Crimping 6mm T+E

[Outspoken]

I just looked at the spec for the first set of crimpers OS put up.
No specific conductor sizes given for a coloured crimp size, so how much do you crimp a 1.5 compared to a 1mm. Both go in a red crimp.

DW, calibrating a set of crimpers, don’t make me laugh!

I think you will find all crimps suffer the same problem Tony, I have never had a crimper that adequately crimped a 1.0mm, but then I have a specific crimper for 0.5 and 1.0mm crimps

With regards calibration, Yes you can have crimpers calibrated, in the telecoms (mobile) and the Nuclear industry all tools of this nature have to be calibrated on a regular basis or you cannot use them. I have had my crimps calibrated on numerous occasions when working on cell Infrastructure projects and on Nuclear sites..However for general sparking work so long as you keep your crimpers in good order and lubricate occasionally then they should never need to be calibrated, only the occasional adjustment if possible.

 

[Outspoken]

Hammer and cold chisel works fine for me.... no calibration needed just a good aim ;
)

You have to watch the thumb though when you miss, just like wall chasing!!

 

[JD6400]

We did some subbie work for a controls firm on the Loyd's bank building in London about 10 years ago and they wanted all our crimping tools to be calibrated , we ended up just using their ones for the job as it would have held up the job getting our ones done .

But i am with you on this one Tony , what a load of balls !

 

[Geordie Spark]

I think you will find all crimps suffer the same problem Tony, I have never had a crimper that adequately crimped a 1.0mm, but then I have a specific crimper for 0.5 and 1.0mm crimps

With regards calibration, Yes you can have crimpers calibrated, in the telecoms (mobile) and the Nuclear industry all tools of this nature have to be calibrated on a regular basis or you cannot use them. I have had my crimps calibrated on numerous occasions when working on cell Infrastructure projects and on Nuclear sites..However for general sparking work so long as you keep your crimpers in good order and lubricate occasionally then they should never need to be calibrated, only the occasional adjustment if possible.

I wonder if my soldering iron needs calibrating yet? :smilewinkgrin:

 

[ipf]

I wonder if my soldering iron needs calibrating yet? :smilewinkgrin:

Depends what size crimps your using, I would say.

 

[mark ju]

Calibration of crimpers .. Back in the early eighties I worked for an electrical engineers and we did a lot of panel work for bt although I believe they were still known as post office then. We had to use calibrated crimpers and on a regular basis had to send them test pieces of crimped cables of various sizes. Presume they put them on a test rig of sorts. You were only supposed to use those calibrated crimpers on their work and not just grab any old pair.
They were a funny lot to do work for... Also had to regularly calibrate the avo's but that's another story.

 

[Knobhead]

Crimps for me are a temporary repair.

Like Geordie I’ll solder a ferule on and insulate as necessary. Be it control or 11KV, different situations require different insulation methods.

I had to extend some 400mm² singles, I turned my own ferules out of copper round bar to be sweated on to the two conductors.

To be honest my ratchet crimpers have hardly been used in all the time I’ve had them. (30 years.) But then I’ve been in industries where a failure could be catastrophic.

 

[Engineer54]

For normal every day crimping tools, they can't be calibrated end of!! They will be deemed ''fit for purpose'' or otherwise, by any certifying lab. Those crimping tools that can and are calibrated, will have areas where parts can be readily replaced and/or adjusted to bring them within required parameters, ..eg within manufactures stated ''calibration'' values !!

 

[johnboy6083]

Im happy to use pre-insulated crimps, but the ones we get at work are good gear.
I have a set of Newey and Eyre crimpers, which are re-branded Cembre Crimpstar ones (a friend owns a cembre set, and theyre exactly the same). Cembre seem to be the market leader in crimping tools. These are the branded ones: http://www.cablejoints.co.uk/images...mbre-Crimpstar-Ratchet-Crimpers1267524905.jpg
For bootlace crimps, I have a set of self adjusting ones. These are the exact ones:
http://img.directindustry.com/images_di/photo-g/manual-crimping-tool-20429-3268223.jpg

 

[brucelee]

I have recently had this issue, and eventually found that the wall thickness of the metal inside the crimp varies a lot between good quality and cheap crimps. Basically, the diameter was the same on both, but on the cheapies, the wall was thinner, and the crimpers only crimp so far.

From now on, i will only use "SWA" branded crimps, and they work fine.
Also, some ratchet crimpers have an adjustment.

Mine is a star shaped disc which has a screw that can be loosed off, the "star" turned and then screwed tight.

Although, this still didnt work on the cheap crimps.

Thats the make i use and there ratchet crimper also and no probs so far

 

[pennywise]

I use Klauke for my smaller crimps only SWA stuff as above screwfix are pants, knipex for bootlaces round and square and cembre hydraulics for bigger stuff.

 

[shanky887614]

Crimps for me are a temporary repair.

Like Geordie I’ll solder a ferule on and insulate as necessary. Be it control or 11KV, different situations require different insulation methods.

I had to extend some 400mm² singles, I turned my own ferules out of copper round bar to be sweated on to the two conductors.

To be honest my ratchet crimpers have hardly been used in all the time I’ve had them. (30 years.) But then I’ve been in industries where a failure could be catastrophic.

one of the guys i work with uses ck ratchet crimpers for ferrules.

usually the guy doing the testing has to recrimp them all as they just slide straight off.

personally on ferules etc i just use crimping pliers as your guaranteed a good connection cause your used to how much pressue there should be (plus i always crimp mine 1 size down after as well for a tight connection).
(was in a pinch a while ago and a pair of grips make a nice temp ferrule crimper, much easier to use than ratchet crimpers as well)

with crimpers i just use a pair of silverline crimpers but there collecting dust in my bag as only really use anything bigger than 1mm onece in a blue moon.


ill buy a decent pair eventually but there is no point atm as i dont need one at all. (would use cold chisel and hammer if they broke though till i got replacement)

 

[Knobhead]

one of the guys i work with uses ck ratchet crimpers for ferrules.

usually the guy doing the testing has to recrimp them all as they just slide straight off.

personally on ferules etc i just use crimping pliers as your guaranteed a good connection cause your used to how much pressue there should be (plus i always crimp mine 1 size down after as well for a tight connection).
(was in a pinch a while ago and a pair of grips make a nice temp ferrule crimper, much easier to use than ratchet crimpers as well)

with crimpers i just use a pair of silverline crimpers but there collecting dust in my bag as only really use anything bigger than 1mm onece in a blue moon.


ill buy a decent pair eventually but there is no point atm as i dont need one at all. (would use cold chisel and hammer if they broke though till i got replacement)

400mm Ferules don’t just slide off when I’ve sweated them on!

From what you have said so far before you buy that decent pair of crimpers, learn what they do first!

 

[Marvo]

(plus i always crimp mine 1 size down after as well for a tight connection).

(was in a pinch a while ago and a pair of grips make a nice temp ferrule crimper, much easier to use than ratchet crimpers as well)

Are you being serious? Please don't do this, get rid of your home made grip-crimpers and don't use the 'next size down' slot in the tool. Just spend a few pounds on a half-decent ratchet crimper and use it properly, you're much less likely to start a fire or have call backs on your jobs.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

reading all this makes me wonder just how many out there can actually even crimp a bloody cable end right....

 

[shanky887614]

Are you being serious? Please don't do this, get rid of your home made grip-crimpers and don't use the 'next size down' slot in the tool. Just spend a few pounds on a half-decent ratchet crimper and use it properly, you're much less likely to start a fire or have call backs on your jobs.

not a rachet crimper.

pliers and it more to add extra pressue on small cables. my crimpers work fine and i dont need to do this, its just become a habbit.


the idea of a bootlace is to squeeze it onto the cable, the tighter the crimp the better connection

 

[ipf]

not a rachet crimper.

pliers and it more to add extra pressue on small cables. my crimpers work fine and i dont need to do this, its just become a habbit.


the idea of a bootlace is to squeeze it onto the cable, the tighter the crimp the better connection

As long as the pressure is applied correctly, with the correct tool, you may be right.

 

[Jamzie]

Crimpers are tested using 'go' / 'no go' tools, which test the pressure of the mating surfaces. Ours were checked every 6 months. A fail and they were binned, err brought home

 

[Jamzie]

Crimps for me are a temporary repair.

But then I’ve been in industries where a failure could be catastrophic.

Did you used to work in a Brewery, Tony?