Remove the Kink

[Gold]

I need to piece together a multi core cable. It needs to be 16ga wire. The connectors are 30 pin tuchel.

I made one already and it came out well enough but it wants to twist to the form memory of the wire that was previously on the spool.

Does anyone have any tricks for removing the form memory and making straight pieces of wire?

I only need about 3 ft.  Trying to find a short piece of 16ga 30 ( or 32) unshielded conductor cable seemed like it would take forever to find. That and I have all the wire to make what I need.

 

[radardoug]

Hanging them up with a weight on the end works, but it takes a while.

 

[gyraf]

Twist'em, and bends will null out statistically...

Jakob E.

 

[Jeff Goodman2]

Lay the cable out in the sun for an hour or two, as straight as it will lay,  then unkink it and let it stay there for another hour. Then bring it inside and let it cool down while still straight. Then you should be able to wrap it up however you like.

Jeff

 

[JW]

Do not remove the Kink. The Kink is necessary. In fact: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/the-kinks-reunion-ray-davies-band-pete-quaife-a8418221.html

 

[Gold]

Twist'em, and bends will null out statistically...

I believe that will work but twisting 30 conductors of 16ga wire will be difficult. Unless you have a trick for that too.

Hanging them up with a weight on the end works, but it takes a while.

I have time. I think I'll give that a shot.

Lay the cable out in the sun for an hour or two, as straight as it will lay,  then unkink it and let it stay there for another hour. Then bring it inside and let it cool down while still straight. Then you should be able to wrap it up however you like.

I live in NYC so there isn't much outdoor space that is under my control.

 

[PRR]

What is kinked? The plastic? Or the copper?

Copper will NOT soften in sun or with time. Red-hot will soften it up considerable, but also oxidize the surface, ruin solderability. (Unless you own an inert furnace.) I have taken curl out by pulling electric grade wire about 3% longer, but this is tricky, also high force to yield #16 copper.

Without seeing the problem, I suspect what you really want is "rope winding", except NOT the way which puts the twist in rope. Instead you let the 30 strands rotate freely while you wind.

Must it be twisted? Lash it? Dental floss and an old wireman's textbook?

 

[Gold]

What is kinked? The plastic? Or the copper?
Without seeing the problem, I suspect what you really want is "rope winding", except NOT the way which puts the twist in rope. Instead you let the 30 strands rotate freely while you wind.

Must it be twisted? Lash it? Dental floss and an old wireman's textbook?

I want to remove the bend that happens when wire is wound onto a spool. I'd like a relatively straight 3ft length of cable. It's 16 ga wire. The connectors are 30 pin Tuchel. I'm using nylon mesh sleeving as the overall jacket.

 

[pucho812]

not sure if this will work with wire your size but whenever I get mic cables that do the same thing I floss them across a mic stand getting the jacket hot via friction and it does a nice job of straightening them out.