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Do you wrap electrical tape around extension cords that have had their sheath nicked? Are you happy with the result after some time has passed? Me neither.
Here is how I now do the repair.
https://rick.sparber.org/ExtensionCordRepair.pdf
Your comments are welcome. All of us are smarter than any one of us.
Thanks,
Rick
That's a good solution. I wonder could " inner tire repairing glue " work too. We don't have that brand on the stores.
Its locktite tough, so i think it sold under different name here.
I have tried something similar with extra fast super glue, that makes repaired section unflexible. :(
Nice info. Thank you!
Give the tire repair glue a try and let us know how it works.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tuomas
Superglue is brittle so I'm not surprised it didn't work. This Go2 Glue remains flexible and holds tight. Nice product except for its relatively brief shelf life. I suggest people buy it at a big box store which has decent stock turnover.
Rick
I use Liquid Tape Electrical. It is a rubber coating for use as electrical tape and insulation. This flexible coating exhibits excellent protection from acid, alkaline, and abrasion, as wells as sealing out moisture and salt permanently. It comes in a container with a built in brush in the lid. I believe it also comes in an aerosol, but I have not tried that.
It is very flexible and bonds really well, feels like rubber to the touch.
I've tried various things hate using vinyl electrical tape for these for the same reasons Rick stated. I've never had much success with the liquid tape for some reason. but the tool handle dip rubber coating seams to work. My cords usually don't just get nicked though so I wind up either having to make a full splice repair or if the break is near the end I wind up cutting it and end up with a shorter cord with a replaceable end once that is done if there are any new nicks I like to remove the end and use heat shrink tubing.
3M also makes a heat shrink tape that you can simply wrap around then heat it to allow it to vulcanize itself.
If you can't find the go2 glue you might try shoe goo That TV advertised flex glue may work with the sheathing like Rick has done. One nice thing about his repair is it is not very noticeable unlike most other repairs.
I haven't seen that product here. I always cut off the damaged shortest bit & often wondered about heat shrink, since its intro here, but haven't damaged one for a while. Some how I'd be reluctant to repair as i have seen a 15 amp one that moisture had gotton into the protective sheath. The result was scarey: two of the wires became really corroded at the plug which was metres from the electrical taped sheath damage.
That is a definitely a concern ranald, that wire corrosion creeping further and further along the conductors.
Especially here in rainy wet Oregon.
I really like using heat shrink tubing, but find the adhesive lined tubing cures too inflexible for this particular use.
That's great to hear about the tape though. I've never seen or heard of the 3M shrink tape, but have often wished it had been invented.
I'll have to look into that!
Hi Frank,
The 3M tape is very good, I often use it on underground cables at the splice kits to stop epoxy egress while it cures and moisture ingress once it is buried.
I use "flexible" heat shrink tube. A week or so back I nicked a cable down to the bare wire, it was in the centre of the cable. I cut through and made staggered joins in the two lines (a no earth tool) with the heat shrink on each, then a second layer over the area where the outer sheath was missing and then a final covering extending 12mm or so over the outer sheath. I have several such repairs and never had a problem.
Tonyg,Quote:
Originally Posted by Tonyg
Article has now been updated to include your suggestion.
Thanks,
Rick
Tony,Quote:
Originally Posted by tonyfoale
If the conductor's insulation is damaged, I do exactly the same thing. I solder the wires because there is less bulk than with crimp junctions.
On my last such repair, I only had clear shrink for the outside. Not all bad - I can now inspect the internal connections when more rough handling is done in this area.
Rick
Hi Tonyg,Quote:
Originally Posted by Tonyg
Here it is illegal to have any joins underground but it does happen. Many years ago I was doing earth works here & had cut power off by a "lecky" friend. The power was unearthed and he noticed a join & showed me while mentioning that one day in the future it would have shut the power off & it would have been a nightmare to find a couple of feet down and the line was about 20 metres long. What a lucky "break" that i decided to let more light into the dwelling by cutting back a hillside bank. he explained that even though it was in conduit, the conduit would have eventually leaked water and seepage would enter the join as water always finds its own level. Earth settling creates further pressure as well. As a grave digger I (we) would leave a large mound that eventually dropped & needed topping up forgetting if the coffin collapsed also.
Hi Ranald,
We can only do it on underground armour shielded cable and then you can use a joint kit which is filled with a two part resin. However I have seen ones that fail.
tonyfoale's submit perfectly reinforces conversation between rgsparber an I. Saving quality but not serviceable items is a cultivated ideal; most evident with those and descendants of the 1920-1940's. Prior that era, it was everyday life.Quote:
Originally Posted by tonyfoale
Skill is only part of it, supplies and tools don't happen overnight.
Being tough to introduce younger generations, when we're gone, I'm afraid that's all she wrote.
I wholeheartedly agree. Society (or parts of) has become extremely wasteful as it is now so easy to go and purchase an inferior product because it is relatively cheap instead of making perfectly serviceable products last.
Growing up in a country area of Australia in the 1950s tends toward self reliance.Quote:
Originally Posted by Toolmaker51
The self reliance aspect occurs to me, frequently. I certainly didn't have geographic restrictions, nor idea whether I practice self reliance. There were few distractions.
Recall desire to know how things worked above all. It seems natural once that levee opens, manipulating the works comes into play. Since I don't drive earthmovers or locomotives, metal working machinery does some of my talking...bigger the better.
Course, a tinge of Napoleonic complex might be contributory, lol, but we all know folks whose occupation provide no pleasure.
I am all for the heat shrink tube where possible. We are well into the realm of picky details here, but as I recall many cords have a layer of paper, or talcum powder between the inner insulation and the outermost jacket, probably to reduce friction. I don't think it advisable to intentionally glue the inner and outer insulation to each other. As inelegant as it may seem, the self adhesive silicone tape probably is more than adequate if the inner insulation is intact.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tonyg
I bought and tried some Liquid Tape. I have to wait 24 hours for it to fully cure. Have to admit, it looks bad. Using a patch with matching color would be more likely to be approved by my wife...Quote:
Originally Posted by Tonyg
Rick
I teach the "younger generation" at a local community college and can tell you some are lworthless, some show promise, and some walk on water. No different than any other generation. They just do things differently, like every generation.Quote:
Originally Posted by Toolmaker51
Rick
The ancient Greeks were concerned about the apparent uselessness of their offspring.Quote:
Originally Posted by rgsparber
Hi Rick,
Somehow the thread that you started which was repairing small insulation damage moved to repairing bared wires and jointing extension cables which requires a different approach, I liked your approach and have done similar in the past with different glue. I only started using the Liquid Tape (which I purchased for a totally different problem) just to fill those "small nicks". All my extension cords are 3 core and black in colour so I do not have much of a mismatch.
As always, thank you for your insightful input.
Kind regards, Tony.
Very true , and different pressures on them have increased drastically from the time that I started working in the early 70'sQuote:
Originally Posted by rgsparber
Sort of balanced out with the "Sins of the Fathers" quote I guess.
Thanks Rick! We've added your Extension Cord Repair to our Electrical category, as well as to your builder page: Rick's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:
<div id="blocks"> <div class="block b1 pngfix"> <div class="bimg"> <div> <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-extension-cord-repair"><img src="http://www.homemadetools.net/uploads/222121/homemade-extension-cord-repair.jpeg"/></a></div> </div> <div class="head pngfix"></div> <div class="left pngfix"></div> <div class="right pngfix"></div> <div class="blockover b1 pngfix"> <div class="title"> <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-extension-cord-repair">Extension Cord Repair</a> <span> by <a href="/builder/Rick+Sparber">Rick Sparber</a></span> </div> <div class="tags">tags: <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/tag/cord">cord</a>, <a href="http://www.homemadetools.net/tag/repair">repair</a></div> </div> </div> </div>
Just to add to the data here for anyone searching...
When I have an electrical joint, usually 12v on a truck, motorcycle or especially a race car, I try to use the Grote brand, dual wall, 4:1 heat shrink tubing with adhesive inside.
I will always put one length of tube, extending a reasonable amount over the spice, then a second layer extending beyond the first. The heat melt glue inside the tubing seems to hold up to about anything and rarely fails. The 4:1 ratio allows plenty of room so you can use the same size tube for both.
Sometimes, when it's late in the evening or I run out mid-job, I will brush on a significant amount of liquid electrical tape, then position normal heat shrink tube, working it back and forth so the liquid extends beyond the joint then apply heat. Followed by a second layer repeating the process. 20 years ago I used this to repair a dirt bike wiring harness that was snagged on a branch and torn in half. I still ride the bike regularly and have zero problems.
Both of these seem to work about the same, but the Grote tube with adhesive is MUCH cleaner.
It looks like a terrific product but not for Phoenix. Our heat keeps heat glue liquid most of the day. The inside of my garage is at 150F in the summer.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rikk
Rick
Yikes, that's HOT!Quote:
Originally Posted by rgsparber
I think the shrink temp is around 170F, but don't quote me.
Look at using the sheathing from thicker cables.Quote:
Originally Posted by rgsparber
My go to when repairing extension cables is to smooth out the solder joints and then clean with ipa, use adhesive lined shrink wrap, then measure the thickness of the solder joint and cut off a piece of sheathing from a thicker cable that will fit over it, then glue it in place. You cannot control what happens on site - forklifts, wheelbarrows etc ride over it while you are welding 100ft away. Seen failures where the shrink wrapped solder joint pierces into the next wire causing a short.
On rejoining the outer insulation, I cut it about 4mm shorter than the wire lengths, tie it up with lacing cord, then close up as you have done. I want the outer insulation to carry the strain and not the wires. The wires must be able to move/slide inside.
Glue lined heat-shrink, or a proper inline joint or even a plug and socket, cables are cheap compared to electric-shock injuries and recovery!