PipeDown wrote:
There are many crimping tools designed for wiring (not necessarily house
wiring but any) that will work with #12 wire no problem. I have also seen
copper sleeves (Ferrules?) for use in crimping wire in the electrical
section at HD and other hardware stores.

Hydrolic is probably overkill if you are doing only one house (maybe if you
are thinking about going into business but....) A simple mechanical
ratcheting crimping tool will work fine. The cheaper one that come with the
connector kits will not be able to give you enough mechanical advantage and
the crimp is too narrow. There are many brands and can be found in the
electrical tools section of almost any hardware store probably right next to
the copper sleeves.



You could make a perfectly good crimper out of a cheap pair of bolt
cutters by drilling or grinding the right sized hole in the blades.

The bigger problem is finding crimp sleeves that are appropriate for
joining copper and aluminum. Tin plated might be compatible with both
metals, I'm not sure.

Bob