Rig’mups Redux

First, a few pictures of the item this pouch is intended for, what I’ve always known as a rigger’s key.

In the hand, giving a sense of the size.

Several years ago I posted something about this pouch I had made several years before that.

The closure for it broke, namely the button.

Came up with a different approach. The button obviously proved the weak point, but getting the elastic through the slot in the skein proved to be a bit fiddly. Besides that, this approach meant that it could really only be mounted on the front of something to be able to open and close it. If I carry this, (and it is admittedly a tool that I haven’t so much use for), it will likely sit behind another pouch. I wanted something that would allow me to open and close it from the top, not the front.

Opted to sew two lengths of Mil-Spec elastic cord to it with a pull tab on each one. The cord is only under tension when it’s pulled up to release it. 

Front. Cords in place. The key is held in place very securely. 

 Front. Cords released. 

Back. Cords released.

Close up on the tabs. I only have to release one for me to be able to extract the key, but both open is a little easier.

Hanging upside down, no amount of shaking to and fro, no matter how forcefully, will release it.

Mounted behind a pouch.

 Tabs and cords pulled to the side.

Tool being extracted.

Part of me thinks I should have sewn tabs to the pouch and then secured the bungee cord to those tabs rather than to the pouch itself. If I have to replace it, that would make it easier. But the elastic is very good quality, they aren’t going to be yanked on dozens times a day, and really, if I have to replace the cord, I may just take a different approach and make a whole new pouch. But for the foreseeable future, this will work just fine.

Totally Tubular – Rig’mups

I’ve always known this as a riggers key. I’ve also heard them referred to as bosun’s spikes, or a french fid. I gather the pointy part is known to some as a marlin spike, and the slot on the end as a shackle key. It’s manufactured by a French company Wichard who refer to it as a “unique shackler/spike tool”. I purchased mine at Genco Marine in Toronto.

The pointed end can be used as a fid to work open knots. It has a groove on one side, which can be used as an awl to repair sails, Put the cord in the groove, punch the point through, push the cord down, pull the point back and work the cord through. (...and I’m sure it could really ruin someone’s day as well...)

The centre part can have rope wrapped around it, to serve as a T handle to make pulling on a rope easier.

The end part can have cord wrapped around it, serving as a skein to repair nets with.

And it can be used as a bottle opener in a pinch.

While mainly a nautical implement, it is also useful for climbing.

The point makes it a dangerous thing to carry. I used some  tubular webbing and constructed this.

Front with the elastic closure holding the riggers key in place.

That point can punch holes in dry wall. Hence why I wanted to make sure it couldn’t do any damage.

The backside of the pouch, showing the MALICE Clip attachment.

This gives a sense of the scale of it.

This shows the groove in the fid.

I ended up using this piece of triangular rubbery material with a hole in the centre I had. No idea what it’s really supposed to do. Sewed it in place, and the point nestles in it perfectly.

I couldn’t use any of the traditional closures I might have employed. Just used some thin shock cord, and put some shrink tubing on the end...

...and it is held in place with a simple button.

To be honest, I don’t have much cause to use this tool, but if I do, I have a safe way to carry it.

Oh, and the whole thing was sewn by hand on the train.