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/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> The Cafe >> Soldering cable tips/making cable stops /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1417784402 Message started by ToesNose on 12/05/14 at 05:00:02 |
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Title: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by ToesNose on 12/05/14 at 05:00:02 I thought this was a good idea, I've had issues in the past with shortening cables and this would have been a great method to use. It may not be the best looking cable ends, but it seems to do the trick. Just thought I'd share with you guys. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-gY27LTU2c[/media] |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by justin_o_guy2 on 12/05/14 at 05:41:56 Plug in not supported,,, Ohh well. I was called Bondo J. Motorpool at a job. Started off,6 weeks,unwarping a Mack cabover that had been grandmaster. Then the clutch went out on the wireline truck,then they needed a driver,and maintenance man for the trucks and pumps.. I made battery cables using copper tubing, hammered,soldered,drilled and shaped on a grinder. Wooo Hoooo copper gets HOT. Maybe I should have soldered before grinding. |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by Dave on 12/05/14 at 05:57:22 I watched the video.....and I suppose if I was stranded someplace with little tools, I might use this method. I have made my own cables, and I either buy or make brass ends to solder onto the cable. They look much nicer than the solder globs that come out of that wood block. This video does have me curious though.....what would happen if you made the mold out of aluminum, and made it so the mold was in two halves and could be taken apart? The solder won't stick to aluminum.....and the aluminum won't burn when you heat it to melt the solder. Folks that cast their own bullets most likely could just pour melted lead into the mold - and I would imagine it would be desirable to "tin" the end of the cable before placing it in the mold. If I have time I will try building a mold this weekend. The first thing I will try however is just drilling a hole between two pieces aluminum, and seeing what happens when you melt the solder between the two halves. There are lots of places you can buy the brass cable ends online. Here is a link to one available from Dime City. http://www.dimecitycycles.com/vintage-cafe-racer-caferacer-bobber-brat-chopper-custom-motorcycle-handlebar-parts-carburetor-end-throttle-brass-nipple-barrel-1-5mm-wire-01-0001.html |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by ToesNose on 12/07/14 at 04:43:25 Yea the guy in the video did a crude job of it, but in general the process was a good idea. The same thought about casting them came to mind when I first watched it too Dave ;) |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by arteacher on 12/07/14 at 05:28:07 Wouldn't the aluminum cool the lead too much to make a good joint? |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by Dave on 12/07/14 at 06:54:40 3F34343D313E3F2524500 wrote:
I think you would have to heat the aluminum so that the solder does not instantly cool when it is in the mold. I doubt I will be able to make the test mold this weekend....the sun has come out and I may do yard work while the weather is nice. |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by verslagen1 on 12/07/14 at 10:17:57 Plenty of bullet mold vids on utoob and is essentially the same process. don't get the methyl hydrate on aluminum... Quote:
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by Dave on 12/07/14 at 17:39:19 Well, I was able to waste 1.5 hours on this today. I made a mold in 2 halves out of aluminum, and they are held together with a screw. http://i58.tinypic.com/160c6qv.jpg The mold was suspended by a long screw held in the vise so the heat would not just transfer too quickly to the vise. I dipped the end of the cable in a liquid soldering flux, and then inserted it into the mold. http://i62.tinypic.com/2rohu2h.jpg I then placed a small piece of solder into the bottom of the mold, and began heating it with a propane torch. When the solder began to melt I then kept shoving in more solder until the mold was full and stopped heating it. http://i60.tinypic.com/334j6eq.jpg When I tried to separate the mold halves....they were stuck together tight and it took one side in a vice and the other side I had to hit with a block of wood and a hammer to get them apart. The piece looked good and the cable was stuck in the piece really tight. http://i57.tinypic.com/dyaflz.jpg Well I tried and tried - but it was impossible to get the solder out of the second mold. It was stuck tight :'( http://i62.tinypic.com/2d854ky.jpg I guess I learned that solder does stick to aluminum! So...I will just keep making my cable ends out of brass, and them solder them to the cable. |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by EJID on 12/08/14 at 08:37:04 Dave, Thanks for going through the motions to see if that would really work, I know I was contemplating it. I'll look at those brass ends from now on as well. 8-) |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by verslagen1 on 12/08/14 at 08:51:54 The alternate here would be to get some aluminum tubing of the required diameter, drill the hole in the side for the cable and fill it with lead. The take away from this would be soldering is acceptable method of joining the cable to the barrel. |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by Dave on 12/08/14 at 09:08:46 I know they can cast lead bullets in molds. I suspect the fact that the mold is not at the melting temperature of the solder keeps the solder from sticking to the mold. It well could be that this system would work if I heated up the mold a bit, then had the lead/solder molten and poured it into the mold. I might pull the stuff back out of the trash....and try it one more time. :o |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by justin_o_guy2 on 12/08/14 at 19:12:55 Ahhh, That kinda cable... not battery... |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by ToesNose on 12/09/14 at 18:20:34 Just put butter on the molds. ...well it works for cup cakes! Nicely done Dave, bummer it stuck on the one side :-? |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by koehlerrk on 12/11/14 at 11:50:11 Aluminum does work for bullet molds, also fish sinker molds, got a couple of those myself. However, in my admittedly limited knowledge of aluminum, there are lots of different alloys and it wouldn't surprise me that some of them do stick to solder. Another issue could be that the drilled hole wasn't exactly centered on the split between the two halves, so while one side falls off easily, the other side is mechanically locked in place. From a friend of mine that made a bullet mold once because he couldn't buy what he wanted, he said you had to be centered on the split within one or two thousandths to get the mold to release. Also, the surfaces have to be polished to an almost mirror finish, otherwise there's too many edges for the lead to grab onto. |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by Ed L. on 12/11/14 at 19:15:50 Dave, Try coating the insides of your mould with soot from a candle. The soot or candle black will act as a release agent between the aluminum and solder. Been casting wheel weight lead bullets for target shooting and coat the moulds with soot for easier release. |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by jcstokes on 12/11/14 at 23:21:12 I believe ED L has a valid point, an old plumber I knew used a similar tactic when soldering Y shaped copper pipe. He would cut his pipe angles and use a sooty flame from a blow lamp to black the inside of the pipes. He would then solder the outside and any excess solder on the inside dropped away when he tapped the completed joint. |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by justin_o_guy2 on 12/14/14 at 09:25:57 I go to some very time consuming lengths when Im using epoxy on things that I ONLY want the epoxy in certain places on.,, And sometimes I have to make sure solder isnt allowed to run into places I dont want it..This soot idea is one Ill be remembering and trying. Get stuff sooty, then clean where the stikkum is sposed to be.. sounds like s good answer to me, Thank You folks.. |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by Dave on 12/21/14 at 08:52:43 Well, curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to try the soot from a candle to help prevent the solder from sticking, and to try dumping the molten solder into the mold instead of using the mold to melt the solder. I used the candle to blacken the mold, you have to stick the mold into the candle flame to get the soot on it. I then made a hole in a small piece of aluminum and threaded in a long screw as a handle to melt the solder in. I also tinned the end of the cable before placing it in the mold. http://i61.tinypic.com/2ly4ppu.jpg I then heated up the mold, and then switched the torch to the aluminum cup and melted the solder. You evidently can't pour molten solder slowly, and when I tipped the cup the solder just flew out in a molten lump. I scraped the excess off quickly with a piece of wood. I let it cool a few minutes until the shine was gone from the surface of the solder and it didn't move when I poked it. http://i59.tinypic.com/2isdsb7.jpg I then took the mod apart, and the first half came right off! :) http://i60.tinypic.com/21acl91.jpg With a little filing to get rid of the cone at the bottom.....it looks great! http://i57.tinypic.com/orufkk.jpg If you are only making 1 or 2 cables and you have a lathe, it is faster to just make a brass fitting and solder it on. If you were making a bunch of cables, have a drill press and a hacksaw - it is probably worth making a mold. |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by ToesNose on 12/21/14 at 09:06:46 That looks top notch! Great trick with the soot ;) |
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Title: Re: Soldering cable tips/making cable stops Post by verslagen1 on 12/21/14 at 09:24:23 I think that's worth a tech section post. 8-) |
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