Mr. Squirrel

boom boom

I don’t have any major issues with it, but there might be an aspect of rope selection there? My go to is 10mm rigging line and we work up from there. I do some pretty big rigging with 10mm too. I think aluminium being softer you get a little more friction from it, so how you use it does need a bit of adjustment potentially.

As a caver I’d just like to set the record straight, we don’t use fig 8’s.

Peds have a look at the ftc bollards. They’re a bit more pricey than the competition but well worth it imo. Being alloy they’re light and dissipate heat really well. I’ve got the micro one and have done some pretty meaty removals with it, but it’s just as good for lighter rigging on reductions etc. Comes in a handy box which pretty much lives in the truck, and can fit a sling and xs impact block in there too.

A husky dealer recommended not using bio chain oils unless strictly necessary as they reckoned they gum up on the bar when used irregularly. So I’d guess they’re potentially thicker?

It might be factual, but then the only reason trump is in business is because he inherited money. And he needs all that generational wealth to stay in business as he’s failed miserably at it. As for the farmers strikes, it’s a bunch of millionaires in wellies complaining about taxes. Nothing unusual but it’s certainly brazen. Pretty entitled but the rich often are. If it’s that crap being a farmer then they should probably sell their £3m asset and be happy instead…?

Presumably with the introduction of inheritance tax wealthy land owners won’t be interested in buying up farm land as a tax loop hole though. Which would in turn make it a less attractive investment, lower demand, lower the value making it more affordable and actual farmers are able to pass on more land tax free.

I like Labour more than any of the other major parties. The previous government were hell bent on ruining us all, at least Labour have a different plan. Of course there were going to be tax rises, it’s that or cuts. Bet the same people up in arms about the rises will be bemoaning nhs services too. You can’t have it all… Inheritance tax on a tiny minority of ‘farmers’? Great idea. Capital gains tax? Yes please.

Very true. There’s also the benefit that if you get some experience with a decent company first you’re less likely to do an awful job. If you just get your tickets and start operating as a business you’ll almost certainly join the ranks of the countless crap ‘tree care’ companies in the uk.

You don’t do tree work, do you Kram?

I mean in fairness that creation looks like it would get stuck just about anywhere. Size ae that ring… Kram, the 16 strand bit on gecko is a big give away. I’m inclined to suggest you should slow down with this stuff until you understand it better. Lots of things are possible with splicing, but honestly the cambium savers on the market are much better than what you’ve made.

I used to know a guy who swore by graphite powder, he was always putting it in his biners, and he had to because they never worked, cos they were full of bloody graphite powder. Never trust anyone who recommends it, they're trying to appear smarter than they are. Ditto wd40, it's solvent based and won't last. DMM recommend duck oil as a lubricant, I use Balisto. Both thin oils.

Yeah it sounds like exactly what you want, I loved it, but I saw the light. My point was the fimblclimb is the next best thing in my view. It was a dodgy ass splice which you’ll never see in a book. Pulleysavers/ropeguide is great but not everywhere. I wouldn’t want to try and retrieve one from the top of a 40m fir for instance.

I’m pretty sure micro fractures are a lie. They definitely are in aluminium, black diamond collected loads of gear from the base of el cap, tested it and found no considerable strength loss, and some items broke at above their rated mbs. So not wholly anecdotal, there was method! Regardless, whacking alloy rings into concrete will leave dings and sharp edges. With steel there’s almost no evidence. Except perhaps the broken patio.

Longer cambium savers have more sticking potential in my mind too. Somehow though the fimblclimb feels to me like it’s less prone to issues. Maybe it’s a weight thing? I made this one years ago, about 30cm I think, it could basically only fit round a fairly small final anchor point and that was it. Never got stuck, ever, however talking to professional splicers they didn’t seem convinced by its construction. fimblclimb also has the advantage of steel hardware, so you can smack it onto roads.