Inspection of nylon cable grips

The following is an outline on the steps taken to carry out a visual inspection of a Nylon Cable Grip.

1. Select a work area which is clean, well lit and has somewhere to lay the grip out flat.

2. Lay the grip out.

3. Look for dirt / contamination on the grip. If dirty (e.g soil or mud ) wash off with plain water and dry.
If contaminated by something other than dirt it is advisable to remove the grip from service and replace. Some types of contamination (e.g oil ) can affect the nylon. The extent to which the nylon has been affected can never be determined by site.

4. Start at the eye, look for broken or abraided strands of nylon. If none found move to step 5. If one or more broken or badly abraided strands are found then replace grip.

5. Starting at the eye look for kinked or pulled strands. This would indicate the grip may have been fouled on a roller and would indicate possible overloading at these points. If none found move to step six, should the grip show kinks or pulled strands -replace.

6. Check the colour, the nylon should be a clear or coloured transparent colour, if it has chnaged to a milky opaque - replace.

7. Examine the grip for "elasticity". Manipulate the grip, it must feel "springy" soft. It is advisable, where possible, to have a new grip on hand to use as a "benchmark" for examination. If the grip feels hard replace.

Once this procedure is complete you can be confident the grip is suitable for continued use, or should be discarded.