I’m looking to replace a broken cable. It’s not on a bike, it’s on a snowboard binding, but the cable in question is basically just a short brake cable with the normal circular end at one end.

But on the other end it has a sort of T-fitting/ferrule/thing that looks something like this (apologies for crap drawing):

Any thoughts on how I can put that together?

The best I have come up with so far is to take an M5 bolt, cut the head off, drill a hole through the shaft, thread the cable through the hole and then clamp the cable in place by threading a nut onto the shaft either side of it. And add some metal epoxy to keep the nuts in place.

But that’s tricky and I’m not sure that will be strong enough – it needs to take my weight pulling on it without slipping. The original was forged into place like the circular end is.

Do you have the original toggle ?
If so,just drill it for a new wire(tight fit) plus a wee countersink.
Then push the wire through , flare it,then fill with solder.

Do you have the original toggle ?

Yep.

fill with solder.

Solder? Would that be strong enough?

I have a soldering iron and solder for electronics but I suspect you mean the tougher stuff used for pipework etc? Not sure my little iron would melt that.

For reference, this is what I’m trying to fix:

You can see the toggle held in that larger clamp.

Snow+Rock are chasing K2 for spares but so far have been unsuccessful and time is getting short so bodging seems to be the only way forward.

Fasthaggis’ idea is good.

You could also maybe try one of these if the size worked out: http://www.tecni-cable.co.uk/M4-A4-AISI-316-Stainless-Steel-DIY-Stop-Fitting-for-1-5mm-2mm-cable-351-710-002

Or maybe get a bit of M4 or M5 threaded rod and form a loop of cable around it and finish with a double ferrule – this is really strong.
http://www.tecni-cable.co.uk/Code-1-Aluminium-TALURIT-Ferrule-100-300-010?sc=2&category=11774

Finally, much like Fasthaggis’ idea you could get a short length of aluminium rod and drill clearance hole through. Poke cable into hole and squash the living daylights out of it in a vice. That would take a fair grip.

Having now seen your picture I would definitely go for forming a loop and finishing with a crimped ferrule. Dead easy.

I played with doing a loop but I think the shaft radius (roughly M5) is a bit too small to loop the cable comfortably without the cable starting to deform and split apart.

But your pin looks captive so does the loop need to be tight around the pin?

Ah,looks like you have limited space for a bodge if that toggle bit is fixed in place.Maybe you could still drill the wire out,and also drill and tap along the whole length .
You could then fit a grub screw to clamp the wire ,as Jemima suggested .

Do away with the shaft and loop it through the thing that the shaft slides into?

(if you see what i mean?)

The toggle rotates freely in that larger clamp.

The clamp itself is just held in place with a allen bolt (it looks like a rivet in the photo but its not) so I was able to remove it easily enough and get the old toggle out.

But your pin looks captive so does the loop need to be tight around the pin?

It’ll get pulled tight around it when the strap is tightened up.

(plus I’m not paying £70 for a crimping tool!)

Do you have space for a thimble? http://www.tecni-cable.co.uk/SP67A-A2-AISI-304-Stainless-Steel-Thimble-for-1-5mm-2mm-Diameter-Cable-108-000-020

And you don’t need a crimping tool. Two nails and a vice do the same job 🙂

Your original posts implied time is short so if this is a pre-holiday bodge turning the cable around the pin probably won’t kill the cable over the course of a week or two…

I have a brake cable on one of my bikes where the mushroom on the end in the brake lever is mainly that! (one of my “clever” attempts at routing the signal from a rear computer pickup with no extra wires – worked until it was wet and water bridged between the brake cable and the frame which I used for the return) Have never had a problem.

Anyway, you presumably only need strength to stop the wire pulling through, not holding it in place, so run the cable through and put a crimp ferrule on a single wire to stop it pulling back through – or use the stop fixing linked above instead of a crimp. Then back up with solder to hold it in place (but non load bearing when in use).

Thanks jemima.

Yep, time is short. I fly to Canada on Saturday and could do with a working snowboard binding just in case they still have some snow left in Whistler. 😀

With that in mind, do you know how quickly these tecni-cable guys deliver? Or is there somewhere on the high street that I could buy stuff like this? Screwfix?

Cheers aracer. Hmm.. solder + crimp might work then.

Technicable have delivered very quickly (next day) for me in the past (also for a snowboard job coincidentally – turns out now impossible to get BOA spares in UK).
Don’t think Screwfix will have anything small enough.

Innards of choc block hacksawed will hold a cable if you have space for that.

Ok thanks. Think I’ll buy a selection of cheap ferrule etc from them and see what works.

(By the way you should be able to get BOA spares direct from the Spare Part store on their website – I have a few replacement BOA laces from them that I keep snowboard bag after I got jammed in a boot one year and had to cut the lace to free myself!)

Innards of choc block hacksawed

Oooh that’s a good idea! Or the pin off an old plug. Like it.

Not sure if this is what you are looking for but what about Odyssey BMX knarps? In stock in quite a few places (CRC have them).

Thanks mamadirt they might work – “knarp” turned out to be a very useful search term for homemade versions too.

http://www.mopedarmy.com/wiki/Cable
http://www.chopcult.com/forum/showthread.php?t=166

Tektro v-brakes used a solderless nipple back in the day,don’t know if Tektro still do them. I would try a motorbike shop or motor factors as they use various sizes on engine cables…?. Usualy fasten with a tiny allen grub screw. 🙂

Probably matters to no one but me, but the Knarps did the trick nicely.

I took the nut and ground both ends nice and round (by putting it in a drill and holding it against a file as it spun). That way it matched the bit it was replacing nicely.

Original knarp on left, filed knarp and original part on right:

So thanks for your help everyone. Another STW success story. 😀

Good job and I’ve learnt what a knarp is. Nice lathe improv 🙂

Redneck lathe 😆 Good job.