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Post by brianbutler on Jan 8, 2023 14:26:06 GMT
What do you use to crimp cable end caps? I am not happy with the results I get with the crimping area on my Pedro's cable cutter. The Park cable cutter looks about the same, basically flattening an area of the end cap. These are never tight enough so I have been using a small vise grip and mashing the end cap. Tight but looks terrible. What I want is the crimp I see sometimes - two closely spaced circular crimps around the end cap. What tool is used to do this?
Brian
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Jan 8, 2023 19:52:03 GMT
What do you use to crimp cable end caps? I am not happy with the results I get with the crimping area on my Pedro's cable cutter. The Park cable cutter looks about the same, basically flattening an area of the end cap. These are never tight enough so I have been using a small vise grip and mashing the end cap. Tight but looks terrible. What I want is the crimp I see sometimes - two closely spaced circular crimps around the end cap. What tool is used to do this?
Brian
Hi Brian, I have had that problem with some crimpers. My current Park CN-10 cutter and crimping tool works well; if you squeeze really hard. The crimping area is rounded; perhaps what you are looking for.
Cheers Jim
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Post by brianbutler on Jan 8, 2023 21:44:59 GMT
What do you use to crimp cable end caps? I am not happy with the results I get with the crimping area on my Pedro's cable cutter. The Park cable cutter looks about the same, basically flattening an area of the end cap. These are never tight enough so I have been using a small vise grip and mashing the end cap. Tight but looks terrible. What I want is the crimp I see sometimes - two closely spaced circular crimps around the end cap. What tool is used to do this?
Brian
Hi Brian, I have had that problem with some crimpers. My current Park CN-10 cutter and crimping tool works well; if you squeeze really hard. The crimping area is rounded; perhaps what you are looking for.
Cheers Jim
Thanks. I might try that but it is not quite what I want. Park has a dedicated crimping tool but I can't tell from the pictures and Youtube if it gives the result I am looking for:
I might drill a small hole in the end of a pair of old pliers and see how that works.
I have had good luck with small lengths of shrink tubing but of course that involves getting out the heat gun. Probably just as easy to get out the propane torch and seal the end with a dab of solder. I think that would make a nice clean solution as long as I didn't accidentally burn the paint job.
Brian
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Jan 8, 2023 22:21:10 GMT
I love soldered cable ends. In the old days, we used solder and a match to melt it. New cables are usually stainless steel, which does not adhere to the solder as well; perhaps with flux and more heat? I will have to try doing that with my older rides.
Cheers Jim
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Post by brianbutler on Jan 9, 2023 2:09:30 GMT
I cut up the excess length of a stainless steel brake cable and did some cable end experiments. Left to right below: 1. Super glue - Difficult to get smooth. 2. Nail polish - Easy to apply, variety of colors, fast drying. 3. Shellac - easy to apply, invisible, dries in 15 minutes, might be sensitive to water. 4. Polyurethane - easy to apply, invisible, dries in 15 minutes. 5. Shrink tubing - requires heat gun, variety of colors, looks clunky compared with liquid treatments. 6. Silver solder - requires torch and flux, difficult to apply smoothly, requires cleanup to remove flux staining.
My choices would be nail polish if I want a specific color and polyurethane otherwise. In my opinion, both look better than conventional end caps and seem like they will prevent fraying. In fact, it should be possible to pull the cable out for service and put it back in since neither solution increases the diameter of the cable. I did not test that, however.
I used red nail polish for the red Sebring upgrade.
Brian
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Post by oldroadietehachapi on Jan 9, 2023 6:12:03 GMT
Impressive, an excellent comparison and great information! Must try it!
Jim
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wheelson
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Post by wheelson on Jan 9, 2023 15:03:08 GMT
I’ve used several methods of crimping over the years. Most of the time, I use the Park crimpers, although lately they are a bit cumbersome for increasing arthritic hands. I’ve also used an old Bell telephone wire crimper although it tends to flatten the crimp. Positive is the crimped ends won’t come off. Negative is the crimped ends won’t come off so the cable wire length has to be increased to accommodate cutting for maintenance. Ideally, I think, would be to find a small end nipper plier and drill or grind the two sized holes in, making the holes smaller to effectively crimp. I like the ideas of fingernail polish to carry a color theme through as there is more variety than the colors of the stock aluminum caps. I remember when Schwinn provided a hard plastic or nylon closed end cap that worked well. These were before the aluminum ones, probably about the time of the Consumer Product Safety Commission regs here in the USA. I also like the idea of soldered ends for home use since it’s too time consuming for bike shop work. Stainless steel cables does complicate matters, however. Best, John “wheelson”
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Post by brianbutler on Jan 9, 2023 16:52:13 GMT
I’ve used several methods of crimping over the years. Most of the time, I use the Park crimpers, although lately they are a bit cumbersome for increasing arthritic hands. I’ve also used an old Bell telephone wire crimper although it tends to flatten the crimp. Positive is the crimped ends won’t come off. Negative is the crimped ends won’t come off so the cable wire length has to be increased to accommodate cutting for maintenance. Ideally, I think, would be to find a small end nipper plier and drill or grind the two sized holes in, making the holes smaller to effectively crimp. I like the ideas of fingernail polish to carry a color theme through as there is more variety than the colors of the stock aluminum caps. I remember when Schwinn provided a hard plastic or nylon closed end cap that worked well. These were before the aluminum ones, probably about the time of the Consumer Product Safety Commission regs here in the USA. I also like the idea of soldered ends for home use since it’s too time consuming for bike shop work. Stainless steel cables does complicate matters, however. Best, John “wheelson” Good point about bike shop efficiency vs hobby wallowing. It comes up in a lot of cases I would imagine, especially whether to repair/clean vs. replace components. The same logic applies to complete bikes. Yesterday I bought a 1985 Fuji del Rey for $30 because I wanted the components. The bike turns out to be hardly used. The seller was getting rid of it because the seat post binder bolt is loose and "I'm not handy."
Brian
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wheelson
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Post by wheelson on Jan 9, 2023 17:53:59 GMT
Yes, sadly many vintage components get replaced and pitched in the interest of “upgrading”. Being a bottom feed scrounger, I try to keep usable items from the scrap bin. Also, the demand for most older road bikes has virtually dried up here in our area. It’s all about gravel, mountain, but mostly ebikes. If anyone here is looking for specific vintage components, let me know and I’ll do my best to find and get it to you. wheelson 2011 AT gmail I’ve got to start downsizing! Best, John “wheelson”
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