lurch 0 #1 January 9, 2012 Hi. I don't often step in here but have question. Am doing a little custom wingsuit design and I'm in need of some cable housing. I can't seem to find what the heck the stuff is actually called. Paragear has it, calls it "housing" and only sells it in fixed lengths for high prices. I need more like 20-30 feet of the stuff as I will be doing a good deal of "why don't I stop right about here" engineering and I need to be able to pick my own lengths plus change lengths if necessary. Probably making multiple models so I need quite a bit more than enough for just one suit. Anybody got any idea where I can get a decent sized coil of the stuff? Max I'm likely to need'd be about 50 feet so I can just cut to length without worrying about running out halfway through the next piece of work. I understand the stuff needs to be capped and terminated correctly. I am prepared to do my own termination/deburring/coating if I must, but I would vastly prefer to stick to established methods if at all possible. The design is radical enough without taking stupid chances on small details. So if anyone can also point me in the direction of what the heck to use to do the job properly and where to get it I'd be mighty obliged. PS: to any worriers, this is not the first wingsuit I've constructed from scratch using what any sane rigger would consider lunatic construction. I -am- aware of the consequences of a mistake with this stuff and I build my stuff accordingly. Last suit I made was radical beyond anything anyone has seen in basic design, (search Hardcase if you care), and it worked fine totally uneventfully. Unfortunately the fit and comfort left a lot to be desired... -BLive and learn... or die, and teach by example. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #2 January 9, 2012 It comes from the electrical industry: http://electrical.hardwarestore.com/14-43-flexible-metal-conduit.aspx You're probably going to need an expensive special tool to affix the end fittings. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Electronaut 0 #3 January 9, 2012 Contact Jump Shack and they can custom make any length you want. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,468 #4 January 9, 2012 Hi lurch, The hosings come from: Metal-Flex Hosing, Inc. 1241 E. Eria Avenue Philadelpia, PA 19124 215-535-6868 mary@metalflexhosing.com They will make/sell you what you want in any lengths & any quantities. For cutaway the I.D. is 0.172" For ripcords the I.D. is 0.260" Hope this helps, JerryBaumchen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lurch 0 #5 January 9, 2012 ...and JR: You're kidding me. It really -is- just plain small format electrical flex conduit? Hell. Thats exactly what it looked like and I figured no WAY its just plain conduit, gotta be some special stuff made differently with a snag free low friction interior or something specific for rigs and aviation cable-pull-thingy applications. If I'd had any handy out of a rig that was disposable I'd have peeled the stuff apart to see how the inside is setup, try to find something similar. No need now. Thanks a lot guys, Jerry I'll check these guys out. Now that I know its just electrical I can check local electrical suppliers too. -BLive and learn... or die, and teach by example. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RiggerLee 63 #6 January 9, 2012 I have no idea if this is true or just an urbin ledgion. But in any case the story goes some thing like this. Booth was working on the three ring. He got a call at the dropzone from some body. As they were talking on the pay phone he happioned to mention that he was haveing trouble finding a suteable flexable houseing for a smaller cable. He wanted some thing like a ripcord housing. As he spoke to the guy he started to finger the cable to the hand set of the phone. He interrupted the other person on the line and asked if he could call him back later on another phone? Later he returned the call from home and told the guy that he'd found the perfect thing. acording to the story with in a month you couldn't find a pay phone in Florida with a hand set on it. Truth or ledgend? Statute of limitations should have expired by now. Booth? Care to deny or conferm? Eather way it still makes a good story. LeeLee lee@velocitysportswear.com www.velocitysportswear.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,468 #7 January 9, 2012 Hi John, QuoteIt comes from the electrical industry: You could not be more wrong about this! JerryBaumchen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lurch 0 #8 January 9, 2012 ??? Electrical conduit not from electrical industry... lemme guess... payphone industry. And hey, Jerry, thanks especially for the dimensions. Kinda hard to measure the stuff and the spec is important. I want this to work exactly the same as normal chop and reserve pulls and without those dimensions I might have used the wrong stuff in the wrong size conduit and then been puzzled as to why its a hard pull. Even when I'm doing something wild like this I prefer to rely on prior art whenever possible. Lot of fatalities went into working out exactly what works best in details like these, and I'm trying to pull off something new, not kill myself reinventing the wheel on some detail it'd turn out Bill Booth worked out 30 years ago if only I'd looked or thought to ask. -BLive and learn... or die, and teach by example. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #9 January 9, 2012 The hard housing are way more flexible than your normal electrical conduit is. There are very specific Mil spec in terms of the flexibility required for the armored housings we use and discount electircal conduit is not typically as flexible due to its intended purpose. Metal Conduit not made to compress like your armored housings are. MC is made to flex but not compress or expand. Both of which are things your armored housings do.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #10 January 9, 2012 QuoteQuoteIt comes from the electrical industry: You could not be more wrong about this! Okay then, straighten me out. What is the normal use of these housings, outside of skydiving? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JerryBaumchen 1,468 #11 January 9, 2012 Hi John, QuoteWhat is the normal use of these housings, outside of skydiving? I don't know & I don't care. I do know what electrical conduit is though; I've actually used it in some 'electrical' applications. I spent 30 yrs working in the high voltage transmission industry & a former brother-in-law was an electrician (RIP). JerryBaumchen PS) Brain surgery is also something I don't know about; and unless something out of the ordinary happens, I also don't care about it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lurch 0 #12 January 10, 2012 Ok so we got votes for: 1 its payphone cable jacket and 2 Its a mil-spec material. Just to be sure I think I'll order it from those guys upthread a bit.Live and learn... or die, and teach by example. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
