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Aldo Moschino
(#1016)

 

Front Rear
Front Rear
 
Side Open for Rigging
Side Open for Rigging

Technical Details

I acquired my Aldo Moschino new-in-box from Andrea Rambaldi in 2006, but it is a much older device. The instructions inside the box had a 1972 date. Ken Laidlaw sent me a second one in 2019.

The Aldo Moschino consists of a hinged steel frame, a side arm four rollers, a swivel eye, and minor parts. All of the major components are made from chrome-plated steel.

The main frame is 165 mm. tall and 47 mm. wide. The frame holds three 36 mm. wide rollers spaced 8, 50, and 98 mm. from the top of the frame. Each roller has a shallow U-shaped groove so that the diameter is 9 mm. at the center and increasing to 14.3 mm. at each end. Each roller rotates freely on its own steel axle. The axles are shaped to hold the rollers in place when the frame is open. The left side of the frame is an arm that swings open, pivoting on a 5 mm. pin set 124 mm. from the top of the frame At the top of the arm, a milled catch pivots on a 2.5 mm. pin set at the top front of the arm. A 6.5 mm. hole allows the arm to close over the end of the top roller axle, and the catch engages a slot in that axle when closed. The other two axle rollers fit into blind holes in the arm. A spring-loaded button on the side of the frame holds the catch in the closed position. The button spring is a strip of spring steel riveted to the inside of the frame.

A side arm pivots on a 5 mm. pin 136 mm. below the top of the main frame. This axle is held in place by slotted nuts at each end. The side arm supports a fourth roller 50 mm. from the arm pivot. This roller is 16.5 mm. wide and has a U-shaped groove with 20 mm. side and 11 mm. center diameters. This roller’s axle is a slotted-head axle screw.

The eye hangs from the bottom of the frame. The top of the eye is riveted to the frame, but loose enough to let the eye to pivot freely. The inner diameter of the eye is 16.8 mm., and the edges of the hole are well-rounded.

The top of the main frame bends away from the side arm, roughly at the side arm roller elevation. The total bend is about 12 mm., again measured at the side arm roller elevation.

There are no markings on the descender.

Comments

The Aldo Moschino was manufactured by the company of that name in Torino, Italy. They designed it for mountain troops, and labeled it as such ("Discensore per truppe da montagna"). The instructions show its use as a lowering device as well as a rappelling device.

Rigging the Aldo Moschino is simple: open the frame and weave the rope between the rollers (letting the tail end come out below the third roller and over the fourth (side arm) roller), and then close and lock the frame.

The rivets that hold the button spring to the inside of the frame are small but rough. This should not cause problems when descending single ropes, but they may do minor sheath damage when using doubled ropes.

Bob Thrun and I have each wondered about creating a rappel device that used rollers so that "all" of the friction generated on descent came from the rope’s internal friction. We assumed that one would need one or two dozen rollers to have enough rope bend to create enough friction for a safe descent. Imagine my surprise when I saw this device. I couldn't imagine getting much friction from only four rollers, even if there was a sharp bend around the lower one. Well, my testing shows that I don't: this device is FAST! Too fast and too heavy are two strikes: enough for me; this will not be my primary descender.

Instructions Instructions Instructions Instructions Instructions Instructions

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