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Home made cable knarps

Old 02-03-22, 05:40 PM
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Home made cable knarps

I've seen videos on YouTube of people making their own straddle cable knarps using solder and a mold. I'm wondering if anyone here has experience doing this, and if so, what kind of solder and soldering iron and other supplies are appropriate? My foremost concern would be finding a solder comparable or better in strength to the original zinc alloy (?) cable knarps.

Alternately, I realize you could make a cable end out of a piece of round metal rod which has a hole drilled through it for a cable to slip through and a set screw threaded in perpendicularlu to clamp the cable. I've seen that sort of thing for sale. Is there a kind of aluminum up for the task, or is brass a better bet?
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Old 02-03-22, 05:47 PM
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Straddle cables are not that expensive. So unless the cable you need is unobtanium, is this even worth doing?
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Old 02-03-22, 05:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Chuck M
Straddle cables are not that expensive. So unless the cable you need is unobtanium, is this even worth doing?
Ha, valid points. I'm not seeking this out as a practical, economical, or sensible solution lol. Its just a skill I think would be cool to have, and I want to be able to make custom length cables for old designs like dia compe 980's that unfortunately use double ended straddle cables. I don't think its possible to find many if any new double ended straddle cables now and given the length has a big effect on the performance of a cantilever brake system... that's how I ended up here
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Old 02-03-22, 05:56 PM
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Yeah, I just buy cable knarps. Even used them on the brakes for Mom's walker.

I'm all about fabricating my own stuff but by the time you buy stock, drill, thread, find set screws etc your better off just buying them.

https://www.benscycle.com/odyssey-kn...SABEgI5dfD_BwE

I'd probably also look at these pricier ones for a straddle cable.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/25528500704...kAAOxyOM5RayQF
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Old 02-03-22, 06:54 PM
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I'm sorry to say this but those Cable Knarps don't look elegant (ok I'm being nice, they are ugly). And I would be concerned about the strands breaking over time where they are squeezed by the screw, which by the way, was rotating into the cable as you tightened it.

Velo Orange has Dia Compe straddle cables. Would these work? If you need custom, I would rather buy brass rod, drill a hole in it for the cable to pass through and solder them in. I'd use plumbing solder. This is just my opinion. Those cable knarps would work for a while if you don't have a torch. Wait, I think I saw someone take a brass rod, drill a hole in it the same as you would do to solder the cable in and then take a small drift or center punch and hammer the center of the brass to deform it around the cable.

Dia Compe Straddle Cable
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Old 02-03-22, 07:01 PM
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Originally Posted by dedhed
Yeah, I just buy cable knarps. Even used them on the brakes for Mom's walker.

I'm all about fabricating my own stuff but by the time you buy stock, drill, thread, find set screws etc your better off just buying them.

https://www.benscycle.com/odyssey-kn...SABEgI5dfD_BwE

I'd probably also look at these pricier ones for a straddle cable.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/25528500704...kAAOxyOM5RayQF
Thanks for a thoughtful and helpful response. Ive seen those odyssey knarps. I think they are shaped wrong for the application I have in mind, the hex edges would be rotating against the round pocket of a cantilever

I actually bought a pair of those other ends you linked. They are quite nicely made but I started to wonder if being aluminum, were they strong enough or not.

I have a set of Dia Compe GC999 cantis that use a similar cable end, also aluminum (though bigger) and they have held up fabulously. The mafac racer used a pretty miniscule little aluminum cable end as well, that a shifter cable slipped into. And they hold up? So maybe I'm worrying too much. At any rate brass must be more than strong enough? I need a materials expert to break this down for me, haha!

I still would love to be able to solder knarps on just to know how to do it. This really isnt a cost thing, its about learning an odd skill and doing some putzy finesse-y work because I can I guess lmao.
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Old 02-03-22, 07:29 PM
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I had intended to make some cable ends, but haven't done it.

I used to solder the cut cable ends of galvanized cables to keep them from unraveling, but have had troubles with the solder sticking to stainless cables. So I've migrated to TIG welding the cut cable ends.

Those screw on cable ends probably hold as well as the pinch bolts in derailleurs and side-pull brakes, as long as you can get them tight.
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Old 02-03-22, 07:59 PM
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Originally Posted by cstar
I still would love to be able to solder knarps on just to know how to do it. This really isnt a cost thing, its about learning an odd skill and doing some putzy finesse-y work because I can I guess lmao.
Well then you have to look to the custom MC crowd. Lots of videos etc on this with them.

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Old 02-04-22, 05:12 AM
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When cable ends are molded on commercially, the end of the cabler is unlaid and formed into a "floret" which locks into the molten metal. Just trying to cast an end on an unprepared cable will likely result in failure.
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Old 02-04-22, 08:19 AM
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I once soldered a homemade end for a shift cable. I was raised in a family of plumbers, in a era when we still poured lead joints, and have soldered all my life. But I would never do that for brakes. Consider the cost of a failure.
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Old 02-04-22, 08:42 AM
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Originally Posted by andrewclaus
Consider the cost of a failure.
Seems the motorcycle guys do it and I'd think the cost of failure is pretty high there too. I think the issue is doing it correctly.
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Old 02-04-22, 09:20 AM
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Originally Posted by dedhed
Seems the motorcycle guys do it and I'd think the cost of failure is pretty high there too. I think the issue is doing it correctly.
A motorcycle shop will "bloom" the cable end, as @dsbrantjr described above, before casting the fitting around the bloom.
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Old 02-04-22, 11:04 AM
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Is knarps a word? I might need that for scrabble...
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Old 02-05-22, 03:59 PM
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Originally Posted by dsbrantjr
When cable ends are molded on commercially, the end of the cabler is unlaid and formed into a "floret" which locks into the molten metal. Just trying to cast an end on an unprepared cable will likely result in failure.
That's very interesting. Do you have additional resources? I would love to see what this process looks like.

Fear of failure is exactly why I came here! I only want to try making my own ends if it can be done safely and as strong as the OE ends
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Old 02-05-22, 04:00 PM
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Originally Posted by blacknbluebikes
Is knarps a word? I might need that for scrabble...
Indeed it is, I guess
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Old 02-05-22, 07:07 PM
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Originally Posted by cstar
That's very interesting. Do you have additional resources? I would love to see what this process looks like.

Fear of failure is exactly why I came here! I only want to try making my own ends if it can be done safely and as strong as the OE ends
See "Birdcaging tool"
Watch some of the motorcycle videos (5;00 on the video posted earlier). They cover that with both a special tool and just pliers. 4:15 here.
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Old 02-05-22, 08:54 PM
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For the cylindrical ones, I bought brass cable ends (there might have been some other keyword there) and solder them on the cables I want to use. My soldering developed around electronics and persists to be just about as natural as writing.
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