Introduction: Making Closing Pins for Mini-Skydiving Rigs

About: I am an Eagle Scout. I love Hunting, Fishing, Camping, Ropework, Chain Mail, Making things in general, and i love my family.

In this Instructable, I am going to teach you how to make miniturized closing pins for your Mini-Skydiving rig. These pins are modled EXACTLY like the real thing, just a little smaller, and made out of a paper clip. I will be teaching you how to make a straight closing pin, and what I call a "bear claw" closing pin.

On the next page I will explain the mechanics of both the Bear Claw, and straight closing pins and their various other uses.

Step 1: Differences in Closing Pins

The difference between the two closing pins is obvious. The bear claw is curved and the straight closing pin is...well...straight.

The bear claw is curved because with new skydiving rigs, the drogue chute does not have a spring to launch it out of the container to catch the windstream. The diver has to pull the drogue from its BOC (Bottom of Container) Pouch. When the drogue inflates, the curved design of the closing pin ends up lifting from its side position, and pulling through the closing loop vertically. This prevents the closing pin from binding aginst the container creating a pilot chute in tow.

the sraight pin is usually used for "oldschool" skydiving rigs that utitilize a spring loaded pilot chute. the diver usually pulls a ripcord that the pin is attached to, thus allowing the pin to let go of the closing loop horizontally.

See the pictures below to get a good idea of what the pins look like when they are pulled

Step 2: Materials

The materials you will need for this project are EXTREMELY simple:

1) Round Paperclips
2) Conical Nosed Needle Nosed Pliars
3) Jewler's Baggies (Optional THerefore NOT Shown)
4) Batteries ( Not shown. JIC Your camera dies...mine did. hahaha)

Step 3: Making the Straight Closing Pin

Take the paperclip and place the very very very tip of it in the thickest part is the conical needle nose pliars as shown in the first picture. i didnt follow my own instructions to exagerate a little bit so you could see what im doing. You will then start to wrap the wire around the pliars as noted in the second picture. After wrapping the wire around the top jaw of the pliars the furthest you can go, release the pressure on the pliars and move the wire just enough to finish the 'round-about and meet the end of the wire with the 'round-about as shown in the third picture. Now orient the new formed wire loop as shown in picture four and creat a slight backbend as depicted.

Now you can take your wire off and measure down about 1/2"-1" and then cut the rest of the wire and...Voila!! you have a straight closing pin.

Step 4: Making the Bear Claw Closing Pin

The only difference 'tween this pin and the straight pin is the curve in the pin...so follow step 3 on making the straight pin to begin the bear claw, and then continue with this step.

All you have to do is put a slight bend in the pin. it must be smoot-transitioning...not sharp bends that result in visible angles. this will cause the pin to bind...after you put the bend in the pin...VOILA... you have your bear claw closing pin!!

Step 5: Enjoy

The uses fo these pins are endless...you can use them to make traps, triggers, quick releases...you name it. I personally used it for tripwires. if you look on my profile, youll find the tripwire instructable.

ENJOY!!