Recent Blogs
Recent Twitter Posts
How to Correctly Carry Out Crimp Repairs
When dealing with electrical wires, there are many ways in which they can be connected and repaired based on the needs of the system and the application at hand. For repairing wires specifically, it is most common to solder or crimp terminals, the former being best for splicing two wires while crimping is most suitable for long-lasting repairs. Despite crimping potentially presenting the more effective solution, things can go wrong fast if one does not carry out the crimping process correctly. As different crimp terminals require varying tools, it is important to have a general understanding of what to do when you are preparing to repair wires.
While cheap tools can definitely save one money upfront, they do come at the cost of offering less performance and quality when carrying out repairs. As such, one should be sure to take advantage of insulated or non-insulated wire crimpers that will last for a much longer time. Although general tools may be fairly cheap, more specialized tools for unique terminals may be more expensive. If you have to work on a wide variety of terminals, it is recommended to use a master tool that can be fitted with interchangeable dies.
Regardless of whether you buy dies or multiple tools, any purchase will need to be made in accordance with the wire gauge you are working with. Insulation will often be color coded to denote gauge sizes, and these include red, blue, and yellow types. The red color covers the 22 to 16 gauge range, blue covers the 16 to 14 gauge range, and yellow covers the 12 to 10 gauge range. If the wire surpasses the 10 gauge value, it will necessitate a non-insulated terminal.
One thing you will need for sure when carrying out crimping repairs is a wire stripper that can remove insulation from the wire. While some strippers have the wire pulled through the tool for removal, others may carry out stripping with a single motion. In other instances, one can procure automatic strippers that can save effort, though they are offered at a slightly higher price. To practice safe stripping, the end of the wire should either be flush or barely extended from the crimp’s end. Furthermore, the insulation should have contact with the terminal barrel’s backside, and there should never be a length of bare wire exposed on any side of the barrel.
When crimping, it is also highly recommended to finish the job thoroughly and completely to prevent any issues further down the line. For example, any length of wire protruding from the terminal should be removed, and this can be done by twisting the wire multiple times and securing it within the terminal. Additionally, an ample amount of compression should be carried out to secure everything while avoiding having any loose wires that may result in a loose connection or fire. As last recommendation, always properly seal your wire when the repair is finished and ensure that the orientation of the finished product is correct.
If you are intending to carry out wire repairs and need high-quality tools and products to ensure that a proper job is carried out, we have you covered here on NSN Gamut. NSN Gamut is a leading purchasing platform for parts catering to a diverse set of industry verticals, and we invite you to explore our ever-expanding inventory of new, used, obsolete, and hard-to-find parts at your leisure. If you find any listing that you are interested in, take advantage of our online Request for Quote (RFQ) forms. Once you submit a completed request, a member of our staff will quickly formulate a response that caters to you and present it in 15 minutes or less.
Share
