How to attach a bolt snap?

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stuartv

Seeking the Light
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I got some #24 cave line and a new DGX 600 light and a bolt snap from DGX.

I tied the bolt snap to the light using the cave line, following the directions here:

https://www.divegearexpress.com/library/boltsnap.shtml

I took my time. I double-checked the instructions. I believe I followed them exactly. I pulled the line as tight as I could when I performed step #5. I melted the ends of the line and mashed them with the end of the lighter.

Then, I turned the light on and left it on for a while to put the battery through a full discharge/recharge cycle. The light was pretty hot after a while, so I filled up the kitchen sink with water and put it in there.

Almost immediately after putting it in the water, I could see that my knot holding the bolt snap had loosened quite a bit.


Can someone share some wisdom on how to do this again where it will stay tied?
 
A. li-po batteries don't need charge/recharge cycles, there is no memory on them, so that isn't needed, thing of the past with other battery chemistries.

B. that light isn't supposed to be used on land on high, so if you are doing any burn tests, always make sure it is submersed.

C. nylon stretches when wet, it's a function of the polymer. When I tie bolt snaps I always soak the line for an hour or so before I tie them so that way when it dries it tightens up. You can also put a small bit of super glue on there but it isn't necessary
 
Yeah, what they said...soak the line. :cool2:
 
…Can someone share some wisdom on how to do this again where it will stay tied?

A small dab of adhesive works well to keep any permanent knot from coming loose. Aquaseal or Shoe Goo works great if you have the cure time. Some guys just melt bitter-ends of the line with a flame and push the blob into the knot, but there is some risk of compromising the line itself.
 
B. that light isn't supposed to be used on land on high, so if you are doing any burn tests, always make sure it is submersed.

C. nylon stretches when wet, it's a function of the polymer. When I tie bolt snaps I always soak the line for an hour or so before I tie them so that way when it dries it tightens up. You can also put a small bit of super glue on there but it isn't necessary

The DGX website says this;

The light has an electronic circuit to maintain constant light output as long as possible and provides reverse polarity & over temperature protection; meaning the DGX 600 can also be used as a dry flashlight on the surface.

But, what do you mean about using it on high? Is there a "low" setting on this light? If so, how do I access it?

I had a feeling the answer was going to be "soak the line"... Thanks!

Better than the nylon caveline , (in my opinion), are the Dive Right Hose Clip Retainers, also available from DGX.

I looked at those. I figured if I was going to put it on and take it off, I might get those. But, since my intention was to attach a bolt snap in a semi-permanent way, and cave line is cheap, I would do that.

I would get the line completely soaked before you tie the knot. With my DGX 600 I use their soft goodman handle which fits perfectly.

I did get their soft Goodman handle with the light. But, I figured I still wanted to prep the light to hang off a D-ring. I was actually debating, when I redo the bolt snap attachment, should I give it enough slack so that I can clip the bolt snap to the loop on the Goodman handle to ensure the light can't fall/get knocked out of the Goodman handle and be lost?
 
I have never soaked my line, I use a dab of glue on the knot. None have ever come loose. Just out of curiosity though I will re tie one with soaked line. Thanks for the tip.
 
A disadvantage of soaking the line is it makes it hard to burn the end to make a little knob and keep it from unravelling.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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