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I am working on a Grabber Pole. I need a way to close the clamp from the other end of the pole.

The jaws stay locked when closed until released.

I thought of using a bike brake cable and maybe a pulley?

Any other ideas?

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3 Answers 3

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I don't think you need the pulley, if you add an extension to the plastic "finger" that moves. (See my diagram below.) Attach your bike cable to that extension piece. It will increase your leverage, too.

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    Nice illustration for the gripper end.
    – Stan
    Commented May 12, 2019 at 14:11
  • @Stan MS Paint all the way!
    – BrettFromLA
    Commented May 12, 2019 at 23:34
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    @BrettFromLA You were close with the lever. Only it needed to be on the handle itself.
    – fixit7
    Commented May 13, 2019 at 22:29
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I used a type of clamp that ratchets closed. The other clamps I found needed too much force to open.

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  • neat. I think i'd have drilled a hole at 45 degrees through the pipes (metal and plastic) and passed the cable down the inside of the tube
    – Caius Jard
    Commented May 18, 2019 at 11:55
  • @Caius Jard Thanks for the good idea. I will need to put something in the holes so the robe isn't cut by the rubbing.
    – fixit7
    Commented May 18, 2019 at 16:55
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The devil is in the details. Any line or wire (like a straightened coat-hanger) that doesn't stretch will be okay for the link to a normally-open spring "jaw" should work, no?

What you use at the other end is the place to have some sort of mechanism that will allow you to close and lock the gripper end.

You want to have the grabber-pole light enough to hold one-handed while you close the grip remotely.

If you use a lever at the operator end, you can choose the place on the lever where there is sufficient mechanical advantage to close and hold the gripper shut.

  1. Cut a short length of tubing slightly larger than the pole.
  2. Cut the tubing lengthwise.
  3. Drill a pivot hole in the tubing and the gripper pole.
  4. Attach the lever to the wire attached to the gripper at the opposite end. It can be attached directly or run through a guide (or pulley) attached to the grabber pole.

Great Idea: Good luck.

Gripper handle detail for pole

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  • Am I reading your post correctly - you would attach the wire to the end of the newly-added lever made from the cut tubing? If so, would the hand of the user be between the lever and wire? Wouldn’t that pinch the fingers if closed too far?
    – Stephie
    Commented May 15, 2019 at 20:22
  • @Stephie Possibly; but probably not, all things considered.
    – Stan
    Commented May 15, 2019 at 21:36

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