Swaging Tool

A:  It should do a fine job not hard at all it's a tight fit for the first 3 to 4 times you use it, then it fits like a glove

A:  I use 1/8" stainless steel wire for my boat railings and radar mast shrouds and swage it with copper sleeves. That is usual practice. Just avoid doing it with aluminum sleeves.

A:  It is not designed for the swaged fittings, they require a far more elaborate (and expencive) tool. This is for the copper oval crimp sleeves, and buttons. The swage-on fittings you are thinking of (like turnbuckles, and threaded terminations) require a roll-swager or a hydraulic hex-swage. If you have many to do, and can justify the 1,200$ + cost for a hydraulic swager, contact Loos & Co, they made mine, works well... slow, but well. Roll swagers show up on ebay once in a while, usually in the 2500$ range with a couple of dies. If you use this for swage-on terminations you are going to end up with your mast on the deck (or your head)

A:  The tool opens by squeezing the handles together.

A:  It's like a huge set of pliers... spread the two handles to open the jaws, place your cable with its ferrule in the correct place between the cut-out for that size ferrule, then hold it all in place while your squeeeeze the handles together.

A:  pull the handles all the way open and take the head on the ground and press the handles down they are tight the first few times

A:  pull the handles apart as far as you can

A:  Yes I use it on my trap line to stop people taking my traps

A:  Yes, but the dies are unchamfered (sharp edges), so your ferrules will have sharp edges also. As an aircraft mechanic, I can attest that this tool is in NO way up to aircraft standards. Plan on using it for Home Depot kind of projects: safetying the garage door springs, fence work, securing the lawn furniture from theft. On that level of work this tool is a great value. I wouldn't even recommend it for marine rigging.

A:  Yes, it works on aluminum ferrules for 1/16" to 3/16" cable. Swaged aluminum ferrules may be weaker than the cable itself and are probably not recommended for aircraft or rigging use.

A:  Yes. Most ferrules ARE aluminum.