Any kind of rope or cable, although it is made of solid and strong steel, can at any moment splatter or even break. Despite the apparent complexity of the repair, make it possible for anyone who does not even have special skills. The most unpleasant in the current situation is the possibility of a collision with her anywhere and precisely when such an accident is not expected at all.
Therefore, it will be useful to know how to braid a steel cable correctly. Moreover, this does not require any special tools or special skills. In the future, it will be possible to weave a hook and an earring into the cable. At the same time, the strength of the structure will be at a high level, and it will serve you for more than one year. Before starting work, it is advisable to wear protective gloves, as the sharp ends of the steel wire strands can seriously damage your hands.
General information about cables
In the field of agricultural and transport engineering, in the construction, oil and coal industries, in the fields of river and sea transport, ropes and cables are used from stainless or ordinary, but at the same time reliable and durable steel. Usually they are used as the basis for various transport, lifting and road mechanisms. If you examine the steel rope carefully, you will notice that this is a flexible metal product consisting of strands of steel wire twisted together. The number of strands in each individual cable may be different, as well as the number of wires from which each of them is twisted. Zinc or aluminum coatings are often applied on top of the strands to improve its anticorrosion properties. A galvanized pipe (or stainless steel analogue) coated with such a special composition will last much longer than without it. If you do not know how to braid a steel cable, the diagram with the description below will definitely help you.
Inside a steel rope there is usually a core, the main task of which is to prevent lateral deformation from developing in the product and fall through the twisted strands of wire to the center. This is a mandatory attribute of any rope or cable made from organics, metal, natural or synthetic materials. In other words, the core is the inner frame for its strands. Knowledge of the device of steel ropes or cables will help you understand how to properly braid the cable yourself.
Types of steel wire rope structures
Steel cables are divided into three types of lay:
- single;
- double;
- three-strand.
In single cables, a single strand of wire with one cross section is twisted in a spiral into several layers. Typically, the number of layers is from one to four. In double cables, several strands twist around the core. In the manufacture of three-strand cables or ropes, several cables with different or identical cross sections are used.
Types of cables for flexibility
There are steel cables:
1. With increased flexibility. In them, around each core, strands are twisted in 24 wires. There are 144 such thin wires.
2. With standard flexibility. Twelve wires are located around the core. In total, there are 72 wires in such cables.
3. Small flexible cables. In their production, only 42 wires are used.
Varieties of cables in the direction of the lay
1. Cross - strands are twisted into a cable in the opposite direction with respect to the direction of the lay of wire.
2. Unilateral - the direction is the same.
3. Triple - the type 1 lay is applied, but at the same time, the wires and strands of the suite are in different directions.
4. Combined - in such products, the left and right directions of lay are simultaneously used.
In addition, the cables are divided into twisting and low twisting. The material from which the core is made also divides them into organic, single-strand or steel wires.
Now you can consider in detail how to braid the cable yourself. Tools required when doing the job:
- screwdriver;
- pliers;
- nippers;
- scissors for metal;
- wire;
- gloves.
How to braid a cable?
The scheme and algorithm of the process are not as complex as it may seem to an inexperienced person.
1. Cut off the ends of the cable as evenly as possible, and if the ends of its wires are bent or uneven, then we unwind each strand a little and cut off the defective sections with scissors or wire cutters. It is convenient to chop off the ends by laying them on a metal rail or on a sledgehammer and striking at the same place with the sharp edge of the hammer. As a rule, after 10-15 such impacts, the ends of the cable are chopped off.
2. At least half a meter from the edge we untangle the cable into strands.
3. We determine the diameter of the future loop we need and, measuring this distance from the edge of the unbranched cable, we take 2 strands. 3-5 cm should be added to the diameter of the future loop, since it will necessarily decrease in size when weaving. We make a loop of the selected strands by wrapping them.
4. Any end of the thread is untwisted and wound into interlocked strands. The other must be wrapped in the opposite direction. If the length allows, then from the resulting three strands it is possible to weave a pigtail, alternately weaving the threads.
5. The third strand is twisted around the pigtail, then a loop is woven into it, and a revolution is again made around the braid. The wires in the weaving process are passed in such a way that the previous one always goes towards the next.
6. Then all ends of the wires are hidden inside the pigtails, and the resulting two strands are hidden inside with a screwdriver or pliers.
7. It is advisable to tighten the resulting braid with clamps in two or three places. You can use ordinary wire, which is tightly wrapped around a cable and then tightly pulled together with pliers. The protruding ends of such a clamp also hide inside the pigtails so that they do not interfere.
At the end of the work, it is desirable to isolate the location of the operation, for example with an insulating tape. It will help to fasten the ends of steel wires together and prevent future damage to the hands of the one who will use this cable.
Speaking about how to braid the cable, one should remember: in order to get a strong and reliable connection, it is necessary to lay the strands symmetrically and evenly press them during the lay. Periodic crimping of twisted strands will be an additional guarantee that the entire structure will receive sufficient strength.
Making a loop on a steel cable
Often, in addition to solving the problem of “how to braid a cable”, there is a need for a loop at its end. For example, when repairing stretch marks on a tow rope or on an antenna, it becomes necessary to lower something to a depth, such as a submersible pump. Since the steel cable or rope is quite rigid, it simply does not work to tie it with a knot at the end. In this case, there is nothing else to do but to braid the cable. And this is also nothing complicated. As well as braiding a cable with steel wire.
Work process
1. The ends of an ordinary seven-strand cable are evenly cut off with a grinder or chopped off with a hammer (its sharp part).
2. We unroll the cable by 50-70 cm and use a screwdriver to divide it into two parts. In one, three strands are obtained, and in the other - four.
3. We twist the strands of both parts together.
4. We make a loop with a diameter of at least 10 cm.
5. We bend the first four-strand part towards the other, which we place in the bends of the main cable.
6. The ends of the woven threads are alternately wound around an impromptu stalk.
7. Then we spin each free strand alternately around the handle, weaving it in a loop, and repeat the process.
8. After this, superimposing the next on the previous one, we cover the ends of all the strands. As a result of such manipulations, we get two threads that must be placed with a screwdriver between the loops. In this place, it is better to patch up with pieces of tubes, flattening them, or use an insulating tape. This will help to avoid further injuries.
Fire on a rope or cable
Speaking about how to braid a cable - steel or from another material, it should be mentioned that fire can be made. This is a little trickier. At a certain distance from the end of the cable, a durable temporary mark is made, the ends of its strands are fixed with the same marks. After this, the end of the rope should be dissolved.
In the form of a loop, the cable is laid on the surface (preferably solid), all its strands break through. There are several piercing holes, but special attention is paid to the first, as it is the most important of them. Reliability and durability of the fire is ensured mainly by the first piercing. This is also an acceptable way to braid a cable. The scheme will not cause difficulties.
How to tie a loop on a cable?
If for some reason you decide to try to tie a loop, rather than unwind the cable and twist strands, as discussed above, then you can use the old sea knot, the simplest - oak. The algorithm of this method of how to braid a steel cable is presented below:
- Fold the end of the cable in half and wrap it in such a way as to make a ring.
- Pass the loop that formed at the end into the ring and tighten it tightly. Get a strong and very reliable site. Its main drawback is that when pulled, it is very tightened and then it is quite difficult to untie it.
Now you can fix the steel cable yourself, because you know how to braid the cable, and henceforth, such a breakdown will not cause you much trouble.