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Anyone familiar with Straightwire Black Silc

I recently bought a pair of Straightwire Black Silc cables that were much longer than I needed. My intention ws to remove the poor condition banana plugs, cut the cable to length and reterminate with spades. I've done this before with good results as crimpimg and soldering is something I'm very familiar with. However, these cables use stranded wire that is coated with a substance that isolates each strand. I scraped the cable with a pocet knofe which allowed a continuity check but that didn't remove all of the coating. Also tried heat but this had no noticeable effect. My question is, how can I remove this coating without harming the cable? Anyone done this before.
I will say the cable looks to be very well made.
timrhu

Showing 7 responses by timrhu

timrhu OP
2,778 posts
 
Thanks for the info. As I said I tried heating the wire; used a small torch my wife bought for caramelizing. The wire was very hot (glowing) but the coating seemed to stay.
I sent an email off to Straightwire. If they don't give me advice then I'll have to send them off. Shame though as DIY is a large part of this hobby's appeal for me.
timrhu OP
2,778 posts
 
Wouldn't dispute the science behind that concept but it is hard to concieve seven feet of cable causing a noticeable smearing. It takes better ears or more discerning listening habits than I posess to catch it.
timrhu OP
2,778 posts
 
For sure Nsgarch. That's what stopped me. I was checking continuity to ensure I wired properly when I found I could only get a reading on the very end of the wire. If I pressed hard enough the meter would read through the coating but that ain't gonna cut it. It would be a waste of cable to crimp, solder and hope for the best.
Hopefully, Straightwire's customer service is adequate. Thanks for all the advice.
timrhu OP
2,778 posts
 
Well after emailing Straightwire and doing a little research it looks like buying a solder pot is the way to go. As a decent new one goes for $300+, I'll keep my eyes open on ebay and see what they go for there. Straightwire wants $26.50 per spade, that's more than $300 for the pair of cables. I know I can do it for less and just as well.
timrhu OP
2,778 posts
 
I just shot off an email to moonaudio. I've seen his ads, he has good feedback every place I checked. Thanks for the tip. These cables are too nice to give up on.
I got the price of the solder pot from my Newark catalogue. The $300 unit was the least expensive one they sold. The range was $300 to $1500. If a soldr pot can be had for a reasonable price it might be worth it as DIY is part of the fun.
timrhu OP
2,778 posts
 
I bid on a pot that went for 1$ over my bid of 55. It was a model listed in current Newark catalogue for 1k. Hard to believe but true. If I was at a computer I wouldn't have let go that cheap. Try again.
timrhu OP
2,778 posts
 
Looks interesting, I'll give it a shot. Appreciate the info.
BTW still waiting to hear from moonaudio, I'll let you know how they compare to Straightwire's price.
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