Attaching Travel bug tags securely?

[z0diac]

Hello.

 

I sent my first travel bug on it's jouney, it already left it's first cache. :-)

 

While trying to attach the tag to it, I had big problems. How do you do a secure attachment? I did it with some kind of sling-bend, but I think, it will loose very early.

 

Are the chanins ment to be opened and closed, in order to attach it to the bug? Didn't find a good method, for doing this..

[+BlueDeuce]

Kind of depends on the traveler you are attaching the tag to, sometimes just a key ring will work just fine.

 

For the trickier ones or ones you want really secure this is what I do:

 

Using a metal cable (airplane cable) to attach a TB tag to traveler.

 

I'm using a 1/16 gauge cable which seems plenty strong to me. About 26 cents per foot and the ferrules are about 54 cents each.

 

To crimp the ferrules you only need a good set of pliers but I recommend using at least a 10 inch lineman pliers (Craftsman of course) so you can apply a lot of force easily. You'll probably only want to crimp one side at a time and the lineman pliers are wide enough to get the whole side at once.

 

You want to cut the cable as 'clean' as possible so you don't have loose threads that can make it hard to stick through a small hole, (Plus those threads hurt when they stick you in the finger). The lineman pliers can do a good cut but I also like having a set of pincers on hand. You may have to undo some work and the pliers may be too big to do some careful cutting.

 

I like to start by crimping a ferrule on one end of the cable first and then stick several feet of cable through whatever I'm securing. You may only need two inches of cable, but do you want to hold two inches of metal cable in a circle, a set of pliers and crimp a ferrule all at the same time? (No, you don't.)

 

And be careful if you cut just the tip of the cable, it'll fall apart into tiny little wires. You don't want to step on those later so cut over a work tray or dinner plate.

 

Okay, so you have the ferrule on one end, stick the other end through the traveler, make sure you add on the tags and stuff before you close the loop. I'll then hold the ferrule in the pliers, pull the cable so it's the size circle I want, then an extra millimeter, cut the cable and pull it back inside the ferrule so nothing is sticking out, and crimp. If the end of the cable sticks out a little bit, file it down so it won't cut anyone.

 

 

[+Thrak]

I use small cable and ferrules as well but I just smash them in the vise and it works well.

 

I don't like the chains that come with the tags. Too weak and too easy to remove. Cable is easy to get down at the hardware store and is very secure.

[+StarBrand]

I use one or more of the following.

 

The chain that came with it.

A plastic zip tie.

A metal keychain loop.

 

Only one of my bugs became sperated from the tag and it was the chain only.

[+trainlove]

On my bowling ball I've used a 2 inch by 1/4 inch screw lug epoxy'd into a hole drilled into it. Then some of the 8 ply metal chain (8 beads per inch) wrapped a couple times through the hole in the tag and lug. I also wrote the tag number on the ball and varnished over it and also put 2 inch clear tape over that to prevent it from smudging away.

 

There also are 6 ply chain for toilet flapper valves and 4 ply chain for curtains. One should epoxy shut the joint on any chain one uses for security also.

[+Markwell]

Moving this to the Travel Bug/Hitchhiker forum as it's more appropriate there than in Getting Started

[+fairyhoney]

If you choose to use the chain that comes with itr, I would shorten the chain then "squish" the fastener holes down with pliers

[+Vodor and Scorsby]

Ive used either keyrings to attach them or the chain it came with ( I flow some solder into the fastener to stop it being removed)

[+EScout]

Good comments by BlueDeuce above. I also use the stranded cable and ferrules.

 

Some things I can add:

Full size Vice-Grips pliers with the wire cutter do a nice clean cut. They are easy to use and have "leverage."

 

I usually coat the connection with epoxy which covers sharp ends and protects the tag and TB item.

 

For certain things I use a straight piece of cable with a stop crimp on each end. The stops usually come with the ferrules in a package and are also very secure.

[+Ambrosia]

Zip-ties have been my favorite, especially on squishy things like stuffed animals.