How many times have you worked on a vintage bike and were frustrated by the fact that you spent a lot of time making it look great with new paint,tires and lots of hours of cleaning and polishing just to have to put back on rusty cables because you could not find ones with the right ends?
Or maybe you hate to replace a cable that besides a little discoloration there is noting wrong with?

Here's tip that will give your old bike a little more class and save you a little change and maybe a headache from finding that right cable tip.

Here's a brake cable that's a little rusty but otherwise fine
note: don't reuse a cable that's brittle or suspect!



Clean the cable using a piece of Scotchbrite and some solvent
Dry with a paper towel


Pictured here is a tube ampule containing automotive quality glass sealant primer used for urethane adhesives.
These ampules can be obtained at any auto glass shop cheaply and most will be happy to give it to you free if you are nice!
You can buy this at most auto parts stores in bulk bottle but the stuff has a limited shelf life. it will probably dry up before you use 10% of it.



Squeeze the ampule with your fingers to break the glass. Keep squeezing until the primer drips from the felt wick.



Apply the primer to the cable by rubbing. Bend and twist the cable so the primer will go into the strands. Be generous!


The primer takes about 2 minutes to flash and about 10 minutes to dry. Wait for the primer to completely dry before doing multiple coats.


This application will last a long time and withstand all kinds of weather. The primer drys to a fairly flexible finish so it can withstand bending. Also this type of primer is self etching so it will create a permanent bond with metal over time and is a rust inhibitor. Finally it,as a primer makes for a base if you decide you want to apply color touch up to your cables for a personal touch
Oh,! and also it's great for covering paint chips on frames. you can carry a ampule in your kitty bag for hitting sudden chips on the road til you can fix it right!

Hope ya'll find this helpfull!