When laying electrical cables inside a house or apartment, the cores are connected in junction boxes. The most common technique is based on twisting stripped cores. A novice electrician needs to know how to properly twist wires together and ensure reliable insulation of the joint.
Types of twists
There are 2 types of wire twists:
- Allowing you to increase the length of the main line or connect lines in a distribution box. The insulation is removed from the mating elements, and then the wires are carefully twisted.
- Designed for organizing a branch. Part of the insulator on the main cable is removed, and the core of another line is tightly wound onto the exposed area.
DIY wire jewelry. Copper wire pendant. Master Class.
For the pendant, I took natural stone bead . You can take more or less - it doesn't matter that much. All pieces of copper wire 1 mm thick are approximately 50 - 60 cm. I usually take long pieces of wire for work. You can always bite off the excess. What if at the end of the work there is not enough wire...? We insert one of the segments into the spiral and try it on around the bead.
We insert another 1 mm piece of wire into the hole of the bead and bend it as shown in the photo.
We begin to weave the wire with the bead using any method.
We weave together with the wire in a spiral.
Next, do as shown in the photographs. Various braiding methods can be found and watched on my YouTube channel. There’s even a separate playlist – Types of braids for wire jewelry
We cut off the excess ends of the wire, hide them behind the braids on the pendant, or make cute curls. We inspect the finished product and correct any flaws.
Preparatory activities
At the preparation stage, the cables are brought out into junction boxes and the insulation layer is removed with special pliers or a construction knife. Trimming the cores is not allowed, since the core will break along the notch line when bending. It is difficult to damage a single-core wire; the problem is common when stripping multi-core copper cables with a knife. If the core is aluminum, then there is a risk of it breaking when bent due to the low ductility of the metal compared to copper.
Since a protective varnish is applied to the surface of the cores, the cores must be wiped with a cloth moistened with paint solvent or acetone. To remove the layer of oxides formed when the stripped wire is exposed to air, use fine-grained sandpaper or a needle file.
Treated surfaces are wiped with a dry cloth to remove traces of dust.
Required tools for wiring connections
To complete the work you will need:
- pruning pliers;
- special pliers or a construction knife for removing insulation;
- pliers or a screwdriver attachment for twisting the wires;
- test device to check the functionality of a circuit.
Wiring connection tool
As already mentioned, twisting does not require a large set of tools. In order to remove the insulation from the cable, you can use a knife, pliers or wire cutters (side cutters). When performing a large amount of work, to save time and effort, you can use a special tool for stripping wires—a stripper. Then the exposed wires must be connected to each other. If the cable cores are single-wire, then it is advisable to use pliers. After this, it is necessary to insulate the connection. Insulating cambrics (heat-shrinkable tubes) or regular electrical tape are suitable for this.
Preparing for twisting
Before connecting the wires to each other, it is necessary to clear them of protective insulation. Often an ordinary knife is used for this. When performing this operation, you must try to damage the metal current conductor as little as possible with the tip, since if damaged, it can break, which will impair the quality of the connection. This statement is especially true for soft stranded wires. If the selected cable is made of aluminum, then under no circumstances should it be allowed to bend, since aluminum does not tolerate frequent deformation very well. A cable made of this metal can break while removing the insulation. By the way, it is worth noting that an aluminum wire can break even under insulation; as a rule, this happens about 20 cm from the connection. Visually, such a fracture is quite difficult to find, so the defect is looked for by touch.
Detailed instructions for twisting wires together
The connection method is chosen depending on:
- number of cores in cables;
- core material;
- sections of metal parts.
Stranded Wires
Multicore cables made of copper or aluminum can be connected using the following technologies:
- Sequential twisting with overlapping bare areas at right angles and subsequent winding of one cable over the surface of another. Then the free part of the second wire is wound onto the resulting connection. To increase the strength, the cables must be pulled to the sides. The connection has a diameter 40-50% larger than that of an insulated wire. Before pairing, you can put a heat shrink tube on one of the cables.
- Parallel twisting, which involves connecting the cores in a spiral. The technology ensures a tight joint with an increased contact patch. For insulation, a shrink tube or tape made of fabric or PVC is used.
- Bandage twist, which is designed for wires with an increased core cross-section, which does not allow for manual connection. The bare wires are placed parallel and then wrapped with thin wire (copper or aluminum depending on the material of the mating elements).
Single-wire
When connecting single-core cables, difficulties arise due to the increased rigidity of the core. When trying to bend an element with an increased cross-section (more than 10 mm²), there is a risk of breaking the core. If a construction knife is used to remove the insulator layer, the blade is directed at an angle of about 30° to the surface, preventing damage to the core. The bare area must be at least 50 mm long.
The resulting twist is checked by connecting the rated load. Intense heating of the joint indicates insufficient contact area.
Single-core wires are connected using the following technologies:
- Parallel twisting with holding the cables with pliers with protective pads on the jaws and twisting the cores in a spiral with pliers. A shrink tube is put on the resulting connection and heated with a lighter or a hair dryer.
- Consecutive joining with simultaneous winding of the bare ends of the wires on top of each other. The turns must fit tightly; gaps impair strength and reduce the quality of the connection. To protect the joint, use a shrink tube pre-attached to one of the cables.
- Twisting with welding of the tip using a carbon electrode. The technology is used when installing wiring in distribution boxes. To perform the work, you need a small-sized welding machine (for example, “Compact 160”). Only the tips of the twisted conductors are heated; welding of the entire joint line is not required. For insulation, use PVC tape or shrink tube.
How to roll wire into rings?
Sometimes you need to make wire rings, for example for fishing gear or rings for curtains to hang curtains, or maybe wire rings are needed for some crafts...
To make a simple bender for rolling wire into rings, you will need very few materials.
The tube is 25 mm in diameter. We saw off a 60 mm long piece from it.
From one end of the segment we make an end cut along the tube. The length and width of the cut are 40 x 5 mm.
We're done with the tube, now we'll work on the base plate.
The size of the base plate is 40 x 120 mm. We saw off this plate from a steel strip of the appropriate size.
Drill mounting holes for screws at the ends of the plate.
We install the tube on the plate vertically, in its center, with the sawn end up.
We weld the plate with the tube.
On the workbench, select a free space for the twister. We try to place it near the edge of the workbench, so that it is convenient to work.
We fasten the twister with screws to the workbench.
We can work.
The process of twisting wire into rings is simple. One end of the wire must be inserted into the longitudinal section of the tube, thereby hooking it onto the tube. Next we wrap the wire around the tube.
When the wire is wound around the tube, remove it through the top of the tube, pull it by hand, and the spring from the wire rings is removed.
Using wire cutters, cut the wire into individual rings.
It is possible to twist not only wire, but also metal strips made of aluminum, copper, and steel.
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Insulation methods
To protect the joint use:
- fabric or polyvinyl chloride insulating tape;
- heat shrink tubes;
- PPE safety connecting caps with a spring clip.
The basic option is insulating tape, which is tightly wound around twisted conductors. The fabric material absorbs moisture, but is suitable for work at subzero temperatures. PVC tape hardens when cooled and becomes brittle, but under normal conditions it wraps easily around cables. In distribution boxes, it is better to use elastic tubes that tightly envelop the metal cores when heated with a hair dryer or the flame of a lighter.
We patina (age) and polish the pendant made of copper wire.
To patina copper, you can use regular ammonia, which is sold in pharmacies (in Russia for sure). Pour the ammonia into a glass jar with a lid. We hang the product on a wire ABOVE THE SOLUTION!
After some time, the copper will begin to darken. When we get the desired color, we remove the product and move on to polishing.
You can use special solutions for blackening. As a rule, they are universal and suitable for patination of various metals. You can buy them in online stores. I bought it at the Crafts Fair.
For polishing we use a polishing machine ( cheap or expensive ). In extreme cases, a screwdriver or electric drill will do. We use special nozzles with felt circles . Use polishing pastes or, like me, the old fashioned way - GOI paste.
After polishing, wash the product. I brush under running water with an old toothbrush and liquid soap. Let's dry it.
Over time, copper darkens. To prevent this from happening, you can coat the copper with Tsapon varnish. You can buy it at a hardware store.
I cover the product completely with varnish. I simply dip the jewelry into the solution and hang it to dry for 20–30 minutes. I repeat two or three times.
Add a chain or cord. The decoration is ready! Can be worn, given as a gift or sold! How to sell jewelry? Take a look at my blog “Earn money with handicrafts on the Internet”!
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What are the dangers of twisting wires?
Disadvantages of the technique:
- the need for careful insulation of twisted conductors;
- heating of connected wire cores when connecting a powerful load;
- risk of overheating and ignition of the twist;
- When disconnected, cable cores may break.
Even properly performed twisting can withstand small loads. The joint line has resistance; when an electric current passes, the conductors heat up. When the power is turned on and off frequently, the cores are destroyed, de-energizing the circuit with connected consumers. GOST 10434–82 and PUE require rigid mating of cores using soldering, welding or clamps.
Characteristics of nichrome grades for heating coils
Alloy X20N80 contains, in addition to nickel and chromium in the volume of 72.9 - 78.8 and 20 - 23%, 0.6% manganese, 0.2% titanium, up to 0.5% zirconium, as well as silicon, carbon, phosphorus, aluminum. It can withstand heating up to 1200 °C and has high electrical resistance - 1110x109 Ohm/m. The nichrome spiral X20N80 melts when the temperature reaches 1400 °C. The metal is difficult to weld and requires heating and special equipment.
Heating spiral made of alloy grade X15N60 is used in precision instruments, parts operating in vacuum, and electronic devices. Chromium and nickel in the alloy are 18 and 61%, respectively, or slightly less. Manganese, titanium, aluminum, silicon and carbon are contained in amounts greater than 1%. The composition also contains a lot of iron - more than 17%, which determines the lower price of the material and a high level of flexibility. The melting point of the metal reaches 1390 °C.
Both alloys belong to the precision class - their properties depend on the exact percentage of components. Their general characteristics are sufficient flexibility for the manufacture of spirals, high resistivity of nichrome and retention of the given shape when heated to high temperatures exceeding 1000 °C.
The process of preparing veins for twisting
Stripping the insulation
To twist the electrical wires, you will need to de-energize the network by turning off the input circuit breaker. Next you will need:
- choose a tool with insulated handles and gloves made of dielectric material;
- remove the insulating coating from the conductors so that the metal part remains intact;
- soak a cloth in any degreaser (white spirit, acetone, nail polish remover) and wipe off the exposed parts;
- Use sandpaper to clean the area of the core so that it acquires a characteristic metallic sheen.
Twisting can begin only after preparation.
Operating procedure
Stripping wires
A step-by-step twisting algorithm can be considered using the example of weaving a stranded and monocore cord. In this case, it is better to work using the branching technique:
- Stripping the area from the end of the conductors - 3-4 cm long with a stripper or a stationery knife.
- Placing heat shrink on one of the cables.
- Degreasing sections without insulation with a special agent.
- Bend the single-core end 180 degrees to further press the twist.
- Twisting a multi-core cord over a single-core one. It will take 5-6 turns clockwise.
- Using pliers, grasp the bent single-core tip and press it against the joint.
- Place heat shrink in place of the twist and fix it using a hair dryer.
The heat shrink should secure the twist tightly.
