Waxed string wiring done

I would think nicely bent conduit would be the safe way to rout wires, fire is trapped in there when things go wrong. Bob

 

When the time comes sooner than later> That is my plan. Zip ties are so, well, Madonna........ Not gonna worry about shorted circuits/wiring, because it's once, and done! maybe, just maybe, i'll throw an extra wire in the loom just in case, but, if my sh$t is together,and I've done my homework, it will be golden. Just the execution/detail is my concern. Gotta do it's job, but look Purdy too.......

 

The purpose of using waxed string is, it stays in place as you move along the bundle of wiring.
I see this person has used a half hitch where we used a knot every so many inches. That way you can undo the string with out it all coming undone. I wired many elevator controllers 'long time ago.

 

Invisible, I have a really detailed WW2 us military do***ent, when I get my computer back I will pm it to you.

 

Got a large roll of this stuff that I think has been following me around since my USAF days and that's a long time ago. kind of a waxed nylon. Hard on the hands if you do a lot of work with it. Zip ties were a no no for a long time but think they are ok now with calibrated tools.

 

Still used in telecom. Bell Core (AT&T) standards call for it. Look for "Lacing Twine". It is waxed nylon. It is available in natural and black. You can also find needles and gloves. Might want to search for fish paper also.

http://www.specialized.net/Specialized/catalog/searchresults.aspx?keywords=lacing

NASA workmanship standards. Start on page 30. Paid for buy the taxpayers. How to build wiring harnesses.
https://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codeq/doctree/NSTD87394A.pdf

 

Can't get a better how to manual than this!

 

Pain is traditional?


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Yep !

 

Sorry, I have a nasty habit of setting the bar too high for the new, improved HAMB. Shouldn't have bumped this in the first place.

 

Glad you bumped this George. You don't see this stuff every day.

 

Is this string wrapping done to hold wires together or allow them to run cooler than tape or loom wrap? Bob

 

when I did some lacing in my pre Verizon (NYNEX&Bell Atlantic ) days it was to make the bundles look neat. the wire was single strand which was stiffer than the multi wire that's used in the automotive world.

 

It holds them together.



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Had to learn how to do it when I was an apprentice electrician. I was happy when try-raps were finally used. In a car keeping the wires in perfect alignment was not important but I guarantee you it was on a panel board no one ever saw.

 

wish i had a penny for every knot i tied while working on aircraft. Wired f4 phantoms, f15s, c17s and if its good enough for the military, its good enough for hot rods. I never liked the plastic ties, seems they liked to cut me while reaching in areas.

 

This tying was done on Tel.Co. switchboard cable wiring. I worked for them from the '60s to the '90s. Switchboards were even old stuff in the '60s but we kept rebuilding them into the '90s for old small offices and hotels until they shut down our Distributing House. Those guys that worked in the Switchboard Dept. really got good at lacing the wiring. We had big pegboards to layout the looms for the different size switchboards.
I brought home a ball of the waxed string when the plant closed down. Think I've used it all up for other things and when it came to rewire my roadster during the rebuild in the 00s I had to buy some somewhere. I've forgotten where.
Gary

 

OH yeah! My forearms had cut both front and back. Most guys didn't know how to cut them clean. The older I got the more I blead. Good thing about the first nylon one after 15yrs you could break them with twist. The newer black ones will be around as long as ****roaches even out side.

 

I too ended up with Verizon. But I started with MCI then Worldcom and finally Verizon bought us. Starting back with MCI I was on the Network Implementation Standards Committee. So I got to vote on and introduce the procedures and standards on installing new and removing old network equipment. ISO **** if you are familiar.

Lacing vs TyWraps. BIG augment. TyWraps are cheaper and faster. Lacing takes longer. Lacing is old school. All it takes is some twine, time and practice. The practical is. If you ever need to get into a laced wire bundle you will need to cut up then redress that whole bundle. With TyWraps you can cut out every 2nd or 3rd wrap and get enough movement to trace a wire out. Not doing that with a fully laced bundle. Under a dash 100% go with TyWraps.

Also look on Amazon or a hobby store and buy a $5 pair of FLUSH cutting pliers. The big complaint about cutting yourself on TyWrap nubs. Is because the wrong tool is used. Do not use regular ****s to trim off the wrap tail. It will form a plastic knife blade. Flush cut pliers have a single top bevel blade and cut flush with the wrap head. Normal ****s have a top and bottom bevel. They leave a sharp edge above the wrap head. They will cut the hell out of you. My forearms are full of scars from them.

Lacing wire bundles started in the US at least with the Navy. It is descended from sail rope rigging. In the US the Navy was one of the first to use batteries and cabling on a moving vessel. So they were the first to develop electrical cabling standards and it carried forward. Which moved to the telephone system and aircraft. Look up how wooden blocks were tied into manila rope on old sailing ships.

 

I agree with everyone else who says this was not used on traditional hotrods

 

Used lots of waxed string when I was a "sparkey" in the Navy...loooong time ago.

 

Back in the day we used black tape on cars. Never heard of waxed string until I went in the USAF.

 

Back in the day we used whatever tape was around. My father usually bought Friction Tape. Probably because it was cheaper. We used so much tape he in his kidding way accused us, my brother and I of eating the stuff.
It wasn't until I started working for the Phone Co that I saw waxed string being used. The old timers then probable in their forties warned us about stealing it for kite string because it had weak spots and they weren't kidding. Anybody ever using it and pulling too tight has broken it.
Gary

 

Yeah and the black tape was a type of friction. We had a gray friction tape that was use on part of the "dog knots" of a 4 KV splice. I made hundreds of them. It was a senior-conductor. It was made by Manson and soon became "Charlie" tape amounst the splicers. The best thing is it came in metal tins which I still use today.

 

You know olcars if wax string is old enough to be used on "traditional" cars and might have been used on some Navy, Air Force, and Telco. hotrodders than I think it is traditional. I used it on the wires under the dash on my roadster. But using that argument if any cars had disk brakes back in the days and one hotroddre used them then maybe they are traditional.

 

I saw it [ the method] being used when I was ten years old in 1958 by a big kid down the street...He was in the Air Force..

 

I've seen it in period photos of really well built cars as well. Thing is, a lot of these guys are only interested in period techniques when it's borderline rat rod **** that gives them justification for taking shortcuts on their stuff, they DO NOT want anyone talking about techniques that were used that are more painstaking or difficult than modern methods. It's a pretty consistant pattern on here lately, more and more, quick and dirty is "cool", old school craftsmanship, not so much...the HAMB she is a changin'

 

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The last sentence above sure hits the nail squarely on the head...

 

George i luv and respect you man but I can't agree with you on this. I've seen some great craftsmanship from some young guys on the HAMB lately. I think what we are hearing is some young guys learning about an old school practice that they have never seen or heard about before and they just can't relate to it at all. In their language "It just doesn't compute". Wax ****in string? Tying ****ing knots? Who the **** does that? Nobody i freaking know.

Merry Christmas to all, Young and Old. Gary

Hey quit laughing it was down to about 50F that California morning.

 

I don't know George I've seen some pretty intricate round stock cobwebbed grill inserts and skull **** knobs.