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Posted by Michael Black on July 20, 2006, 11:49 pm
"Don K" (dk@dont_bother_me.com) writes:
>> You can use a match or stove flame to melt and fuse the ends of
>> a cable-tie after you've cut it. No sense in throwing them away
>> if you cut them near the "ratchet" head (not the narrow tip).
>> These are, of course, those plastic straps you use to bundle
>> wire and such.
>>
>> It's a very strong repair when done right. Get both ends to
>> catch fire briefly, then hold them together and let them air-
>> cool gradually so the joint isn't brittle. This effectively
>> converts the one-use type to the reusable (more costly) type.
>>
>> N.C.
>
> It would probably more frugal to use nylon lacing cord rather than
> plastic ties. 1500 feet of lacing cord costs $20.50 and would be
> good for maybe about 3000 tie-downs.
> http://www.wassco.com/walaco.html
>
> Here's how to begin a cable lacing knot:
> http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/g_knott/elect23.htm
> You finish the knot by tying an overhand knot with the loose ends
> (like the first knot you make when you begin tying your shoelaces)
> and then snipping off the ends.
>
> I learned this wire lacing knot years ago and it's about as quick
> and easy as using nylon ties once you learn it.
>
> Don
>
I was thinking that myself, that cable ties are actually expensive (relative
speaking). Nobody had them years ago, and yes wiring in electronic
equipment was laced together; nobody thought twice if you needed to
cut it to get at the wires.
I'm sure there are times when cable ties are useful, I admit I've
used them for some things without giving it any thought (though, someone
else was paying for the cable ties), but for other things simply tying
is good enough. Especially when someone was talking about buying "reusable
cable ties", at which point one should be looking at alternatives.
For things where people expect to remove the things, using cable ties
seems wasteful (and if people are popping them open, that seems like
too much work to me). I tend to use twist ties, that come with plastic
bags that I'm using anyway and have lots of because I reuse them, if I
want to tie up a power cord, for storage or because it's longer than
needed when plugged in somewhere. But it's a simple matter of twisting
the wire, to use it, or untwist it if you need more cord length. Small
bits of solid wire work well too, and it's often easy to come upon hunks of
wire that someone has thrown out.
Michael
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