Version A	Version B

Overview

These eights were originally purchased at Blacks in the U. K. Here is an ad for them taken from the Autumn 1966 issue of Mountain Craft.

It is possible and perhaps even likely that one or both of the eights on this page are Fisher eights that were sold by Blacks.

Blacks in the USA advertised similar eights.
This ad is from the April 1966 issue of Summit magazine.

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Version A
(#1175)

Front	Rear

Technical Details

I acquired my Blacks eight from Frank Brown in 2008.

This eight is made from a length of 7 mm. steel rod bent into shape and welded. This eight is 141 mm. tall, 59 mm. wide, and 8 mm. thick. The rope hole is 53 mm. high and 45 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 7 mm. The shaft length and width are 35 mm. and 13 mm., respectively. The eye measures 39 mm. by 34 mm. Version A weighs 106 g.

There are no markings on this eight.

Comments

This is one of the few commercial welded steel rod figure eights. I don't like the thin steel construction - it places too sharp a bend on the rope and lacks sufficient heat dissipation capability for my taste. Although made from thin rod, this eight feels quite solid, and the eight is probably strong enough for reasonable use.

There is little difference between this eight and the Fisher, Version A. The finish is different, but the dimensions are similar.

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Version B
(#1176)

Front	Rear

Technical Details

I acquired my Blacks, Version B from Frank Brown in 2008.

Version B is made from a length of 1/4" (6.45 mm.) steel rod bent into shape, welded, and then plated. is 139 mm. tall, 63 mm. wide, and 7 mm. thick. The rope hole is 58 mm. high and 51 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 6 mm. The shaft length and width are 39 mm. and 12 mm., respectively. The eye measures 29 mm. by 26 mm. Version B weighs 87 g.

There are no markings on this eight.

Comments

This is another welded steel rod figure eight. The rod is thinner than the rod used in Version A. The finish is similar to that on the Fisher, Version A, even as far as the corrosion, but the dimensions are significantly different, with this one having a much smaller eye.

The Blacks, Version B is lighter than most figure eights. I don't like the thin steel construction - it places too sharp a bend on the rope and lacks sufficient heat dissipation capability for my taste.

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