Heat shrink connectors & crimpers

[lockep]

Originally Posted by bcboomer

But they don't work with heat shrink connectors.

They do work with heat shrink connectors.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

Originally Posted by bcboomer

Unfortunately he will only ship to a US based freight forwarder, not directly.

That is correct; and I do not know how much that would add to the total cost of an item going to New Zealand. I am not a pro, but the crimpers do work well for me and you can get several sets of dies to do multiple types of crimps. I have included the text from Rod's site about international shipping.

INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING / NON-USA PAYMENTS:
We do not ship international orders directly. The only way we are shipping internationally is when the purchaser uses a USA based freight forwarding service. We then ship to the US based freight forwarder, at the US shipping rates, and your chosen freight forwarding service ships to you. Many of our customers have reported good success with: https://www.myus.com/ This link is in no way an endorsement for myus.com. Please choose your own freight forwarding service and be sure it is one you are 100% comfortable with.

IMPORTANT: If you are paying from outside the USA, including Canada, you will receive a 2.3% + .72¢ international transaction fee charge from us before we can ship your order. We absorb the 2.7% USA interchange fee but we simply do not have the margins to absorb an additional 2.3% + .72¢ for each international transaction. If you are unwilling to pay the 2.3% + .72¢ international transaction fee please do not place an order with us.

[endlesspursuit]

Originally Posted by BigAl.NZ

Actually interesting, I had heard klein tools crimpers were good :

https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/c...ated-terminals (about $30)

And then there is Ancor crimpers:

https://www.defender.com/product3.js...010&id=2697763 ($60 USD)

I am rating here purely on price as my guide.

I have that exact pair of Klein crimpers and they are great. way better than the standard type and do a perfect crimp every
time.

[sailorboy1]

Who would have thought this thread would be this long. I must not be doing something right, again, as I didn't realize wire crimpers was such a complex issue.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Who would have thought this thread would be this long. I must not be doing something right, again, as I didn't realize wire crimpers was such a complex issue.

Indeed. I have another one that can do something most crimpers can’t: 8AWG battery lugs https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[pkirkll]

Just had the 80 footer re-wired--- 1943 model trawler and converted to live-a-board.

Once I bought her i started noticing all the different kinds of wiring.
Residential romex, 2 piece lamp cord, extension cords for shore power ~~~and the kicker was when I reached down in the shaft tunnel to fish out the non working bilge pump and was greeted with a 110v surprise!! lol

The romex had been joined to the bilge pump wire with wire nuts and electrical tape and then back into the bilge water it went.

So we started re doing it all and I feel much safer now with proper wiring, panel boxes etc.

Here are the connectors we used to wire up all the electrical boxes and my electrician loved them and the crimpers and strippers i got off Amazon.

Carry on..

paul k

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Spot]

@ Paul K- Yikes!

I just got done doing a dozen crimps with the Wirefly on 14AWG insulated (non-heat shrink) terminals. No issues, each survived a good test tug and much easier/slicker than the 5$ strip-n-crimps I had been using. I found myself inserting the terminal into the jaws of the crimper, tightening it to keep it captive, and then pushing the wire in with one hand and cycling the crimper with the other. Some were overhead or upside down so having the terminal captive in the tool helped.

Now that I have crossed over into ratcheting crimpers, I can see where a fancier wire stripper (preset length regardless of gauge) might be handy...

[Clivevon]

Originally Posted by Squanderbucks

..... I like a ratchet style crumpet that has a release trigger and the ability to adjust the crimp tightness.

I still think Squanderbucks had the most interesting post. In my younger days I was always interested in finding one of these...

(For all you foreigners, see https://www.dictionary.com/browse/crumpet )

[steveberl]

I've got a pair of these https://shop.marinehowto.com/product...ink-crimp-tool. They are a version of the more expensive marinhowto.com crimpers but without the replaceable jaws.

I've had great success using them with Ancor crimp terminals.

My friend has a pair of the Ancor heat shrink crimpers. I have to say the handle design is a bit better. With mine, I can just barely hold the handles with the jaws wide open. The handle shape on the Ancor seems to curve a bit more and it is much easier to grip.

[endlesspursuit]

Who knew that my $30 crimpers weren't adequate to crimp my 16 gauge wire to my LED light. Guess I've got a long way to go.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Steve B.

[dfelsent]

I’ve completely given up.
I tried cheap. Did not make me happy. Was not reliable either.
I spent a few years as a technician then more as a design engineer for complex semiconductor manufacturing and medical equipment. In that life ONLY the manufacturers certified crimpers were acceptable. Calibrated. On a schedule. As were all measurement devices electronic or mechanical. From angstroms to kilo amps. Everything had a signed label with the cert and expiration date.

I tried cheaping out and using non ratchet crimp tools. No go.
Hammer crimper for battery cables.
No go.

At this point I have a simple life. Two different ratchet crimpers for typical boat wiring, one ratchet crimper with appropriate dies for coaxial cables, and a hydraulic crimper for heavy battery cables.
And crimpzilla for nicopress fittings. Crimpzilla looks like bolt cutters.

I gave up on others as they were more work and gave worse results. I am not saying that non ratchet and hammer crimpers and vice grips don’t have their place. I’ve certainly used them. I am saying that for me, I feel better off with lower end pro level tools.

Oh yes and beside the crimpers you end up carrying spools of wire from multiconductor signal wire to battery cable and assorted terminals as well.

It’s a disease that costs about 25 pounds and a couple of cubic feet of space aboard.

[Rotten Ricky]

Hey Big Al!

Good to hear from you down under again.

As a former electrician, my recommendation is to not use insulated terminals etc., at all. Slip some heat-shrink insulation (preferably with glue/sealant) over the wire ahead of time, then use a crimping tool that is for non-insulated terminals, and then slide the heat-shrink insulation up over the area and seal it up. Or you might use the newer insulation that can slip right over the lug ring cos it has a higher degree of "shrinkability".

I have found over the years that these tools for bare terminals, such as my trusty Sta-kon brand, never fail me as not only is the wire and lug compressed, but they drive a "pin" into the compressed area that prevents the wire from ever loosening. Many times I have come across other wires that are loose inside the insulated lugs etc because the tools do not have the indent because it crushes the plastic insulation - and the plastic often breaks off. Two nearly parallel jaws that compress are not nearly as effective as the indent type.

Someone mentioned Klein tools, which are - or at least used to be - a top American line of electricians tools. I can't part with mine.

Also, it might be nice to have the expensive, tinned copper wire, but if the connection surfaces are sealed with dielectric compound then they can't corrode anyway. So save some money, twist the strands and dip the wire in it before you crimp. The compound is squeezed out where compressed surfaces make contact, and seal the whole join from corrosion.

Another suggestion is to always give the wire a serious "tug test" on completion. A slight jarring could have made the lug move slightly on the wire. Or it might have slipped while you were looking for your beer!

So please do not trust insulated lugs etc. Remember, loose connections lead to heat which leads to fires.... in boats or buildings!

Cheers,

RR.

[Finestkind]

I just tried the Harbor Freight flavor on a stereo install. Shrink tubing and connector in one. Much easier than futzing about with separate connectors & glue lined shrink tubing. Neat & well sealed with my heat gun. Shorter overall to boot!!

[sailorboy1]

you know what?

I have a ratchet crimper I got at West Marine (because it was on the way to the boat 1 day and easy to stop at) and have used it for 10 years with any connector I could find at the time from ones at West Marine, Home Depot, auto part stores. I also have a big china made crimper for cables 8awg plus.

To date none of the connections have failed.