Soldering motorcycle control cables
TR
have made my own ends using 6061T6 which is readily available from the
hobby shop and used both Rosin core solder 60%tin and 40% lead and 60%
silver with 40% lead. The soldering seems very strong. I could not pull the
"end" of the new cables.
I would like some advice of what others may have done insofar as joining
"end" to typically motorcycle cables.
Thanks in advance.
Tom
John Manders
first. Also, the solder should not penetrate up the cable otherwise it
looses it's flexibility and can break prematurely. Always apply the solder
to the opposite side of the end fitting to the cable.
John
"TR" <tri...@optushome.com.au> wrote in message
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Nick Hull
"TR" <tri...@optushome.com.au> wrote:
I had to do that a couple of months ago. I took a 8mm lead bullet (.30
will do), shortened it to length and drilled a cross hole for the cable.
Then I cut a slot across one side, and split the cable lating 1/2 into
each side and epoxied it in place. Splitting the cable gave it strength
even before epoxy, I faired the hole to give not too sharp a bend. Been
working great.
--
free men own guns - slaves don't
www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5357/
Leon Heller
news:409f5d26$0$28242$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au...
Make sure you splay out the end of the cable before soldering, making it
less likely for the end to pull out.
Leon
jim rozen
>
>I am after advice for soldering new "end" on shorten motorcycles cables. I
>have made my own ends using 6061T6 which is readily available from the
>hobby shop and used both Rosin core solder 60%tin and 40% lead and 60%
>silver with 40% lead. The soldering seems very strong. I could not pull the
>"end" of the new cables.
Do NOT run those cables on your vehicle. The solder with
that flux has *not* wet to the cable ends, and will pull through.
Jim
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at yktvmv (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================
Brian Lawson
I've never done one for a motorcycle, but the "best" way to provide a
high strength fastening is to make a cone-shaped hole in the material
which suits the intended use, with the minor end hole just large
enough for the cable to be pushed through from that end, splay the
free cable into individual strands, then "double-over" each end of the
strands of wire into a rosette with the free ends "in". Be careful
not to let the cable "unwrap" too far when splaying, so it stays
"whole" for the next step. Then pull hard on the cable to try to pull
the now doubled thickness back through the small hole. While it is
held in that position, apply (squish) any good metallized epoxy like
JB weld, into the rosette, and hold in place until set. Provides a
98% full strength fastener. You could use solder or babbitt, but if
they "creep" along the wire lays, it makes that area of the cable just
outside the fastener very stiff and prone to fracture.
Any interest, write back and I'll be more descriptive.
Take care.
Brian Lawson,
Bothwell, Ontario.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
On Mon, 10 May 2004 20:45:56 +1000, "TR" <tri...@optushome.com.au>
wrote:
Peter Snell
TR wrote:
Here's one method.... <http://www.eurospares.com/graphics/cable8.jpg>
--
__
Pete Snell
Royal Military College
Kingston Ontario
Sne...@rmc.ca
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
- George Bernard Shaw
Leo Lichtman
made these out of steel, and used a set screw to hold them on. I did that
after once having to tie a knot in the cable to get me back to the truck A
failed throttle or brake cable miles out on the trails can be a bummer.
jim rozen
Lichtman says...
Another approach to this is to change the cables well before
they get old, and put in brand new stuff. Then take the used
cables and zip tie them either to the frame in an out of the way
spot (mine go under the seat) or dirctly alongside the new ones.
That way a failed cable can be set right in minutes on the road.
wmbjk
wrote:
>I am after advice for soldering new "end" on shorten motorcycles cables. I
http://www.dansmc.com/cable_ends1.jpg For heavy clutch cables....
check out the contents of this tray - bottom row, second and third
from left, and top row, far right. Cable is soldered into ferrule,
ferrule fits into recess in cable end.
Wayne
Jordan
How do you "double over" the strand ends?
Jordan
Gunner
wrote:
>In article <DUNnc.71573$Xj6.1...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>, Leo
>Lichtman says...
>>
>>I used to carry a couple of spare ends in the tool kit of my dirt bike. I
>>made these out of steel, and used a set screw to hold them on. I did that
>>after once having to tie a knot in the cable to get me back to the truck A
>>failed throttle or brake cable miles out on the trails can be a bummer.
>
>Another approach to this is to change the cables well before
>they get old, and put in brand new stuff. Then take the used
>cables and zip tie them either to the frame in an out of the way
>spot (mine go under the seat) or dirctly alongside the new ones.
>That way a failed cable can be set right in minutes on the road.
>
>Jim
>
shusss..you will give away all the Beemer tricks.
<G>
Gunner, with two clutch cables zip tied to his frame.
That rifle hanging on the wall of the working-class flat or labourer's
cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays
there.
- George Orwell
Bart D. Hull
My parents owned a European motorcycle shop in Mesa, AZ. We
made our own cables as needed as most motorcycles we worked
were not easy to find spare parts that fit correctly.
I have built hundreds of cables from scratch and repaired even
more. No known failures. (I'm sure I would have heard about them
if they had. No brakes or clutch or throttle tends to bring them'
right back.)
Tips.
Use a solder pot, not a soldering iron. Irons do not supply
enough heat to properly "wet" solder the brass ferrules.
Pot must be on for at least 30 minutes to be up to temperature.
Any less and the solder will not flow correctly. Soldered ends
should shine like mercury when hot and be smooth not lumpy.
Only dip 1/8 of an inch of the end into the pot. Let the solder
wick to just above the ferrule and no more. (Otherwise makes
the cable stiff where it should be flexible and it will break
there.)
Don't use acid flux, it will eat and break the cable. I never used
any flux and let the solder and the heat do the work on the clean
new cable stock.
Put a dab of grease on the barrels that fit in the hole in the
levers. If they can't rotate when squeezed they will break right
at the barrel.
Don't reuse old cable! It just finds another place to break where it has
been weakened before.
Use the largest cable that would move smoothly in the outers.
Don't use set screw ends. They only fall off with vibration and time.
(Usually at the worst time. One customer made up his own carb cable this
way and it fell off and was ingested in the motor. A piston replacement
valve replacement and valve seat replacement later and I still had to make
a soldered cable for him. We hated to see this at the shop, we knew it would
have only cost him $15 for a cable made by us and it cost him over $600 to fix
the damage he caused himself. MOST large jobs we worked on were due to "fingeritis"
or the customers putting their fingers on stuff on which they had no business
working on. )
Don't use epoxy ever! When it gets warm it softens. (Clutch cables or any
other engine cables get hot to the touch.) There is NO WAY a epoxy
joint is a strong as a well done solder joint.
Use hard solder (more tin than lead. Available from Flanders Motorcycle supply)
Again we saw people that used normal "soft" solder and it pulled the ends right off.
A good supply of "hard" solder was old printing type. (Tough to find now.)
To test cables (especially brake cables!) we would install and use BOTH
hands to squeeze the lever as hard as we could. In a panic stop you would be surprised
how strong people are.
Nothing was as satisfying as assuring a customer that you could get whatever they
had left as a cable working again. We had a customer "limp" into the shop at 5:45pm
(we closed at 6:00) with a broken throttle cable on a Moto Guzzi (you really build
muscle with the heavy springed Dellorto twin carbs) and we made two new inner cables
and had him out the door by 6:00. Didn't even remove the cable outers from the bike,
just put the solder pot on a extension cord and brought it to the cable ends on the bike.
Here's the link to all the parts you need to make ANY cable. Flanders was the only place we
could find these parts.
Flanders Cable page
Alas, my parents sold the shop about 7 years ago and no one else in town has taken up
the task.
Bart D. Hull bdhull...@inficad.com Tempe, Arizona Check http://www.inficad.com/~bdhull/engine.html for my Subaru Engine Conversion Check http://www.inficad.com/~bdhull/fuselage.html for Tango II I'm building. Remove -nospam to reply via email.
Bart Hull
Tips.
Flanders Cable page
<javascript:void(_search=open('http://www.topfivesearch.com/search.asp?cf=1&aff_id=47897&uu=602327815717&mt=flanders%2Bmotorcycle','_search','toolbar=1,menubar=1,location=1,status=1,scrollbars=1,resizable=1'));_search.blur()>
Alas, my parents sold the shop about 7 years ago and no one else in town
has taken up
the task.
Bart D. Hull
bdhull...@inficad.com
Tempe, Arizona
Check http://www.inficad.com/~bdhull/engine.html
for my Subaru Engine Conversion
Check http://www.inficad.com/~bdhull/fuselage.html
for Tango II I'm building.
Remove -nospam to reply via email.
Brain Damage
"Leon Heller" <leon_...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:409f6d14$0$20510$cc9e...@news-text.dial.pipex.com...
> "TR" <tri...@optushome.com.au> wrote in message
> news:409f5d26$0$28242$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au...
> > I am after advice for soldering new "end" on shorten motorcycles
cables.
> I
> > have made my own ends using 6061T6 which is readily available from the
> > hobby shop and used both Rosin core solder 60%tin and 40% lead and 60%
> > silver with 40% lead. The soldering seems very strong. I could not pull
> the
> > "end" of the new cables.
> >
> > I would like some advice of what others may have done insofar as
joining
> > "end" to typically motorcycle cables.
>
Firstly you need brass not aluminum for cable ends.
Firstly place cable end over cable, then clean and tin last quarter inch of
cable. Then put your soldering iron on the cable end, and get it hot enough
to allow it to slide over the tinning at the end of your cable.
Make sure the end of the cable is flush with outside surface of cable end,
then grip cable end in vice, and splay over end of cable with something like
a centre punch, and after that get it all nice and hot with your soldering
iron, add more solder, clean up excess solder and job done.
Incidentally proper cable ends, always have a bit of a countersink to allow
splaying out end of cable.
Gears
Bart D. Hull
Try this link, don't know why it didn't come across right
the first time.
Bart D. Hull
bdhull...@inficad.com
Tempe, Arizona
Check http://www.inficad.com/~bdhull/engine.html
for my Subaru Engine Conversion
Check http://www.inficad.com/~bdhull/fuselage.html
for Tango II I'm building.
Remove -nospam to reply via email.
Karl Vorwerk
Karl
"Leo Lichtman" <l.lic...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
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Brian Lawson
Assuming a 3/16" wire cable, allow 1/2" for the splay, then just make
a 180 degree bend in the end of each lay about 1/4" long, back onto
itself, using a pair of pliers. Trick is to get them to form into the
"middle" to form a rosette. Works on the "wedge" principle.
I don't really think anyone would do this for a motorcycle or such,
but it is effectively a "full strength" method. I fact, I'd do this
in an emergency, and with-out the epoxy, using maybe a spare nut or
even a washer. Anything that is just over the cable size. It doesn't
use up THAT much cable. Certainly far less than trying to tie a knot.
Take care.
Brian Lawson.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
On Mon, 10 May 2004 18:54:33 +0100, Jordan <jord...@onetel.net.uk>
wrote:
Jordan
I saw a cable done like that, and it was for a motorcycle but I can't
remember which brand.
It looked neat and convincing, but hard to do. They must have had some
mechanical aid.
I'll give it a try some time.
Jordan
Brian Lawson wrote:
> Hey Jordan,
>
> Assuming a 3/16" wire cable, allow 1/2" for the splay, then just make
> a 180 degree bend in the end of each lay about 1/4" long, back onto
> itself, using a pair of pliers. Trick is to get them to form into the
> "middle" to form a rosette. Works on the "wedge" principle.
>
>>
Wayne
lures also).
If you are only making a few, it can be done with plaster of
paris mixed with water and some white glue. If you want it to
be more durable, use bondo.
I used those hinged plastic do-dad containers to hold the
material.
Mix up whatever you are going to use and fill it on one
side of the container. Then put some vaseline on an end of
the cable you are trying to duplicate. Push the flat side
of the cable end in the center of the mold, about half
the way down. Leave it there and let the material dry.
Then file a little bit of the plastic away from the
plastic on the opposite side, until you can close the
box with the cable sticking out. Then put some vaseline
over the surface that has the cable halfway inserted.
Fill the other half of the plastic container and then
close the box. Let it dry.
Then open the box and remove the cable. On the opposite
side of where the cable goes in make a 'hole' from
the outside of the box all the way down to impression
for the cable end. Then make a funnel shape from the
outside to the inside.
Now take your cable (splayed ends like others have
said) and put it in the mold and close it. Then
all you have to do is pour the lead into the
funnel.
You can buy ladles for heating lead. I just took
a piece of thinwall pipe bent it and using a hose clamp,
attached it to a water pipe end cap.
Get some old wheel weights from the tire dealer.
Put the ladle on the stove and heat it up until
you can melt the lead.
"TR" <tri...@optushome.com.au> wrote in message news:<409f5d26$0$28242$afc3...@news.optusnet.com.au>...