[Boatanchors] Making up the flexible cloth covered

[Rob Atkinson]

I hate that stuff, always a PITA but I have done what Glen and Al I
think advised which was to immobilize the cord by putting it inside
something stiff like a ball point pen body or effecting some other
hardware for strain relief attached to the plug cover or shell, using
an Xacto knife, carefully stripping each lead, then peeling the copper
strands away from the fiber they surround and cutting away the fiber
with dikes to get it out of the way.  Wrapping the copper around one
or two twisted strands of bare copper that has not been enameled (you
can pull strands off of a piece of AWG 14, 12, 10 insulated stranded
house wire).  use these to make the connection to the plug
terminals--I use high quality old 1/4 inch TS or TRS plugs with brass
screw terminals and a steel shell.

73

Rob
K5UJ

On Wed, Jun 28, 2017 at 1:26 AM, Al Klase <ark at ar88.net> wrote:
> Gang,
>
> This stuff is called tinsel wire.  I have three solutions;
>
> #1 - "Toothy Lugs"  See:
> http://www.oldphoneshop.com/spade-connectors-self-piercing-brass/ Down side
> is that you need an appropriate crimp tool.
>
> #2 - Cut back about 1/8" of the outer braid with a scissors.  Stick a piece
> of approx. #20 tinned wire up the middle of the cord a short way. Wrap both
> the outer braid and inner strands with #30 tinned wire.  Tin the whole
> thing.  If your dealing with screw terminals, the #20 can be bent into a
> lug, otherwise cut off the excess.
>
> #3 - Pull the inner strands out of a piece of parachute cord, and replace
> with modern flexible wire.  I have a stash of miniature rubber-covered test
> lead wire that works great for this.
>
>