Amsteel Rigging Slings

[Limbrat]

I just came into some 30-40' pieces of 3/8 Amsteel Blue. I know this stuff is super strong, (19,600 ABS) and has near zero elasticity. I am going to make some whoopee and loopie slings out of it. Anybody have any experience using it for rigging slings? And yes, I know the melting point is pretty low.

 

[imagineero]

Has it been used as winch line? That would pretty much rule it out for any other use. 3/8" is way too small in diameter for making slings out of anyhow. It's easy to splice, so splice some eyes in it and use it for tow rope, or some other non critical application. The low melting point is important, because when heavily shock loaded, ropes generate a lot of heat. This is especially true of whoopie slings. Ropes often fail (in my limited experience) from fusing/melting rather than ripping/breaking.

I know it's tempting to use what you've got, but when your property damage, and the life of yourself and your groundies are involved, it's not a time to experiment, or repurpose found materials.

Shaun

 

[Grace Tree]

I picked up 70 ft. of 5/8" a couple of years ago. It was a new in the bag tow rope with spliced ends. I think I paid around $80 on ebay. I think the BS was 50 k plus. I made a couple of long tail whoopies. Adjusts like glass unlike 3/4" tenex which seems to feel like a test of strength to adjust when it gets old. I used to use some 3/8" amsteel to hang blocks but I never could get used to the look of that small line. Worked well but I touched it with the saw and that was the end of that. Down side of amsteel is that it's so slippery it's wise to use a very long and secured tail on the splices and it's susceptible
to abrasion so wear guard (or whatever it's called) on the eyes is a good idea.
Phil
http://www.samsonrope.com/Documents/Brochures/BROCH_IND_ASB%20Lifting%20Sling_DEC2012_WEB.pdf

 

[Limbrat]

It looks brand new. No worn, burned or chaffed areas at all. Looks like maybe reel end pieces with taped ends. Shaun, I'm curious why would you say 3/8 is too small for slings? Sure, it looks small, but so does a wire rope sling compared to the same ABS double braid. ABS of the 3/8 is about 1k more than 5/8 Tenex. I understand the heat/friction on shock loaded rope but if your rigging is tight that is kept to a minimum. I plan on installing chafing sleeves. If anybody else has used it I would be grateful for your input.

 

[imagineero]

It looks brand new. No worn, burned or chaffed areas at all. Looks like maybe reel end pieces with taped ends. Shaun, I'm curious why would you say 3/8 is too small for slings? Sure, it looks small, but so does a wire rope sling compared to the same ABS double braid. ABS of the 3/8 is about 1k more than 5/8 Tenex. I understand the heat/friction on shock loaded rope but if your rigging is tight that is kept to a minimum. I plan on installing chafing sleeves. If anybody else has used it I would be grateful for your input.

There's more to rope than just the breaking strain, otherwise there would only be a few types of rope. Diameter and breaking strain are important, sure, but the material and construction of the rope dictate its use more than most things. Amsteel is very strong, but it's a single braid 12 strand line. Single braids suffer from loss of strength due to abrasion very rapidly - much more so than double braids or core dependant ropes which have a sheath offering them some protection. You could use amsteel as a whoopie sling, but you'd want a much larger diameter than 3/8 to make up for the loss in strength due to abrasion.

It's somewhat like comparing webbing slings used for rock climbing vs crane rigging slings. A 2T crane rigging sling is going to be a lot bigger and heavier than a climbing sling of the same rating, but the climbing sling will lose up to 80% of its strength over time, while the crane sling will always be able to lift its rated load, even after many thousands of cycles.

Amsteel blue is great for its intended use, but I'm sure Samson would not approve of it being used for whoopie slings.
Shaun

 

[beastmaster]

I made a spider line out of a old piece of amsteel 3/8. You had to be carefull or it would slip the knot. One day I zip line down a long limb side ways(cradled) It some how got twisted on the way down with the amsteel over the zip line and it melted though with in seconds, Bearly missing a deck. I used it a few times for rigging a block, but the shock load would cause it to melt a little, even when tight, enough to make it fell glossy in areas. Just my limited experence.

 

[Limbrat]

Thanks!

I made a spider line out of a old piece of amsteel 3/8. You had to be carefull or it would slip the knot. One day I zip line down a long limb side ways(cradled) It some how got twisted on the way down with the amsteel over the zip line and it melted though with in seconds, Bearly missing a deck. I used it a few times for rigging a block, but the shock load would cause it to melt a little, even when tight, enough to make it fell glossy in areas. Just my limited experence.

Thanks!!!!! That's what I looking for. Made a double eye sling, don't know what I'll use it for, but it's strong!