Tying on Bolt Snaps [Archive]

Scubaroo

September 24th, 2002, 07:16 PM

A number of ways are discussed here on these threads:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9910
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12686

Personally, I use nylon (cave) line for tying bolt snaps to backup lights, and use an o-ring/zip tie for use on hoses. For connections where I want a breakaway connection, I use a really light zip tie so that the zip tie breaks first, leaving the o-ring to provide some flex, and on tougher connections, I use a heavier zip tie so that the o-ring becomes the breakaway connection - tough to break, but still possible without using snips or a knife.

Here's a pic of how I currently do it:

http://www.scubaboard.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=101766

I just find it easier to use an o-ring and zip tie over cave line - saves tying knots, and looks a lot neater. But for things like backup lights where the connection is being pulled through the rubber tubing on my harness, I'll keep the cave line - there is no abrasive point on the trimmed zip tie to catch on anything.

ckharlan66

September 24th, 2002, 07:18 PM

I do the same thing as bengiddins with the o-ring but I just use a bigger one and put it around the hose instead of using the ziptie.

Chad

Uncle Pug

September 24th, 2002, 07:31 PM

After you tie your snaps onto the light with line put a drop of super glue on the knot.

btw... like Chad I wrap the o-ring around the hose and then use the zip tie to secure it to the bolt snap.

ckharlan66

September 24th, 2002, 07:37 PM

I don't use a zip tie at all. I wrap the o-ring around the snap and then put the ends of the o-ring around the hose.

Is there some reason I should rethink this?

Chad

AquaTec

September 24th, 2002, 07:40 PM

I use just an oring on my reg. as described above
I use zio tie on my reserve lights

and on my psi gauge i use a velcro watch strap and attach it to my low pressure inflator

Genesis

September 24th, 2002, 07:42 PM

and I use the $0.10 O-rings from Home depot for this (it just happens that the same size that I need for my helm pump's shaft seals are a near-perfect - and nice and snug - fit for this)

They are tough to get on, but they don't slide down the hose and yet if you REALLY need to get it loose you can.

WreckWriter

September 24th, 2002, 07:48 PM

This site http://www.mindspring.com/~toddleonard/caverig/howknot.html shows 2 methods of doing it. The first, and best, is to tie them on with cave line.

The other method shown is the breakaway o-ring method, really only needed for rebreather bailouts.

in my opinion, and the way I do it, the best method is to tie them on with nylon cave line. This is better because it won't break, is resistant to twisting and abrasion (within reason) and is resistant to sun and salt.

Tom

AquaTec

September 24th, 2002, 08:19 PM

Good picture. I do it exactly like that
the light and the reg as in the pictures

I agree this is the best way.

where do you atach you pressure gauge and how

DocRCH

September 24th, 2002, 08:44 PM

I agree with using braided nylon line to tie stuff to snaps. You never know when something will get caught . If it is tied on with organic material, you can alwaysut it.

Robert:doctor:

DocRCH

September 24th, 2002, 08:46 PM

OOps! I mean you can "always cut it"

Robert:doctor:

WreckWriter

September 24th, 2002, 08:58 PM

AquaTec once bubbled...
Good picture. I do it exactly like that
the light and the reg as in the pictures

I agree this is the best way.

where do you atach you pressure gauge and how

Everything of mine that has a boltsnap is attached to it this way. My SPG has a boltsnap tied on to it (at the swivel) and I clip it to my left side d-ring. It's very easy to get, only a slight pain when wearing 2 deco bottles. I've tried attaching it to my front crotch ring but didn't care for that.

Have considered trying it on my left chest ring but that area is already very busy with backup light and deco bottle(s).

Tom

AquaTec

September 24th, 2002, 09:07 PM

You do know the pictures you posted show two methods of attaching a bolt snap.

one - tied on
two - o-ring style

as for my pressure gauge I attach it to my low pressure inflater hose, which is then cliped to my chest ring just below my drysuit inflator sort of around my sternium.

It seems to work pretty good, I have atached it to my left waist clip as well but my reels are attached there and my tanks are hanging there as well so it is a little busy for me.

part of the reason may also be that i have slightly changed the way i dive since diving the VR3 so I monitor my gas a little more often now

Uncle Pug

September 24th, 2002, 09:53 PM

ckharlan66 once bubbled...
I don't use a zip tie at all. I wrap the o-ring around the snap and then put the ends of the o-ring around the hose.
I just like the ease of changing or replacing o-rings without having to undo the SPG or second stage.... if you wrap the o-ring around the hose then you can attach it to the bolt snap with a zip tie. I just went out and took this picture and changed the o-ring at the same time because the old one broke! :D

AquaTec

September 24th, 2002, 10:03 PM

good point PUG

does anybody have any other ways of doing it?

I think that everybody agrees on this one. small baby steps are good.

Aquamaniac

September 24th, 2002, 10:56 PM

Progression.

1. What about the location of the snap on the hoses. How close to the gauge, reg etc.

2. Is the material and style of snap important, and why.

I know most of these issues have been covered in various posts, but its nice to have it all rolled up.

AquaTec

September 24th, 2002, 11:03 PM

Aquamaniac once bubbled...
Progression.

1. What about the location of the snap on the hoses. How close to the gauge, reg etc.

I put them right by the reg

[/QUOTE][/B]2. Is the material and style of snap important, and why.[/B][/QUOTE]

I go back and forth between stainless steel and brass, can't make up my mind. I am with brass right now.

[/QUOTE][/B]I know most of these issues have been covered in various posts, but its nice to have it all rolled up. [/B][/QUOTE]

everything here has been covered before, it all gets recycled. but remember along with skills knowledge is perishable

WreckWriter

September 25th, 2002, 08:50 AM

AquaTec once bubbled...
You do know the pictures you posted show two methods of attaching a bolt snap.

one - tied on
two - o-ring style

as for my pressure gauge I attach it to my low pressure inflater hose, which is then cliped to my chest ring just below my drysuit inflator sort of around my sternium.

It seems to work pretty good, I have atached it to my left waist clip as well but my reels are attached there and my tanks are hanging there as well so it is a little busy for me.

part of the reason may also be that i have slightly changed the way i dive since diving the VR3 so I monitor my gas a little more often now

Yea, it does show both methods, I only use the tie-on method myself.

I also dive a VR3. Had any trouble with yours? I had to send mine back due to a sticky left button. Delta-P fixed and it now seems to work well.

Tom

WreckWriter

September 25th, 2002, 08:56 AM

Aquamaniac once bubbled...
Progression.

1. What about the location of the snap on the hoses. How close to the gauge, reg etc.

2. Is the material and style of snap important, and why.

I know most of these issues have been covered in various posts, but its nice to have it all rolled up.

1- Tie the snap to the swivel assy, past the ferule (the metal part of the hose). This keeps your snap from travelling along the hose.

2- I prefer stainless but brass is fine as long as you take good care of it. As for style, when used like this I use a "single-ender" like on a dog leash (some call them dog snaps or gate snaps).

Tom

WreckWriter

September 25th, 2002, 08:59 AM

Uncle Pug once bubbled...

I just like the ease of changing or replacing o-rings without having to undo the SPG or second stage.... if you wrap the o-ring around the hose then you can attach it to the bolt snap with a zip tie. I just went out and took this picture and changed the o-ring at the same time because the old one broke! :D

Sorry dude, that just doesn't look even close to secure to me. I've had too many tie-wraps break over the years for no apparent reason (in all sorts of applications, not just diving).

Tom

JamesK

September 25th, 2002, 10:31 AM

I originally had everything tied on with cave line. However, I changed over to a looped oring, no ziptie, on my reg. I figured that a break away was a good idea here. Then I thought about it. Why do I really need a breakway there. If it is clipped off, that means I am breathing a stage bottle. If my buddy needs air then, I will give him the reg in my mouth, and the stage bottle. I will then switch to my primary reg. If it is stuck, I will grab my backup, and then cut free my primary. I am going to be going back to cave line. I still have everything else on cave line.

Uncle Pug

September 25th, 2002, 10:33 AM

WreckWriter once bubbled...
Sorry dude, that just doesn't look even close to secure to me.
Sorry to have caused you sorrow!

No it isn't as secure as tying it on with line... but that is no reason for grief my friend... the o-rings are cheap and easily replaced with this method and I do so regularly to insure that they are secure enough... but then I have also been short on 0-rings before and instead used a second zip tie around the hose in place of the o-ring. The o-ring being the weak link this second method is much more secure.

Your problem with *tie-wraps* as you call them, is a quality issue... I buy only the best zip ties Costco has to offer ;)... and have never had one break in use... and I use them for every thing I can think of... sometimes I'm tempted to break stuff just so I can fix it with zip ties.

Before zip ties it was bailing wire. I used it for everything. I once had a PTO universal joint on a farm implement completely let go out in the field.... I wire the thing back together with bailing wire and finished the load... if I had had a bucket of zip ties from Costco back in those days.... why I could have hammered out several more loads!!! Progress is a wonderful thing.

roakey

September 25th, 2002, 12:21 PM

On my SPG and primary bolt snaps I just use bicycle innertube about 1/2" or a little more wide for strength. It passed the JJ inspection in '99. :)

My Scouts use cave line.

Roak

seabass

September 26th, 2002, 10:22 AM

Maybe ziptie quality is important, but I have a bulk pack of zipties from costco and have had two of the small ones break (from twisting) that I used to attach the bolt snap to my SPG. I have switched over to braided nylon line.

I typically don't trust what people say, so I have tried a number of things that havent worked:

zip ties, key chain rings, non SS/brass bolt snaps

zip ties broke, key chain rings and cheap bolt snaps rusted very quickly

thethumper

September 26th, 2002, 11:33 AM

I use the ones from Sam's & I use them for my lights. Now the Uk1200 I had only one on & clipped off to the L hip ring on the way out of the sping, I jumped up & back down & the weight from the light broke the zip tie. So now there's a secondary zip tie on it.
I'm probably bad, but I user a nylon quick disconnect on my pod from behind left around from to the front waist D ring.

Uncle Pug

September 26th, 2002, 11:35 AM

seabass once bubbled...
have had two of the small ones break (from twisting)
That is what I use the small ones for... easy breakers... I have the bolt for my p-valve zipped to a small bolt snap and carry it clipped off in my pocket... I want to be able to easily twist and release it should I spring a leak ;)

However when I don't want them to break I use the bigger ones.

September 26th, 2002, 11:48 AM

I've used small zip ties on both my reg and SPG bolt snaps and they've both broke after around 20 dives. Luckily they've both broken when the bolt snap was clipped off on a D-Ring otherwise I would have lost the bolt snaps.

trymixdiver

October 1st, 2002, 06:22 PM

I too use cave line to attach my bolt snaps to my lights. I do almost all surf entries so i need a connection point i can trust, the cave line is as secure as i will ever need.

As for my spg, i use the o ring / zip tie method. This connection isnt as critical because I know im not losing my spg in the surf if the o ring or zip tie should break.

nice to see all the pics, its very helpful, keep it up.

Andy