Front	Rear

Technical Details

Artyom Babin (Артём Бабин) sent me this eight in 2024.

This eight is made from cast steel. I do not know the alloy, but it is strongly magnetic. The eight is 113 mm. tall, 77 mm. wide, and 13 mm. thick. The rope hole is 38 mm. high and 36 mm. wide. The top center thickness is 12 mm. The shaft length and width are 25 mm. and 21 mm., respectively. The eye measures 17 mm. by 16 mm. The ears are 38.7 and 37.7 mm. long. My eight weighs 307 g.

There are no markings on this eight.

Comments

This is a cast steel T–side eight. Being made from steel, it will wear well, but it is too heavy for my taste. Its small size gives more friction that I need when used on stiffer ropes, but it works well enough on limper lines. The ears are placed low where they are effective and out of the way.

Although they appear to be made from the same material, a magnet shows that this eight was not cast from the same alloy as the Lev Petrovich Karepin miscellaneous descender. This eight is strongly magnetic, while the miscellaneous descender is almost nonmagnetic.

History

This eight was made by Lev Petrovich Karepin, a well-known Russian inventor, engine builder, and master of artistic casting from the city of Omsk.