Brake cable end material question
07-01-15, 07:02 AM
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Brake cable end material question
Does anyone know what the little cylindrical end on a brake cable is made of? Went after it with a dremel for a few minutes until I realized it may contain lead. Obviously wasn't thinking straight last night.
07-01-15, 08:03 AM
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Was alcohol involved? 
If you are referring to the crimped-on piece at the brake caliper end it is some aluminum alloy. You can generally remove them by squeezing them with a pliers at right angles to the existing crimp.
The molded-on end which goes into the brake lever is likely some type of zinc alloy although lead could be a possibility, especially if made by our "ecologically-friendly" friends in the Far East. Just don't breathe the dust and wash your hands after you are done and you should be OK.
If you are referring to the crimped-on piece at the brake caliper end it is some aluminum alloy. You can generally remove them by squeezing them with a pliers at right angles to the existing crimp.
The molded-on end which goes into the brake lever is likely some type of zinc alloy although lead could be a possibility, especially if made by our "ecologically-friendly" friends in the Far East. Just don't breathe the dust and wash your hands after you are done and you should be OK.
07-01-15, 08:44 AM
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LOL, that's one of the few things on a bike I've never found a reason to Dremel
07-01-15, 04:48 PM
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Perhaps you should check out the Weight Weenies forum... 
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07-01-15, 05:32 PM
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mine are heat shrink tubing
07-01-15, 05:50 PM
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At first, I thought he was talking about that end too, but, it's the factory end he's referring too.
Not sure but I believe it is more than lead. Which alone would be too soft. Perhaps a zinc and tin compound?
But yeah, I wouldn't take a chance breathing it , whatever it is.
Not sure but I believe it is more than lead. Which alone would be too soft. Perhaps a zinc and tin compound?
But yeah, I wouldn't take a chance breathing it , whatever it is.
07-01-15, 07:27 PM
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Very old (i.e. 1970s or older) cable end caps may be lead, but anything since then is almost certainly aluminum. Even so, using a Dremel to cut a lead cap off is unlikely to aerosolize enough lead to be a health concern unless you're doing it on a regular basis for many years.
07-01-15, 07:40 PM
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Thanks for the replys guys. I was trying to grind down a mtb cable in order to fit in a road bike shifter since the bike shop had already closed. I quickly found this was not a smart idea and that it wasn't going to work. After doing some research I have come to the conclusion that it is a zinc alloy. I also got one of my lead fishing weights and tried cutting both in half with a pair of side cutters. The lead sinker cut through like butter and the cable end/nipple took considerably more force to cut through so I am concluding it is zinc.
07-01-15, 10:11 PM
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Very old (i.e. 1970s or older) cable end caps may be lead, but anything since then is almost certainly aluminum. Even so, using a Dremel to cut a lead cap off is unlikely to aerosolize enough lead to be a health concern unless you're doing it on a regular basis for many years.
On my tandem I can get away with a single length cable on my front derailleur but it's so close that I decided to try melting off the Campy end.
07-02-15, 06:31 AM
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Almost without exception, fused cable ends are of zinc alloy. I don't know which specific alloy, and wouldn't be surpeised if various alloys are used, but they use zinc bcause it melts and flows well at low temps and has good adhesion with minimal galvanic issues with both stainless and non-stainless wire.
Lead is out of the picture these days because of concerns about fumes when melted. (except - maybe - in China, because they don't demonstrate a great concern about this kind of stuff).
Lead is out of the picture these days because of concerns about fumes when melted. (except - maybe - in China, because they don't demonstrate a great concern about this kind of stuff).
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07-02-15, 08:25 AM
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Many years ago I made a set of five pound diving weight-belt weights by melting old wheel-balancing weights in a pot on our kitchen stove. It worked well and I'm still here with no apparent brain damage. Plus used lots of lead solder over the years. We even had a bottle of mercury that we played with -- fun stuff! So, while eating lead paint or breathing mercury fumes causes problems and long-term exposure ingestion should be avoided, these materials don't jump up and hit you on the head. I expect you'll be alright grinding down the end of a brake cable whether or not it contains lead.
