Repairing Nicked Extension Cords

[rgsparber]

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.

Tony,

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

[ranald]

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.

Hi 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.

[Tonyg]

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.

[Toolmaker51]

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.

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.
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.

[Tonyg]

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.

[tonyfoale]

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.
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.

Growing up in a country area of Australia in the 1950s tends toward self reliance.

[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.

[bentonite]

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 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.

[rgsparber]

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 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...

Rick

[rgsparber]

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.
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 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.

Rick