Bolt snap attachment

[Hoyden]

I was taught to use a drop of superglue on the knot. I have some boltsnap attatchments that are several years old, have hundreds of dives on them and look as good as new.

 

[DIR-Atlanta]

Use ZipTies???

Zip-ties are not DIR. The plastic becomes brittle over time and breaks easily (usually at the most inopportune time). A properly tied cave knot is just as secure, and much less prone to breakage.

I was taught to use a drop of superglue on the knot.

I don't think the glue is necessary. I've never done anything other then melt the ends with a lighter, and have never had a problem with anything coming undone.

 

[do it easy]

Granny knot = loose/easily slips.
Square knot = secure.

Animated knots here. Note the difference in structure. Granny knots slip easily under stress.

From the link you posted:

There have probably been more lives lost as a result of using a square knot as a bend (to tie two ropes together) than from the failure of any other half dozen knots combined.

The reef knot isn't known as being a secure knot- it's not a knot for bearing heavy loads. I use a hunter's bend to attach bolt snaps- it's harder to tie, but it is a real knot.

And yes, melting and mushrooming the ends does help, even with a reef knot.

 

[fweber]

Square knots are certainly not the most secure of knots. But, with a little diligence they work just fine. Melt the ends and add a drop of superglue directly into the knot. I haven't had any problems with knots done accordingly.

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

You can also put the flame over the knot and melt the whole knot a little and then mash it with the lighter. Prevents the knot from loosening without glue.

 

[fweber]

You can also put the flame over the knot and melt the whole knot a little and then mash it with the lighter. Prevents the knot from loosening without glue.

melting either nylon or polyester destroys the individual fibers and results in an extremely brittle substance that surely won't have the strength nor flexibility of the original braid. I would hesitate at melting the entire knot. Chances are the line would crack at the point it enters such a knot.

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

melting either nylon or polyester destroys the individual fibers and results in an extremely brittle substance that surely won't have the strength nor flexibility of the original braid. I would hesitate at melting the entire knot. Chances are the line would crack at the point it enters such a knot.

Mine have been holding for years... You just have to make sure you get enough melt to secure the knot without burning the line. It doesn't take much and it's easy to do.

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

I got it figured out, I had the directions from dive rite expres the first time but didn't melt the ends of the line to the knot and mash everything together like in the directions. I went through and melted all the other ones and they seem much more secure.

I know zipties are not DIR but before I knew that I used them and still keep a few in the bag for emergency repairs. Thanks

 

[TSandM]

I think a lot of us keep them around for emergency repairs. Of course, the DIR answer is to inspect and maintain everything often enough that you don't have to DO emergency repairs

 

[RTodd]

I keep a few zip ties in my wetnotes but rarely ever use them. To see why they are not useful, ziptie a clip to a commonly used item such as a backup light, Now, give the clip a good hard twist and watch the ziptie break. This kind of stress on clips is not uncommon and one of the big reasons why you don't ever want to rely on a ziptie.