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Heatshrink and Techflex sizes for DIY cables, etc.

post #1 of 13
4/4/05 at 5:50pm
Thread Starter 
I'd like to place an order for some Heatshrink and Techflex, but I don't know what the most useful sizes will be for making cables. Could someone let me know what the most versatile sizes (especially diameter) would be for each?

Thanks.
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post #2 of 13
4/4/05 at 6:17pm
1/4" does the trick for most applications
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post #3 of 13
4/4/05 at 6:40pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by HiGHFLYiN9
1/4" does the trick for most applications
Would that be for both heatshrink and TechFlex? Thanks!
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post #4 of 13
4/4/05 at 6:46pm
I sprung for 1/8" Flexo PET sleeving (made by Techflex, as people so often misuse the name of ). Might have been a little small, but it expands way bigger, it'll still cover my cables. I'm more concerned about holding the cable together than making it look black (as you open it more, more of the underlying cable is visible). For heatshrink, keep in mind you're talking about tubing that shrinks by a ratio of 2:1, 3:1, 4:1...whatever it is you buy, if it's not labeled it's almost always going to be 2:1. They even sell it up to 20:1!
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post #5 of 13
4/4/05 at 7:06pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Emon
I sprung for 1/8" Flexo PET sleeving (made by Techflex, as people so often misuse the name of ). Might have been a little small, but it expands way bigger, it'll still cover my cables. I'm more concerned about holding the cable together than making it look black (as you open it more, more of the underlying cable is visible). For heatshrink, keep in mind you're talking about tubing that shrinks by a ratio of 2:1, 3:1, 4:1...whatever it is you buy, if it's not labeled it's almost always going to be 2:1. They even sell it up to 20:1!
Thanks. I guess I'll order some 1/8" and some 1/4" flex to see which I like better. As for the heatshrink, I think i'd like to use 3:1. So should I use 1/4" heatshrink (before shrinking) in that case?
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post #6 of 13
4/4/05 at 7:31pm
Remember that the larger the shrink rate, the thicker the resultant heatshrink will be.

For example, 4:1 will end up being thicker than 2:1.

-Ed
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post #7 of 13
4/4/05 at 8:17pm
Sorry in my first post I was refering to 1/4" techflex. 1/8" works too but you see a lot more of what's underneath. For heatshrink tubing I generally go with 1/2" 2:1 over plugs, sometimes 3/8" with smaller barrels but it's a tight fit.
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post #8 of 13
4/4/05 at 8:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Emon
They even sell it up to 20:1!
i once accidently bought 4:1 and they were like $10 for 4 feet. 20:1 must be like $50 per ft.
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post #9 of 13
4/4/05 at 8:51pm
Lol, I didn't know they even made such high ratios. I've only had to use 3:1 a few times, but generally 2:1 gets the job done. I suppose when you need really big stuff to shrink down over power cord connectors to the wiring something like 4:1 would work well.
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post #10 of 13
4/4/05 at 11:44pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by HiGHFLYiN9
Sorry in my first post I was refering to 1/4" techflex. 1/8" works too but you see a lot more of what's underneath. For heatshrink tubing I generally go with 1/2" 2:1 over plugs, sometimes 3/8" with smaller barrels but it's a tight fit.
Great, thanks. Is it generally better to go with adhesive heatshrink?
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post #11 of 13
4/4/05 at 11:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Monkey
I guess I'll order some 1/8" and some 1/4" flex to see which I like better.
Yeah, it's the best way to go. 3/16 would really be the best, but I've never seen it, not the Techflex brand anyway. I suppose they think it's not necessary since it's like...flexible.
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post #12 of 13
4/5/05 at 2:36am
Often times it's best to "massage" the softened adhesive heatshrink before it cools. This allows the adhesive to get in between the fibers of the techflex. Be sure to wrap a piece of plastic, like from a ziplock baggie, or piece of garbage bag, otherwise you will have a nice mold of your fingerprints on the heatshrink.

-Ed
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post #13 of 13
4/5/05 at 5:31am
for star quad and braided minis I use 1/4" flex and 3/8" and 1/2" adhesive dual wall heatshrink.
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