How Do You Tie Your Bolt Snaps

How do you tie your Bolt Snap?

  • Cave/spool Line

    Votes: 69 79.3%
  • Zip Tie

    Votes: 9 10.3%
  • Zip Tie with O ring

    Votes: 5 5.7%
  • Bungee

    Votes: 4 4.6%
  • Hose Retainer Clip

    Votes: 6 6.9%
  • Other

    Votes: 5 5.7%

  • Total voters
    87

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Dubious

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Messages
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Location
Wisconsin
Greetings,

I am curious how you tie your bolt snaps and why? Does it change depending on the item you are tying the bolt snap to?

When I bought my Dive Rite regulator kit, it originally had a hose clip retainer which was convenient but tended to move around. I then tied my bolt snap with line removed from my dive flag spool which has worked well. I recently changed my primary hose and decided to try the o-ring with a zip tie method which was very easy and seems to not move around. I think I prefer the zip tie/o-ring combo but time will tell.

All of my lights are using my spool line which to me seems the best way to do it.

I look forward to seeing what you all do.
 
Bolt snaps and whatnot are all done with cave line. I also wrap the shaft of any double enders with cave line to keep as spare. The little scuba tank o-ring holder gets wrapped in gorilla tape and stays in my dry-bag. A little bit of that stuff goes a long way.
 
Greetings,

I am curious how you tie your bolt snaps and why? Does it change depending on the item you are tying the bolt snap to?

When I bought my Dive Rite regulator kit, it originally had a hose clip retainer which was convenient but tended to move around. I then tied my bolt snap with line removed from my dive flag spool which has worked well. I recently changed my primary hose and decided to try the o-ring with a zip tie method which was very easy and seems to not move around. I think I prefer the zip tie/o-ring combo but time will tell.

All of my lights are using my spool line which to me seems the best way to do it.

I look forward to seeing what you all do.
Hello. I use Hosehooks by XS Scuba. I chose "Other." because they didn't quite match the choices. I put them on last year, and just left them there.They have a Yellow rubber piece that basically acts as a O-ring, and can be pulled off if needed. Reason.....I wanted to be able to get them off quickly if needed. Note: The clips tend to stay in an upright position. I'll probably be changing them back to cave line.
Cheers.
HoseHook — XS Scuba
 
Most are tied with cave line, but I have a couple on the Razor QD clips for sidemount.
 
White cave line with a Prusik knot around the hose.

Then two wraps around the snap's eye (essentially another Prusik knot).

The running ends exit from the snap and then wrap around the lines between the hose and the bolt snap. I put one simple overhand knot on one side to preserve the tension and then a square knot on the opposite side to secure it. Wear your dive gloves because you want to crank down on that square knot and the cave line will likely bite into your hands.

I make sure to wet the cave line before tying so that it doesn't loosen when it gets wet upon splashing.

I don't subscribe to Achim's < insert pejorative adjective > burning technique. I absolutely burn the running ends out of the square knot to prevent an unsightly horsetail and to give me two nice little black ends as an index to my knot's security but melting the ends of the cave line and then smashing it against the knot seems like compensation for not knowing how to tie knots that one's life depends on.

Has anybody seen an ice climber melt his running ends until they're a blob and then smash them into a knot?
 
The clips I want to leave in position I use cave line. Clips I want to be able move or relocate I use double sided Velcro sold for electrical wiring use. I "roll" the Velcro strip around wherever I want the clip secured and thru the clip, 2 layers of Velcro are as strong as any cave line and I can relocate the clip easily and reuse the Velcro.

Examples: the clip on the hose for my SPG is secured with Velcro, when I lift my console to use my compass the hose slides thru the Velcro so I can extend the console out in front of me.

The clip on my octo and on the reg for my right tank when using IDs is secured with cave line those clips don't need to move.

EDIT: So I went down to the dive locker and took a couple of pictures:

Fixed snap configuration (Didn't notice that green corrosion around the mouthpiece until I looked at the picture!) That line was tied on that clip in 2017, been in service since then without issues. The regs are due for service this winter so it will get changed then.
DSCN2774.JPG


Sliding snap configuration
DSCN2772.JPG
 
I don't subscribe to Achim's < insert pejorative adjective > burning technique. I absolutely burn the running ends out of the square knot to prevent an unsightly horsetail and to give me two nice little black ends as an index to my knot's security but melting the ends of the cave line and then smashing it against the knot seems like compensation for not knowing how to tie knots that one's life depends on.

Has anybody seen an ice climber melt his running ends until they're a blob and then smash them into a knot?

As someone who has been climbing for 28 years, I have yet to see a fellow climber use a square knot for any practical use while out on rock or ice.

The only practical climbing application for a square knot is aa method used for connecting 2 ropes together for rappelling as i has a low profile...but the prevailing recommendation is to backup the square knot by tying the tails around the standing ends of the line with double-fisherman knots so the square knot does not come undone...The use of the square knot for this purpose is often rejected and most climbers will use a ring bend or double figure eight knot to connect 2 ropes as they are much more secure than a square knot and just a tad bit more difficult to untie after being weighted...and the prevailing recommendation is still to take the tails and tie backup knots around the standing ends of the rope.

-Z
 
The square knots in cave line securing your bolt snap will never loosen if you put a drop of Superglue on them after tightening. (Comparing their usage to climbing knots makes no sense because these are meant to be permanent attachments.)
 
The square knots in cave line securing your bolt snap will never loosen if you put a drop of Superglue on them after tightening. (Comparing their usage to climbing knots makes no sense because these are meant to be permanent attachments.)

Comparing their usage to climbing knots makes no sense because the square knot used in diving application is not being dynamically loaded and unloaded in such a way where someone's life depends solely on the knots ability to resist coming untied/slipping as it does in rock/ice climbing.

The reason the square knot is used to secure bolt snaps to gear is because it would be difficult to tie a different knot in this application. If one was to leave the tails long enough a needle of appropriate size could be used to weave the tails under the wrap strands to secure them, this would potentially be neater and more secure for the application but it is time consuming, a pain to do, and requires more line length to facilitate, which increases the amount of line wasted after the knot is secured. Burning the ends and mashing them against the knot is a practical way to resolve how to keep the square knot from becoming untied in this application.

I have never had a bolt snap prepared this way come untied, I have had the knot fail because one or two strands of line that pass through the device have cut through during use though...but I use enough wraps that if one or 2 strands cuts through the bolt snap remains secured to the device (reel, torch, etc)....I inspect my gear regularly enough that I have always caught this issue before it progressed to the point that the line attachment failed.

-Z
 
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