[ARC5] Wire

[Kludge]

In looking at the fabric over rubber wiring used way back when, there seem
to be two different flavors, one that has the fabric kind of loose and
easily frayed and the other has the fabric somehow bonded to the rubber
which reduces fraying and makes for neater work.  Since I’m going to try my
hand at making fabric over something wire in an attempt at making things
appear even more authentic*, it would be nice to know how it was done
originally.  “Something” may wind up plastic, vinyl or Teflon dependent on
what I can get that looks right as to overall bulk.  

 

* I may even try lacing in the tracers which would probably not be good
therapy when they take me back to psych lockdown as a result of this
activity.  Nor would basket weaving.  :-)

 

The way I think this will work is to use white older type flat shoelaces,
wet them and force them over forms (read as: dowels) while they dry to
reduce or take out the creases.  (This may also require a bit of ironing.)
After that, introduce them to some RIT dye to get the right base colors for
color coded wiring and put them back over the forms to dry.  Assuming (and
we all know what that word means) this works as planned, I may actually try
lacing in the tracers although it would be insanely time & labor intensive
and only a few people would actually realize that the tracers are supposed
to be there.  I think all of them are in these lists.  Anyway, a little
yellow varnish to give it the official MFP look and I should have wire good
for open cables.

 

If the basic project goes well – i.e., the part about using shoelaces to
make a reasonable facsimile of WW II cloth covered wire – the next step
would be to use the same basic technique to make vinyl over white woven
fabric over vinyl wiring used in later aircraft.  I’m not sure I know what
to seal the fabric with but after that’s done the top coat can be a dip in
Dip-It clear vinyl.  If this works as I think it will, this will solve the
problem of wiring up the Type 12 equipment with more or less period
appropriate open wire.

 

Using shoelaces presents two problems right off.  First, the prices of good
ones that don’t have the funky seams on each edge and are small enough have
gone out of sight.  Second, it limits the size of any given run to the
length of the longest laces I can find.  On the other hand, for everything
except the SCR-A*-183 I’ll be using open wiring as much as possible, mostly
because I like it but also because a good number of my connectors are for
open wiring and it’s easier to convert the ones that aren’t to that than it
is the ones for open wiring to shielded cable.

 

So there it is.  Thoughts?

 

Best regards,

 

Michael, WH7HG ex-K3MXO, ex-KN3MXO, WPE3ARS, BL01xh ex-Mensa A&P PP BGI 

I am me.  I’m the only one who’s qualified.

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