Broken aluminum ring

[woodworkingboy]

The official information on the breakage and returns seems very sporadic, like the way the equipment suppliers are posting here. I couldn't find anything on it at either the Sherrill or Wesspur sites, but I didn't look very hard. You'd think there would be a pop-up window, or something to alert.

Is the recall official now?

 

[Blinky]

Damn! I have some Clogwyn wires somewhere, I beat the daylights out of'em. DMM was my favorite biner manufacturer until I got my hands on a ball lock. I have DMM screw lock that has the smoothest action I've ever used.

That's the problem with going public and selling out, you lose control of the product and the company becomes money driven rather than product driven.

I still hope ISC shows me I'm wrong, I like the designs a lot. But until they do, they're on my dark brown list.

 

[Blinky]

The official information on the breakage and returns seems very sporadic, like the way the equipment suppliers are posting here. I couldn't find anything on it at either the Sherrill or Wesspur sites, but I didn't look very hard. You'd think there would be a pop-up window, or something to alert.

Is the recall official now?

I think the recall is official from Sherrills seeing that they will replace a ring regardless of whether it was bought from them or not. I've seen no evidence that Kong, who SHOULD be doing the recall, is addressing the issue at all.

You gotta hand it to Sherrills, they're proactively putting climber safety first. THAT'S how you do business.

 

[NeTree]

It looks to me like the rings Tobe showed in his pictures deformed quite a bit before breaking.

Excessive hardness makes the metal brittle, "glass-like". Heat-treating (which included annealing) cures this by making the metal somewhat softer. It will bend before it breaks.

Aluminum especially is prone to internal stresses caused by the inner metal cooling slower than the outer metal. Stress-relieveing, by heating the metal to a particular temperature and cooling slowly, cures this.

Hope this explains it.

 

[Frans]

I watched an interesting show last night on Nova. All about samurai swards and how they are made.
Two separate metals. The inner layer with less carbon which allows it to absorb forces and flex and the outer layer with more carbon which makes it harder and hold an edge longer.
Its all in the tempering and mix of elements.

 

[pantheraba]

Sounds similar to Damascus steel.

 

[lumberjack]

Yep, they fold it over and over leading to a softer core and a harder edge.

 

[Widow Shooter]

I just got an email from Sherrill, they said send them back, even if they are not from them and they will replace them, even if you bought it elsewhere... hats of to Tobe and crew, well done lads

 

[rumination]

That is good of them to do that. Hopefully Kong is footing the bill for it.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Received the same email. I'll be returning two rings. Glad the information is getting out in clear form.

 

[vharrison]

I just got an email from Sherrill, they said send them back, even if they are not from them and they will replace them, even if you bought it elsewhere... hats of to Tobe and crew, well done lads

I did as well, wonder what took so long, this thread was started 4 weeks ago.
Toby?

 

[woodworkingboy]

Maybe because yesterday I posted that they should do it? The recall is posted at their site too.

 

[Bodean]

I tend to stare at the ring on my saddle more and more these days.

since these happenings.

 

[sotc]

Not good to doubt your gear

 

[MasterBlaster]

I don't do the ring thang.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I got a letter from WesSpur today... They are expressing the ring thing but more like don't use it till we get all the info kinda thing. Warning. I will scan it tomorrow if no one got one yet. Not a recall though.

 

[Frans]

Interesting modification on that biner Butch. Is that tape holding it?

 

[OTGBOSTON]

I don't do the ring thang.
QUOTE]

Me neither.

 

[wiley_p]

I should have prefaced my earlier post by saying UNRATED aluminum hardware has no place on friction savers.
The test BD conducted was on their equipment, in a controlled setting, to cover their asses, on rated gear. The rings is question are being sold as LIFE SUPPORT hardware and yet they are unrated. Would you buy carabiners that had no weight ratings on them?
Friction savers in their day to day use get the crap beat out of them in daily use when pulled out of the tree, I rarely use a throwline to retrieve my rings, just lem them hammer the ground. I like steel.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Interesting modification on that biner Butch. Is that tape holding it?

It's dense foam with aluminum tape wrapped around it. It keeps the biner in the right position.

 

[fallguy]

Just got a e-mail from Wes Spur offering the return deal as Tobie. They said from now on they are only going to sell individually tested rings not batch tested.

 

[pantheraba]

So, you guys are sending in the entire friction saver and they are replacing it with another FS with a proper ring installed?

I think I have two like this (factory made) and one where John (NoBivy) made up a long one for me (probably 3-4 feet).

On a homemade FS I guess you cut out the FS and then have to re-sew the replacement ring into the FS.

 

[pantheraba]

I may have answered my own question...went to the Sherrill site and got this (red font and BOLD added by me):

KONG Bonaiti of Italy has confirmed the issuance of polished aluminum rings that were sourced elsewhere and distributed without individual testing. A quantity of these rings were mixed into KONG boxes without having been individually tested and laser marked. Furthermore, two users have experienced failure of these rings that could have led to injury. If you have such a ring (below left), stand-alone or spliced into a product, it is vitally important that you dispose of or submit for replacement immediately.
!! Delaying or avoiding immediate disposal or replacement could prove fatal to user !!
Upon receipt of recalled ring(s), the sender will be furnished free of charge an individually tested and laser etched replacement. If a similar ring WAS PURCHASED ELSEWHERE, we will gladly replace it. If the ring supports a Sherrill-spliced rope product, that too will be replaced and shipped (within the US) at no additional charge. SherrillTree will compensate customers having bought direct from SherrillTree (with invoice on record) with $5 credit for their shipping expenses. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may present and will work quickly to return replacements.


It sounds like with a receipt you get a new FS with proper ring.

http://www.sherrilltree.com/Product-Recall

 

[sotc]

Friction savers in their day to day use get the crap beat out of them in daily use when pulled out of the tree, I rarely use a throwline to retrieve my rings, just lem them hammer the ground. I like steel.

I try to catch them

 

[Stumper]

I try to catch them
in my teeth

Willie I added a phrase for clarification.