About Snare Cable
There are many different choices of snare cable on the market today. In our research we have discovered many Imported cables used for snares . There is a chance that what you thought you bought is not the same as what you got. Why is this? Mostly because of differences between Domestic and Foreign import cable. What 7 X 7 cable is in the U.S. is not the same, in many cases, as it is in Imported cable. This is true not only in metals used to make wire but also in the construction and finishing process of the cable.
Wire cable, with but a few exceptions, is made from cold drawn steel wires. This wire is called Plow Steel and is available in various grades. The bulk of commercial cable is made of Improved Plow Steel (I.P.S.) including "Galvanized" Steel cable. Galvanized cable is simply I.P.S. with a zinc coating. The majority of the balance of cable made is "Stainless Steel" and is composed of different (chemical) elements. U.S. manufactured cable has standards and codes to guarantee consistent and controlled product integrity.
There are many foreign import cables on the market. A few are consistent with U.S. standards but many are not. The compounds used to make foreign wire and cable vary greatly and the construction is often not the same as U.S. cable. Many import cables are made in a "Lang Lay"(Diagram 3) configuration and is not suitable for snare use. The term "Lang" means same and "Lay" means direction. A "lang lay" cable has every single wire twisted in the same direction. Lang lay cable is primarily used as an inner core cable for large tension cables (bridges, cranes, etc.) and is a very poor choice of cable for snaring because ( without external cable support) it will separate very easily. Imported cable is very inexpensive and is available in almost every home improvement and hardware supply store. If you buy a cable that is really "a good buy" you most likely have an import cable with a Lang lay construction. The rest of this article is based on the assumption of cable for snare use. Without this assumption we would need to go on forever!
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Over 90% of all wire cable is made of either plow steel or stainless steel. Plow steel is available in four grades, from weakest to strongest, (1) Mild steel (2) Plow steel (3) Improved Plow steel (4) Extra Improved Plow steel. The majority of plow steel is I.P.S.(Improved Plow steel). Stainless steel is made with a totally different metal composition. Plow steel is less flexible than Stainless steel. The primary difference between galvanized cable and Aircraft cable is that aircraft cable contains a special lubricant to reduce friction and aid in flexibility. The term "aircraft cable" is often mis-used.
"Regular Lay" (Diagram 2) refers to wire cable in which the wires in the strands and the strands in the cable are laid in opposite directions. All U.S. manufactured 7 X 7 and 7 X 19 cable is "regular lay". 7 X 7 cable is made with an inner strand core of 7 wires twisted in one direction and 6 outer strands with wires twisted in the opposite direction. These outer strands are then twisted in the opposite direction. Many 7 X 7 foreign imports are "lang lay"cable.
"Alternate Lay" (Diagram 1) refers to wires in the strand being laid in a regular fashion (inner core wires twisted in one direction and outer wires twisted in the opposite direction.). 1 X 19 is an alternate lay single strand cable. We are now going to consider only regular/alternate lay strand and cable since lang laid strand and cable is of no value in snaring.
Wire cable is classified by numbers. The numbers represent the strands per cable and wires per strand. 1 X 19 is a single strand cable consisting of 19 wires. 1 X 19 cable used for snaring is "alternate lay" with 7 inner wires twisted in one direction and 12 outer wires twisted in the opposite direction for a total of 19 wires. 7 X 7 and 7 X 19 cables both have 7 strands in regular lay. The strands of 7 X 7 have 7 wires in regular lay for a total of 49 wires while 7 X 19 uses 19 wires per strand in regular lay for a total of 133 wires. 7 X 19 cable is more limp than 7 X 7 and 7 X 7 cable is more limp than 1 X 19 cable.
All single strand cable, Stainless steel and I.P.S. in the same lay pattern, have similar properties. All single strand cables have a smooth surface, are stronger than multi strand cable and are not as limp as multi strand cable of the same size which allows it to to maintain a shape better. When a single strand cable is shaped in a round loop, as for snaring, the cable remains flat (single plane) because there are no other strands to influence its direction. This is to be considered when using cable for snares.
All multi strand cable,Stainless steel or I.P.S., in the same lay pattern, have similar properties. Because several strands are twisted together the cable has a rougher surface. Having many more wires in its construction it is much more limp than single strand cable (the more wires in a cable, the more relaxed or limp it becomes) and is more difficult to maintain a shape. Due to the strands being twisted in the same direction the cable tends to form a "two plane" loop when attempting to create a round shape.
Galvanized and Stainless cable are both coated cables. Galvanized cable is I.P.S. cable with a zinc coating applied through a heat annealing technique. Stainless processing is similar but incorporates different chemicals. Although the process is different the effect on the wire is much the same. Both processes are applied to make the cable rust resistant. This causes the surface of the cable to become softer and removes about 10% of its strength. Strength is not a concern here as all domestic cables used for snaring have sufficient strength for their use. A softer surface tends to allow the cable to bend more freely and is part of the problem with shaping it. The coating on galvanized cable can peel off with abrasive action or bending while the coating on stainless steel cable does not. Because they are resistant to rust they can remain indefinitely. From an environmental stand point this is a problem whereas non treated I.P.S. cable will eventually decompose and return to its natural state.
Our conclusion from this research suggest all domestic cable
currently used for snaring is suitable for use, coated, uncoated,
single strand cable or multi strand cable. All of these cables
are equally functional for snares and no single type should be
excluded from use. Your selection of cable should be based on
performance such as stiffness, surface smoothness, shaping ability,
environmental concerns, etc. and your choice should not be limited.
Foreign cable should not be used without a thorough check.
Dick Sinrud,Thompson Snares