Can you swag a wire without a swaging tool? It seems impossible, but it’s not.
You don’t have to buy a swaging tool if you’re only using it a couple of times. Instead, you can use one of the available alternatives: pliers, hammers, and vice grips.
If you want to find the best swaging tool alternative, we’ll list the three options below and how to use them. You can then decide whether it’s worth buying a swaging tool, or you can do what you want using one of the alternatives.
Swaging Tool Alternatives: Pliers, Hammer, and Vice Grip
The three best alternatives to swaging tools are pliers, hammers, and vice grips. We’ll tell you how to use each one for the same purpose, and you can decide for yourself which is your best fit. The pliers and vice grip will give you the most uniform results, but a hammer will be a good alternative too.
Pliers
If you have a pair of pliers, follow these steps to use them for swaging a wire. They’ll do the same job, and you won’t have to buy anything extra.
Whether you’re using a swaging tool or not, you’ll still need a ferrule. So, the first step here is to loop the wire you want to swag through the ferrule. Then, make the necessary measurements to ensure you have enough wire to use, and move on to the next step.
Now, move the pliers so their teeth or edges close in on the ferrule. Try to do this carefully to avoid tearing the wire by mistake or clamping a shorter loop than you need.
Next, close the pliers carefully over the ferrule, doing it firmly but gently. If your pliers have sharp teeth, they may break the ferrule, and you don’t want that. So, try to be as gentle as possible. When the ferrule is firm enough, put the pliers away and test the wire.
Hammer
Using pliers is easier than using a hammer because you have two prongs to squeeze and two edges to close over the ferrule. Using a hammer, you’ll only have your hammering skills and the tool to do the job. The steps go like this:
Loop Your Wire Through the Ferrule
Like you did with the pliers, the first step here is to loop the wire you want to swag through the ferrule. When doing it, measure the piece of wire extending from the ferrule, making sure it’s equal to the other side. Also, before proceeding, make sure that whatever you want to pass through the loop will fit.
Hammer the Ferrule
When you’re done looping the wire through the hole, put the ferrule on any metal surface. Make sure that it’s a surface you don’t intend to use afterward because the hammer will likely damage it.
Then, grab your hammer and hit the ferrule with force. Do it multiple times until it’s completely crimped, and make sure you’re using a hammer with a large head.
Test the Wires
Now, after you’re done hammering the ferrule, test the wires to make sure they’re at the correct length and that they won’t slip off.
Pull-on the wires forcefully; if they stay put without budging, you did well. If the wire is still moving around through the ferrule, you need to hammer it down some more.
Vice Grip
A vice grip works in the same way as pliers, except it has a sharper grip, and it gives more uniform results. It’s the closest tool to a hand swaging tool.
To use a vice grip, grab the wire, aluminum ferrule, and the tool. Adjust the wire’s diameter that you want to swag, and pass it through the ferrule. Then create a loop and pass it through the other end.
Test to see if the length is enough for your job, then grab the vice grip and close it on the ferrule with force. Before doing so, make sure that the ferrule is placed vertically between the grip’s teeth. Then press on the grip’s handles, tightening its jaws on the ferrule.
After you’re done, pull the wire forcefully to make sure you’ve done a good job.
Can You Make a DIY Swaging Tool?
Hammers and pliers work well as alternatives for a swaging tool, but what if you don’t have them? Or, you may be working on a heavy-duty project, and alternatives won’t cut it. Can you make a DIY swaging tool instead?
Well, you can pretty much DIY anything you want these days, so the answer is yes. However, to do such a thing, you need to get thick pieces of metals, drill a hole through them, and cut them so that they look like a swaging tool.
To start with, you’ll need to determine the hole’s size depending on your project. Then, you’ll need to get a drill and start working.
It doesn’t end here; after you’re done with the hole, you’ll need to cut the metal piece in half so that it has two jaws.
It gets easier from here. You only need to attach a vice grip to your DIY swaging tool and do some final tweaks for it to work.
Needless to say, creating a DIY swaging tool isn’t recommended. If you can’t use the alternatives, your best choice is to buy a swaging tool. Otherwise, the DIY won’t be the same, and it’ll take a lot of effort and handy skills to make.
The Takeaway
The best swaging tool alternative is a pair of pliers or a vice grip. These tools give the closest result to a swaging tool, and they’re easy to use. A hammer will do the job right as well, but you’ll lose a metal surface. Plus, the result won’t be as uniform as you want it to be.
If you don’t have any of these alternatives, it’s better to buy a swaging tool and save yourself the hassle. Any DIY tool won’t give the same results.