Originally Posted by
dddd
How are you guys who use grinding methods to cut and/or square the ends of the housing getting the grit storm out of your cable housings?
Especially with the better housings being pre-lubricated, you wouldn't want to just blast any aerosol cleaner through and wash out the special silicone/teflon lubrication.
The millions of grit dust particles from cutting I imagine would easily simulate perhaps thousands of miles of typical use/ageing by contamination.
Haven't experienced anything that indicates deterioration due to grinding the ends, or cutting with a Dremel. It doesn't concern me, and if it was good enough for Sheldon, it's good enough for me.
"Even when the housing is cut cleanly, the end is not square and perpendicular, due to the pitch of the helix. Careful mechanics will grind or file the end of the housing so that it is flat and flush. The best tool for this is a grinding wheel, but it can be done with a file if you don't have access to a grinding wheel.When you cut the housing, the end of the plastic liner also gets cut, and often gets squashed flat. You can use a scriber or a sharp awl to open it up and round it out. If you use a grinding wheel to dress the end of the housing, have your scriber right at hand so that you can open up the plastic liner immediately after grinding. The heat from the grinding will partially melt the liner. By sticking the scriber in before the liner cools off, you can not only round out the end, but the shape of the scriber will actually flare the end a bit for a smoother transition." - Sheldon Brown