Nicopress Swaging Tool - Availability

All,

This information may be well known but I felt compelled to pass it along.

I've been searching for a Nicopress Swaging tool and choking on the
prices at the typcial aircraft supply companies.

Turns out that Lowes has a Campbell Nicipress tool, 1/16 to 1/8 of an
inch for $24.95. The tool is located in the rope,chain and stell cable
area.

I assume the less expense tool will perform adequately, based on
go/no-go verification.

Cheers,

Gary

On Tue, 04 Jan 2005 23:52:26 GMT, "Gary T. Ciampa" wrote:

All,

This information may be well known but I felt compelled to pass it along.

I've been searching for a Nicopress Swaging tool and choking on the
prices at the typcial aircraft supply companies.

Turns out that Lowes has a Campbell Nicipress tool, 1/16 to 1/8 of an
inch for $24.95. The tool is located in the rope,chain and stell cable
area.

I assume the less expense tool will perform adequately, based on
go/no-go verification.

Be advised that the tool *may* be somewhat different than the standard aviation
variety. "Normal" aviation swages are designed so that the length of the swaged
areas for 1/16" and 3/32" cable is just slightly less than the length of the
nicopress sleeve.

I bought a swage about 15 years ago, though, that had a length of swaged area
less than 1/2 the length of the sleeves.

This is nominally not a problem, since you can just hit the sleeve several
times, like you do with 1/8" and larger. However, most aviation guides to
nicopressing call for only *one* swage on 1/16" and 3/32" sleeves. If you
follow those instructions with these "short" swages, only half the sleeve length
will be compressed and it probably won't develop the full rated strength.

The interesting thing, I bought that "short" swage from an aviation vendor.

Anyway, with the appropriate number of compressions and the correct go/no-go
gauge, it'll probably work fine. Personally, I bought another swage.

Ron Wanttaja

Note that there is also available an "economy swaging tool" (see Aircraft
Spruce catalog P/N 12-12000) for $15.95. It takes more time to do the swage
(you tighten bolts to swage the sleeve) but that's not a big problem unless
you work on an assembly line and have hundreds of these things to do.

This tool has been recommended in the "canard pusher" newsletter.

Has anybody any comments on this? Are there any potential problems with
picky inspectors?



"Gary T. Ciampa" wrote in message
om...
All,

This information may be well known but I felt compelled to pass it along.

I've been searching for a Nicopress Swaging tool and choking on the
prices at the typcial aircraft supply companies.

Turns out that Lowes has a Campbell Nicipress tool, 1/16 to 1/8 of an
inch for $24.95. The tool is located in the rope,chain and stell cable
area.

I assume the less expense tool will perform adequately, based on
go/no-go verification.

Cheers,

Gary

On Wed, 5 Jan 2005 08:59:04 -0500, "Pierre"
wrote:

Note that there is also available an "economy swaging tool" (see Aircraft
Spruce catalog P/N 12-12000) for $15.95. It takes more time to do the swage
(you tighten bolts to swage the sleeve) but that's not a big problem unless
you work on an assembly line and have hundreds of these things to do.

This tool has been recommended in the "canard pusher" newsletter.

Has anybody any comments on this? Are there any potential problems with
picky inspectors?

I have this tool and confirm that it does what it's supposed to do. I
think it's insane to buy the expensive tool when the less expensive
one does the job precisely as well as the more expensive one, it just
takes longer.

Please note, there is no difference in the resultant swaged cable end
whether using the cheap tool or the expensive one, the end result is
exactly, repeat, exactly the same. In fact, I borrowed the expensive
tool once and had to discard the parts because the owner called me up
later and told me that he'd been contacted by the manufacturer and was
told that the tool had been improperly manufactured and could produce
substandard swages. So the cheap tool worked better than the
expensive one.

If you tighten the bolts till the two halves of the cheap swaging tool
bottom out together, how can the result be any different than the more
expensive tool?

Corky Scott

Corky... the swages must still be checked against a "go - nogo" criteria ..
measuring tool..

We had a control cable here that came apart in-flight, swage failed.. a tool
was used that had previously been determined to produce substandard swages..
it was kept around for some reason.. another mechanic used it a couple years
later on an aircraft and did not check the go/nogo,

the aileron cable came apart.. the pilot was able to emergency land in the
desert with no major damage.. rudder/elevator only..

the mechanic was fired.. and a letter put in his FAA folder..

BT

"Corky Scott" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 5 Jan 2005 08:59:04 -0500, "Pierre"
wrote:

Note that there is also available an "economy swaging tool" (see Aircraft
Spruce catalog P/N 12-12000) for $15.95. It takes more time to do the
swage
(you tighten bolts to swage the sleeve) but that's not a big problem
unless
you work on an assembly line and have hundreds of these things to do.

This tool has been recommended in the "canard pusher" newsletter.

Has anybody any comments on this? Are there any potential problems with
picky inspectors?

I have this tool and confirm that it does what it's supposed to do. I
think it's insane to buy the expensive tool when the less expensive
one does the job precisely as well as the more expensive one, it just
takes longer.

Please note, there is no difference in the resultant swaged cable end
whether using the cheap tool or the expensive one, the end result is
exactly, repeat, exactly the same. In fact, I borrowed the expensive
tool once and had to discard the parts because the owner called me up
later and told me that he'd been contacted by the manufacturer and was
told that the tool had been improperly manufactured and could produce
substandard swages. So the cheap tool worked better than the
expensive one.

If you tighten the bolts till the two halves of the cheap swaging tool
bottom out together, how can the result be any different than the more
expensive tool?

Corky Scott

Here is a link to a accident report which involved the use of a nicopress
tool on a cable end that should have been swaged.
http://www.ntsb.gov/NTSB/brief.asp?e...11X15727&key=1

Wayne
http://www.soaridaho.com/Schreder


"BTIZ" wrote in message
news2YCd.11156$232.5486@fed1read05...
Corky... the swages must still be checked against a "go - nogo" criteria
...
measuring tool..

We had a control cable here that came apart in-flight, swage failed.. a
tool
was used that had previously been determined to produce substandard
swages..
it was kept around for some reason.. another mechanic used it a couple
years
later on an aircraft and did not check the go/nogo,

the aileron cable came apart.. the pilot was able to emergency land in the
desert with no major damage.. rudder/elevator only..

the mechanic was fired.. and a letter put in his FAA folder..

BT

On Wed, 5 Jan 2005 12:25:09 -0800, "BTIZ"
wrote:

Corky... the swages must still be checked against a "go - nogo" criteria ..
measuring tool..

We had a control cable here that came apart in-flight, swage failed.. a tool
was used that had previously been determined to produce substandard swages..
it was kept around for some reason.. another mechanic used it a couple years
later on an aircraft and did not check the go/nogo,

That's a good story BTIZ, but does not address the point. The point
is the cheapo tool works just as well as the expensive tool. Yes, you
should always check with a go-no-go guage.

Corky Scott

We had a control cable here that came apart in-flight, swage failed.. a
tool
was used that had previously been determined to produce substandard
swages..
it was kept around for some reason.. another mechanic used it a couple
years
later on an aircraft and did not check the go/nogo,

That's a good story BTIZ, but does not address the point. The point
is the cheapo tool works just as well as the expensive tool. Yes, you
should always check with a go-no-go guage.

Corky Scott

Corky... the point is.. we had a bad tool... and someone knew it.. but never
marked it or told anyone else.. it was perfectly good for using to set
cables for picnic awnings.. but not for aircraft use.

but the poor hapless mechanic used it on an airplane, did not have his
go-nogo handy.. and compared the compression with a micrometer to a factory
swedge... the swedge he put in let go..

BT

I made one out of a pair of chain cutters with a little bit of welding
and grinding
to get the correct opening size.

I once did the same thing with a pair of bolt cutters. It worked and the
go/no-go gauge said it was correct, but it created a slight half moon
shape on the sleeve. I also took a cheap bolt cutter and brazed parts of
one of the bolt together cheapo tools to the jaws...also worked correctly,
but it looked strange. When I bought the cheapo tool crimping tool from
Home Depot I finally had an acceptable tool...after some minor adjustment.
It is likely the Lowe's tool is exactly the same as the one from Home
Depot.

abripl wrote:

I made one out of a pair of chain cutters with a little bit of welding
and grinding
to get the correct opening size.

--
Bruce A. Frank, Editor "Ford 3.8/4.2L Engine and V-6 STOL
Homebuilt Aircraft Newsletter"
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