When doing a Flemish eye splice for a wire rope lifting sling, how do you know what length to make the tail?
It's different depending on your wire rope size! The swage sleeve (sometimes referred to as a "bullet crimp" because of its cylindrical shape with tapered end, resembling a bullet casing) keeps its proportion as the size increases, meaning that it has to get longer as it goes up in diameter. As your wire rope gets bigger, your tails get longer.
On a proper Flemish eye, the sleeve will be driven up to the point that the tails reach the tapered part of the sleeve. A mark is then put under the sleeve to make sure it does not move prior to, or during swaging.
When operating your swager, it is critical that you use the proper die set for your sleeve and wire rope size, and you use the appropriate amount of pressure, evenly applied. One of the most common swagers in the industry is the Esco Mark 150, which applies 500 Tons of pressure.
An improperly swaged Flemish eye will not hold properly, and a critical failure could result. This is part of why rigging shops like us need to be experts in manufacturing slings. Our team makes, tests, and certifies the slings every single day, ensuring that you can Trust the Lift.
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