doubt created was enough for me. I'm sure others may have proceeded differently. I'm not interested in just getting by. I want absolute perfection.
I have since re-rigged all of the control surfaces. I am pleased with the consistency of my new rigging. If I were to do it all over again, I would run strings through all of the cable routing areas and would fish all of the cables and make the swages and connections at the same time. I am pleased with the outcome of this challenging situation.
I appreciate your suggestion for a tool demonstration. Thanks for watching!
Found a link to this video on a forum. I’m building a Kitfox and was researching swaging tools for the rudder cables. Everything else is push/pull tubes so I didn’t want to spend a lot of money for just a few crimps. I’m glad I watched this video and got the link to the magazine article. My mind has been changed and I’m definitely going with the right tool for the job, even though I only need a few swages.
Glad I could help.