"Mr_bill" wrote in message
oups.com...
I need some wiring advice. I have managed to survive
until now just using wire nuts for my home projects, but
I am at the point where it would be nice to use crimp connections
in a switch or outlet box, connecting 14 or 12 ga copper
wire.

Here's my question. When I go to Home Depot, all they
carry for crimp sleeves appear to be made out of copper
or some copper alloy. Anyway, these sleeves are pretty
soft. They deform pretty easily (too easily, I imagine),
and they fail my pull test. To top it off, the crimping tools
at HD are pretty cheesy.

My only experience crimping wire is non-electrical, but there
you use a "swaging tool" and a steel crimp sleeve. Once it's
set properly, it's almost as strong as the wire.

So far, I've just been staying away from electrical crimping,
as I don't want to burn the house down, but it would be very useful
to be able to do some safe crimp connections.

Any advice gratefully accepted.


You figured out the problem right away: It's difficult to find a crimping
tool that's not useless. The ones at Home Depot and many other home centers
are simply crap. They flatten the connector, instead of shaping it. Whoever
designed these tools was sort of just kidding around. Stupid, in other
words.

This is a proper design:
http://www.mactools.com/ProductDetai...temNum=TCT1028

I have an older version from 20 years ago. You place the connector into the
appropriate groove in the jaw, based on the size of the connector. The
groove keeps the connector from being flattened. The tooth creates a concave
dimple which really grips the wire nicely. I can't pull apart the crimp
connections I make with this tool.

If you have an electrical supply store where you live, you might check them
out for tools like this. I can't imagine Mac Tools is the only company that
makes such a thing. If you can't find one at a retail store, contact Mac
Tools customer service and find out who owns tool trucks in your area. Bring
some of the actual crimps you'll be using and make sure they fit the tool
correctly.

When you're deciding where to actually use crimps, be sure to keep in mind
whether you or someone else may have to go back into a particular electric
box and change the wiring. You'll usually have to cut away an existing
crimp, and if the wires are already too short, things can get ugly for a
number of reasons. If you're doing new circuit work, you have the option of
leaving extra wire, but that's not always the case.

Side issue: If you ever see Panduit wire ties available, probably at an
electric/electronics dealer, buy some. You'll never buy the ones from Home
Depot or Lowe's again. Smooth....really smooth.