Soldering Cable ends

Quoted message said:

...could someone tell me what the tricks are to soldering brake and
derailleur cable ends? I've now tried with a few different types of
solder and flux and different amounts of heat and the solder just seems to
bead up and fall off. I've degreased the cable, sanded it, but nothing
seems to work.

Jeff

There are some extremely-caustic acid fluxes that will do the job; the stuff
I used to use back in the day had all manner of nasty warning labels and
contained chemicals probably best not breathed. Crimp-style cable ends are
probably a better way to go.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

Jeff said:

...could someone tell me what the tricks are to soldering brake and
derailleur cable ends? I've now tried with a few different types of solder
and flux and different amounts of heat and the solder just seems to bead up
and fall off. I've degreased the cable, sanded it, but nothing seems to
work.

Use a blob of glue or a crimp instead. I soldered a cheap generic cable
once easily, but then I tried it on a fancy Teflon one and as you say
nothing would stick (although I wasn't as determined as you).

Jeff said:

....could someone tell me what the tricks are to soldering brake and
derailleur cable ends?

I believe some (der) cables are actually stainless, which would explain their reluctance to take on solder(applied by soldering iron) rather well.
I've repeatedly promised myself that "the next time" I need to replace cables I'm going to bring out the brazing gear if they won't take solder.
For brazing I got stuff that's compatible with stainless, but I don't know if the higher temperature will cause more trouble than the properly sealed cable end solves....

Why do you want do that? I always put a kind of "hat" in lead at the
end of these cable gripped with a plier. These hats are here (in France
sold by every lbs)

c

Jeff said:

...could someone tell me what the tricks are to soldering brake and
derailleur cable ends? I've now tried with a few different types of
solder and flux and different amounts of heat and the solder just seems
to bead up and fall off. I've degreased the cable, sanded it, but
nothing seems to work.

Jeff

c said:

Why do you want do that?

It makes it possible to pull the cable out of its sheath, wipe it down, regrease lightly and reinstall w/o the end fraying or getting caught somewhere in the sheath. Besides, it's not that unusual that the crimped ends come off.

Jeff said:

...could someone tell me what the tricks are to soldering brake and
derailleur cable ends? I've now tried with a few different types of
solder and flux and different amounts of heat and the solder just seems
to bead up and fall off. I've degreased the cable, sanded it, but
nothing seems to work.

Jeff

I heat the end & rub it with a stick of hot melt glue.

"Jeff" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

...could someone tell me what the tricks are to soldering brake and
derailleur cable ends? I've now tried with a few different types of
solder and flux and different amounts of heat and the solder just seems to
bead up and fall off. I've degreased the cable, sanded it, but nothing
seems to work.

Jeff

I gave up trying in this modern era of teflon coated or stainless steel
inners. Now I use a 15mm length of 3mm plastic heatshrink tubing. A lifetime
supply readily available in red blue white black and yellow from an
electronics shop and shrunk with a Bic gas lighter flame. Looks neat, keeps
cable end under control and easily peeled off if necessary with a sharp
hobby knife.

Peter.

"Peter Howard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I gave up trying in this modern era of teflon coated or stainless steel
inners. Now I use a 15mm length of 3mm plastic heatshrink tubing. A
lifetime supply readily available in red blue white black and yellow from
an electronics shop and shrunk with a Bic gas lighter flame. Looks neat,
keeps cable end under control and easily peeled off if necessary with a
sharp hobby knife.

Peter.

Yes, I like it. I have a ton of this stuff and just tried it. ...but you
sure you're using 3mm? I have 1/16th that shrinks to 1/32 (about half your
diameter) and it fits nicely. ...much cleaner than solder or end caps and
can be removed if necessary. ...might even have to go out and get some
colored stuff as mine is all black.

Thanks

Jeff

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Jeff said:

...could someone tell me what the tricks are to soldering brake and
derailleur cable ends? I've now tried with a few different types of
solder and flux and different amounts of heat and the solder just seems
to bead up and fall off. I've degreased the cable, sanded it, but
nothing seems to work.

It often doesn't work anymore. It depends on the cable material. I now
use an inch or so of heat shrink tubing over the cable end. It doesn't
pull through the housing though, you have to remove and replace it if
you do cable lubrication.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

...could someone tell me what the tricks are to soldering brake and
derailleur cable ends? I've now tried with a few different types of
solder and flux and different amounts of heat and the solder just seems
to bead up and fall off. I've degreased the cable, sanded it, but nothing
seems to work.

Silver Solder...and an iron hot enough.
-tom

Tom Nakashima said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

...could someone tell me what the tricks are to soldering brake and
derailleur cable ends? I've now tried with a few different types of
solder and flux and different amounts of heat and the solder just seems
to bead up and fall off. I've degreased the cable, sanded it, but nothing
seems to work.

Silver Solder...and an iron hot enough.
-tom

Irons are unlikely to get hot enough for silver solder.

Silver-bearing soft solder they would do - but the original poster's
complaint would probably still hold; the addition of a small amount
(typically ~5%) of silver to soft solder does little or nothing for wetting
the surface; for that he need a flux suitable for the metal(s) to be
joined.

"Peter Howard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Jeff" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

...could someone tell me what the tricks are to soldering brake and
derailleur cable ends? I've now tried with a few different types of
solder and flux and different amounts of heat and the solder just seems
to bead up and fall off. I've degreased the cable, sanded it, but nothing
seems to work.

Jeff

I gave up trying in this modern era of teflon coated or stainless steel
inners. Now I use a 15mm length of 3mm plastic heatshrink tubing. A
lifetime supply readily available in red blue white black and yellow from
an electronics shop and shrunk with a Bic gas lighter flame. Looks neat,
keeps cable end under control and easily peeled off if necessary with a
sharp hobby knife.

Peter,
Brilliant, thanks for the idea. Used to solder old cables OK, resorted to
crimp-ons for modern cables, but didn't like the frayed ends when removing
'em to regrease.
Kerry

"Jeff" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Peter Howard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I gave up trying in this modern era of teflon coated or stainless steel
inners. Now I use a 15mm length of 3mm plastic heatshrink tubing. A
lifetime supply readily available in red blue white black and yellow from
an electronics shop and shrunk with a Bic gas lighter flame. Looks neat,
keeps cable end under control and easily peeled off if necessary with a
sharp hobby knife.

Peter.

Yes, I like it. I have a ton of this stuff and just tried it. ...but you
sure you're using 3mm? I have 1/16th that shrinks to 1/32 (about half your
diameter) and it fits nicely. ...much cleaner than solder or end caps and
can be removed if necessary. ...might even have to go out and get some
colored stuff as mine is all black.

Thanks

Jeff

Oops! Glad you picked that up before I misled anyone else. I just went and
looked and the stuff I have is indeed 1.5mm. I used black on my latest
cabling job with a black teflon coated wire. I mentioned the colours because
a splash of colour could make a nice accent.
I must have been thinking of the length of 3mm I bought within the last week
for a LED bike light project.
I hate those little alloy top hat caps. Crimp them too tight and the end of
cable gets distorted and frays the instant you remove the cap again. Crimp
them too loose and the cap is self-removing.

Peter

Dear Jeff,
the trick is buy new teflon coated cables, maybe new housing, clean
wax with Finish Line teflon wax - let one coat dry on cable - fill
housing with FL, notice how the nipple's design to do this - and let
sit filled in sun.
BUY CABLE CRIMP ENDS
install/reinstall and crimp cable end on cable.
soldering cable end is impossible - heat inceases the multistrand
wicking action to waaaayyyy
beyond a flux capacity to reduce the flowing goop.

"Kerry Montgomery" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Peter Howard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Jeff" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

...could someone tell me what the tricks are to soldering brake and
derailleur cable ends? I've now tried with a few different types of
solder and flux and different amounts of heat and the solder just seems
to bead up and fall off. I've degreased the cable, sanded it, but
nothing seems to work.

Jeff

I gave up trying in this modern era of teflon coated or stainless steel
inners. Now I use a 15mm length of 3mm plastic heatshrink tubing. A
lifetime supply readily available in red blue white black and yellow from
an electronics shop and shrunk with a Bic gas lighter flame. Looks neat,
keeps cable end under control and easily peeled off if necessary with a
sharp hobby knife.

Peter,
Brilliant, thanks for the idea. Used to solder old cables OK, resorted to
crimp-ons for modern cables, but didn't like the frayed ends when removing
'em to regrease.
Kerry

:-) and see my reply to Jeff above who picked up that I meant to say 1.5mm
(or 1/16th) heatshrink.

I am sorry, it seems that the lead 'hats' are named ferrule or tip in
English.

c said:

Why do you want do that? I always put a kind of "hat" in lead at the
end of these cable gripped with a plier. These hats are here (in France
sold by every lbs)

c

Jeff said:

...could someone tell me what the tricks are to soldering brake and
derailleur cable ends? I've now tried with a few different types of
solder and flux and different amounts of heat and the solder just
seems to bead up and fall off. I've degreased the cable, sanded it,
but nothing seems to work.

Jeff

Jeff said:

...could someone tell me what the tricks are to soldering brake and
derailleur cable ends? I've now tried with a few different types of
solder and flux and different amounts of heat and the solder just seems
to bead up and fall off. I've degreased the cable, sanded it, but
nothing seems to work.

Jeff

I have tried to solder them and got nowhere too. The cables in question
appeared to be stainless steel, which would explain a lot of may failure.

What I prefer to do is cut them with an emery cut-off wheel in a Dremel
moto-tool on high speed. The wires are cut so easily that they still
stay straight and the cut end can still easily be fed through a jacket,
where a "normal" pair of cable cutters (otherwise known as 'the right
tool for the job'😉 leaves the end all bent up a mess.
~

Doug Cimper said:

Quoted message said:

...could someone tell me what the tricks are to soldering brake and
derailleur cable ends? I've now tried with a few different types
of solder and flux and different amounts of heat and the solder
just seems to bead up and fall off. I've degreased the cable,
sanded it, but nothing seems to work.

Quoted message said:

I have tried to solder them and got nowhere too. The cables in
question appeared to be stainless steel, which would explain a lot
of may failure.

Quoted message said:

What I prefer to do is cut them with an emery cut-off wheel in a
Dremel moto-tool on high speed. The wires are cut so easily that
they still stay straight and the cut end can still easily be fed
through a jacket, where a "normal" pair of cable cutters (otherwise
known as 'the right tool for the job'😉 leaves the end all bent up a
mess.

A good pair of diagonal cutters will cut good control and brake cables
off without a splayed end because these cables are made of hard
strands that spring back to their original shape after cutting. The
real problem is anchor bolts on derailleurs and brakes that crimp the
wire and cause it to splay. I was always impressed by the brake cable
clamp on Campagnolo Record brakes that clamped the cable with no
damage regardless of how tight it was camped.

Today, with liability claims as they are (with technically impractical
juries) non-crimping clamps are hard to find. Cable crimp sleeves are
not the solution because the cable cannot be pulled out of holes into
which they were threaded.

Stainless wires are easily silver soldered but most of us don't have
the flux or oxy-acetylene torch to do it.

Jobst Brandt

Jeff said:

...could someone tell me what the tricks are to soldering brake and
derailleur cable ends? I've now tried with a few different types of solder
and flux and different amounts of heat and the solder just seems to bead up
and fall off. I've degreased the cable, sanded it, but nothing seems to
work.

I gave up on solder years ago. I now push the end of the cable down
the neck of a bottle of superglue. If you dip before assembly allow
it to dry before pushing it down the housing. :-)