pennants (not the baseball type!)

[PAComet]

Hi all. In the last stages of bringing back a Comet from the 30's. Old cb was galvanized, and I've replaced it with aluminum 60 somethin or other, much lighter. Old hardware is bronze including a pennant (I think thats the name of the piece) that connected a cable to the cb as so: ----cable----Ì----cb. Where the "sideways u" is a bronze pennant that had a flush rivet on it since drilled out. Now I know, bronze and aluminum = galvanic corrosion (I think). But how to replace the pennant with something more suitable? My best solution so far is a sacrificial galvanized shackle or quicklink loosely connecting the cb to the pennant. Hole in aluminum cb is 1/2 inch, its thickness 1/4 inch. CB slot looks like one inch.
Thanks!

[James McMullen]

Why not fab up a piece of aluminum? It's easy to work with. You can use aluminum for the rivet too. Also, replace the old cable with Amsteel--it's better in every way.

[the_gr8t_waldo]

make the link between the cb and pennant out of something that insulates/ isolates? hmmmm ...wood maybe?

[PAComet]

Interesting idea! Think African mahogany would be strong enough? I have some of that on hand, unlike thick enough aluminum to fab a fork and eye. The cb now is a fraction of the weight of the old steel one. I would need to figure out how to secure the dowels in place... would epoxy be reliable enough?

[JimConlin]

You won't get into electrolysis trouble with a stainless shackle. The issue in this application is the length of the pin.
Wichard makes some nice stainless shackles with allen pins. This is #1303. High quality. Priced to match.

[the_gr8t_waldo]

rereading the replies it's the same idea as james's amsteel idea. i was thinking a block of wood, or phenolic, with both ends drilled and shakle/pin insterted into the holes....idealy in a location that gets to dry out between outings.

[PAComet]

Hey here's an idea, let me know what you think- the cb slot is really only about half inch wide, the cb is 1/4 inch alum. Could I just buy a length of amsteel and tie a bowline uniting the pennant and cb? I'm unclear on the rope-like qualities of amsteel but sounds like it would be flexible enough to not abrade the cb trunk, and stong enough to lift a 35 pound board on a pivot. If you can tie knots in the stuff.

[James McMullen]

No, you can't just tie a bowline in Amsteel. What you want is a locked Brummel splice, one of the more elegant and sublime expressions of the marlinspiker's art. This little cord has a safe working load north of three tons!

[PAComet]

crap- this ol' bosun doesn't even have a marlinspike, but that splice sure looks bristol. Knew I shoulda been a sea scout, and now it's finally back to haunt me! A locked brummel doesn't look too hard I guess... Really for all the new stuff I've learned in the past few years bringing this thing back from the dead, I should get a degree! She better float at the end of all this!