Solder bowdens cables

[Durham]

Does anyone have any ideas for cable ends clutch and brake for soldering in cable ends or is it just much easier too use solderless
Someone has splayed the ends and tin filled then filed back the soft solder which is stronger not and bolt is used in MTB brakes and they seem too hold up alright ?what do ppl reckon about this ...

[Steve.S]

Ideally you need a Bird Caging Tool, but they are very expensive. Fraying the cable in some way is essential, and you could use Silver Solder.
Vintage BSA's used solderless nipples and I've never had any problem with them. They say a pot of molten solder is the easiest way to do it.
MTB's? "Motorbikes"? Or some Japanese contraption?

[iansoady]

I wrote this little instruction sheet for another forum. Basically making cables is straightforward but obviously requires care and I would practise on clutch etc before doing brakes!

https://bikesandtravels.com/biker.aspx?ride=7494

[Derek996]

I wrote this little instruction sheet for another forum. Basically making cables is straightforward but obviously requires care and I would practise on clutch etc before doing brakes!

https://bikesandtravels.com/biker.aspx?ride=7494

I've been making cables this way for years but instead of using a flux paste I dip the end of the cable and nipple in Bakers Soldering Fluid (killed spirits) as a flux then dip it in a hot solder bath. This an old steel aerosol cap, they're made of plastic now so no good, that I sit on top of a small gas stove. to melt the solder. The pot is filled with plumbers solder that I top up occasionally.

[V500]

Ideally you need a Bird Caging Tool, but they are very expensive. Fraying the cable in some way is essential, and you could use Silver Solder.

To get the silver solder to run you'd need a lot of heat, far too much for the inner.
Plumber's solder is perfectly fine, although unlike the guide above, I prefer a 75W soldering iron rather than a torch.

[Greenfield]

Having struggled in the past to make a good joint on a brake cable, I made a simple birdcage maker out of a length of 1/2" brass bar from the scrap box. Clamping two pieces together in a vice I drilled a 2mm hole down the centre of the joint followed by a 4.5mm drill to form a depression in the top. The exact hole sizes will depend on the cable diameter; the cable needs to be gripped tightly but not crushed. Place the cable in the central drilling a little proud of the top, tighten the vice, loosen the strands a little then compress the cable into the depression by hitting it with a nail punch. Its worth having a dry run before cutting the cable to length. Having used it a few times its now showing a bit of wear, but a bit of filing and redrilling the top depression will bring it back to new.

[AltcarBob]

I have made clutch cables using Frys Powerflo flux and a reel of plumbers solder which is ancient and inherited from my dad. For heat I have recently been using a little blowtorch that's officially a cooks crème brulé torch but it's ideal for lots of little jobs in the shed.

I have always shied away from making front brake cables I have only had one clutch cable I made fail and it was annoying but a brake cable failure could be nasty .