On 12 Aug 2004 19:33:50 GMT,
fencerbill@aol.com (Fencerbill) wrote:
>In article <pk4ih0hbepeb18k0hdojgmvqkeps4q23bh@4ax.com>, Spiggy Topes
><noway@jose.ca> writes:
>
>>We built our own back in January, and have learned a few things as we
>>went along that might help you.
>>
>
>>We use a relatively light bungee cord - not the lightest, string-thin
>>stuff, but about a 3/8" cord.
>
Tried that, thought it might be a little lightweight. Maybe overhead,
where the risk of tripping is somewhat less..
>We have had overheads at the Boston Fencing Club forever. We most recently use
>1/8 inch bungee. Softer and cheaper. Been in heavy use for about a year now.
>
>>
>>We splurged on pulleys somewhat. You need two pulleys per end, four
>>per strip. We wanted to use lightweight pulleys so they wouldn't make
>>a lot of noise or damage the floor, so we bought around 1/2" pulleys
>>from a marine store. In retrospect, we could have used slightly larger
>>pulleys - 3/4" or 1", say - and reduced the strain on the cable.
>
>
>You want larger pulleys, not smaller. We use plastic laundry pulleys, 4 inch
>for the bungee and 2 inch for the cable. For the cable pulleys, we replace the
>riveted axle with a clevis pin and clip (see your local hardware store). This
>means you can change the cable without tools and do not have to repair your
>cables in place.
>
We'll wait and see how the rotator cable fares. If it lasts less than
six months, then we'll probably go for larger pulleys next time out.
As it is, we use what I guess would be called a spring hook - see
http://www.umei.com/hooks/bolt-snaps-1-10.htm item B840 for an
example. This is permanently attached to the bungee and snaps onto the
bracket on the pulley. We're in a school gym, and can't leave things
in place, so fast set up is desirable.
>
>>
>>Cable, we started with genuine Uhlmann replacement reel cable. This
>>worked well for the first six months, but it's plastic coated and the
>>coating started to develop cracks. We patched these over with shrink
>>tubing, but eventually it wasn't worth the hassle, so I've just
>>finished replacing all vables with 3-conductor "rotator cable". It's
>>the stuff that was used once upon a time for remotely reorienting
>>television antennae. It seems to be reasonably available, and a spool
>>of 500 feet cost $100 CDN. It's heavier than reel cable, but not
>>enough to be a hindrance, and goes around the pulleys somewhat wider
>>than the reel cable. No cracks so far. Length should be half the
>>length of the piste, plus the width of the table, plus three feet. You
>>may want to experiment a little here.
>
>We have found Prieur replacement cable for Prieur reels to be the best but
>extremely difficult to order. If the Gods smile on you, you can order 100 meter
>lengths and cut to your desired length. The larger laundry pulleys will help
>any jacketed cable last longer. If you patch cracks with heat shrink, use
>"GOOP" underneath. Then it doesn't loosen and run away.
I was originally hoping, when I ordered Uhlmann cable, that it would
be the olde style cloth wrapped stuff, that's like string to handle.
But it turned out to be near identical to the cable on Favero reels,
which I'd seen develop cracks even on a real reel really quickly. I'll
remember the "Goop" nexr time, though. As an aside, I found that not
all shrink tubing is created equal; I bought four lenghts in four
colours, all of the same pre-shrunk dimensions, and no two of them
shrank the same. Strange...
>>
>>End connectors. These were the expensive component. I bought Uhlmann
>>connectors - fencer end and scoring machine end, which is identical of
>>course to the body cord end - from the Fencing Post. You need two
>>pairs per strip, and each pair cost around $60 CDN. Shop around, as
>>this is THE most expensive component.
>
>The Uhlmanns are worth it.
>>
Yup.
>If you find a floor anchor that can be
>>inserted flush with the floor, please let me know. I never found one.
>
>Haven't used them but have seen them in swimming pool equipment catalogs.
>Anchors for swimming pool covers. They screw down flush or up to tie off pool
>covers.
Just what I was looking for! I'd looked for gym equipment, and
sailboat hardware, and found nothing. Now all I need to do is convince
the owners of the gym that drilling holes in their floor won't hurt
it.
>>
>>Other stuff. You'll need something to connect the outer pulleys to the
>>floor / wall anchors. We used hinged rings - we tried keyring style
>>split rings, but they're a pain to get on and off on a regular basis.
>
>What is wrong with snaps?
What kind of snaps? I guess there are lots of options for this, but I
think we were constrained by the size of the screwholes in the gate
hinges. Not that we couldn't have enlarged them, just this was the
least effort, least cost solution.
>
>
>>
>>Robert Smith
> 
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