FAQ
Strand Chucks
Q. Is it OK to mix different brands of chucks?
A. Absolutely not, no way don’t do it. The different components may look similar to the naked eye however their not.
If you mix different brand parts the assembled strand chuck could malfunction or fail. If your plant changes brands
of chucks it is very important to remove ALL of the old chucks and components from your plant before you start using
the now brand.
Q. Can I use the Paul Multiple Use Chuck on epoxy coated strand or composite strand or rod?
A. No, Paul Chucks can only be used on bare metal strand.
Q. Can I use the Paul 1/2″ stand chuck on 1/2″ special?
A. Yes, the term “special” means the strand is nominally oversized or undersized. The Paul 1/2″ strand chuck will grip up to .519 and as low as .492.
Q. How many uses will I get from my chucks and jaws?
A. That is a very hard questions to answer due to the great number of variables involved during the life of the chuck
and jaws. Of course maintaining your chucks is critical. Cleaning and lubricating them will greatly increase the
life of your chucks. Things like shock loading, un-even stressing suffices, stressing with out a cap, and hitting the
chucks with a hard object such as a hammer will decrease the useful life of the chuck. Depending on stressing loads
and proper use you should expect around 300 uses from you jaws and over a thousand uses out of your chuck bodies.
Items suck as retaining rings, springs, and caps will wear and will need to be replaced during the life of the chuck.
Q. Can I use a multiple use anchor on the jacking end of the form?
A.In most cases no. The chucks on the jacking end should have a cap and spring. Without the cap & spring the jaws will
seat unevenly causing causing jaw offset. Stressing against the jaws will also damage them.
Q. Is it OK to stress without a cap on the chuck?
A. No, read question #5
Q. How often do I need to clean. inspect and lubricate my chucks?
A. After every use you should disassemble and clean the chuck body and jaws of any contaminates suck as form oil, grease, concrete slury exc. Next, you should inspect the components for wear and/or damage (see strand chuck manual). Check the jaws for cracking and tooth wear. Make sure the cap will lock on to the chuck body and look at the spring for deformation. Replace parts as needed. Now lubricants require a drying time before reassembling.
Q. Why are my chucks sticking on the strand?
A. Read question #7. The most common reason for chucks not releasing are damage or lack of lubrication. If there is not enough lubricant or the wrong kind of lubrication is used it may act like a glue under the compressive loads. Chuck damage will cause the chucks to stick. When a chuck body has been hit with a hard object it can damage the body where the jaw will jam and become lodged. If this is the case the bodies should be replaced. Use a removal tool and sliding hammer to help free up the jammed jaws without damage.
Q. Can I use a vibratory cleaner or tumbler to clean my chucks?
A. Yes and No. A vibratory cleaner is a good way to clean your chucks as long as a natural media is used, such as walnut shell. Do not use a man made media such as glass beads or ceramic as this will damage jaw teeth. The use of a tumbler is not recommended as the tumbling motion will cause the chuck bodies to bang into each other damaging.
Q. Why are my jaws cracking?
A. If your jaws are old and have several hundred uses then they may be worn out. However, if your jaws are new, or only used a few times and cracking occurs, then you may have a problem. Many times cracked jaws are the result of shock loading, jaw offset or mixing brands. Other possibilities include trying to stress the wrong size strand and stressing against the jaw (no cap). More information is available on this subject in our strand chuck manual in technical notes.
