I found one way to repair a burnt TIG water cooled power cable.....

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Hi all,I thought I would post a way I found to repair a damaged power cable.The background: I got into tig welding during a stint I did in a nuke under construction in Illinois back in the early 80's.  I picked it up from the guys who tig welded the stainless pipes, scratch start.  Before that, I always assumed you needed a high freq and foot pedal to tig weld.  My background was as a stick welder and I never got into nor even thought about tig welding.  I tig welded for years using scratch start and an air cooled torch.  Even when I got into aluminum tig welding I didn't use a foot pedal but an on-off switch on the torch of a gas drive AC/DC welder.  It wasn't until about 6 years ago when I got an AC/DC shop welder that I became familiar with water cooled torches.Because I hated the noise the water cooler made, I used to unplug it when I stick welded and because I did not have the habit developed of using water cooled torches, I ended up burning four, yes FOUR power cables.  At $45 or so a pop, I finally got it drilled into me to always leave my water cooler plugged in, like it or not.I always hated the idea of having to replace a power cable because of piece of it burnt through creating a water leak all over the place.  I even posted a few years ago a thread asking if there was a way to repair these.  One welder actually was able to repair his and replied how he did it.  It was somewhat involved as it required un-crimping and re-crimping the connector after cutting away the burn area.Fast forward to today:  I had occasion to buy and use an industrial grade "super glue" type adhesive that was also a filler using what looks like aluminum power as a bonding agent that created a rock hard repair.  One day I happened to be cleaning my storage area and came across those burnt cables right after using that adhesive for a repair job.  The idea came to me, "If I cut a patch out of one of the burnt power cables, could it be glued over one of the the burnt areas, sealing the break in the cable / tube?  I decided to try it.  It worked!!! Here's how I did it:1) I cut a piece of tubing the length of the burnt area on one of the power cables.2) I cut the length of tubing length wise in half so that it could be opened up and wrap around the damaged area.3) I applied the super glue to the damaged area making sure that it covered the entire area and more so that when the patch was put in place it had glue covering its entire surface.4) I pressed it into place and gently squeezed it for about a minute or two until the glue bonded and let it dry for about 10 to 15 minutes.5) I went over the patch with another round of super glue this time putting the glue down like caulking on all the seams so that it formed a fresh "seal" and let it dry about 20 minutes.6) Once done, I connected the power cable and tested it by turning on the water cooler and let it run until I could see if it had sealed.  If so, I was done and the repaired cable was returned to service.7) If it leaked, I had two choices.  First was to run a fresh bead of glue over the seam, again using it like caulking and let it dry.  Second was to wrap nylon sewing thread around the leaking are forming a tight mesh around the leak and looped the thread so it formed a simple tailor's knot and cut the thread.  Then I soaked it with super glue wetting the thread thoroughly turning it into a reinforced patch which bonded to the damaged area all around and let it dry.This last form of patching was needed when the burnt area went all the way to the crimped connector.  The glue alone couldn't seal that type of damage, but the thread patch did the trick.Attached are photos of a repair I did last night.  Out of the four power cables I was able to rescue three of them.  The forth was too damaged to repair as this only works if the burnt area can be contained by the patch. If it burns through on both sides of the cable the repair might work but I haven't tried it yet.  I may involve two patches, one on each side of the burnt through cable and a thread type patch on top of that.  Again, I haven't tried it.I have used my first repaired cable for two months now without a hitch.  UNTIL I burnt the cable again when I forgot to plug in my water cooler on my gas drive after a stick welding job.  However I was able to repair the damage using the same technique and it is back in service again.  The last picture shows that cable.  While I feel like a fool, letting all of you know that I have burnt up a total of FIVE cables.  My consolation is that I figured out how to salvage them so I don't feel so foolish because I know that others will be able to salvage the ones they have burnt up too!!!I hope this comes in handy for others.  Someone with entrepreneurial spirit could develop a repair kit based on this and maybe make a little money off of it, who knows?TonyLast edited by therrera; 01-10-2014 at 04:05 AM.Reason: To add more detail
Reply:I use electrical tape....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Thanks for the tip Tony.   Bob
Reply:I tripped onto a tip about super glue yesterday.  Fill as space with baking soda then add drops of superglue.  It hardens up in seconds but very brittle.
Reply:Or you can use this.http://www.xtremetape.com/I have used this stuff at work to repair chafed wires where it is impossible or very difficult to use a section of heat shrinkable tubing to affect a sealed repair.The only caution I offer about this product is that when you wrap something with it, be careful that you DO NOT stretch it too tightly while wrapping.  It has to be stretched somewhat to make it self sealing and "self vulcanizing", but if stretched too tightly when wrapping, the finished sealing layer can crack sometime later in life.  I learned that when I used the tape to wrap a sharpened tungsten I made into an impromptu scribe.Last edited by walkerweld; 01-10-2014 at 10:53 AM.
Reply:Hey walkerweld,that's a great tip!!  Makes me think of how long I had those burnt cables laying around without being able to be used.  If I had known this, I would have had those repaired in no time at all.  makes me think that it would be nice to have a section on this site devoted to tips and tricks of this nature where we could share these things.Thanks, that was a good one.Tony
Reply:The other day I stumbled across a web site selling new crimp ends for power leads. I can't remember which one right now an I've not got time at the moment to look them up but I remember them being reasonably enough priced.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Though the info on the tape says it can even seal radiator hoses, I have never tried it on any.  Most of the radiator hoses I run into are already too far gone to age and deterioration to consider extending their life.But next time you need to repair a cooler hose, give it a try and see if it does what they claim.  It seems to be "bullet proof"  when I use it on electric wiring and cables.  Just don't stretch it too tight.
Reply:Hi Irish Fixit,I remember now, it was you that replied on how you were able to fix a damaged power cable.  The idea that it could be done was planted with that response.  Thanks for the reply.Tony
Reply:silicone emergency tape, available at most hardware stores, I've used it to fix radiator hose leaks and even a leaking boost tube on my truck. very flexible repairs and the tape bonds to itself permanently.
Reply:Originally Posted by irish fixitThe other day I stumbled across a web site selling new crimp ends for power leads. I can't remember which one right now an I've not got time at the moment to look them up but I remember them being reasonably enough priced.
Reply:That doesn't sound right. I can't seem to find the page that looks just like the one I saw (wish I'd bookmarked it). However here's a place that selling them. http://www.brwtechnologies.com/Inert...tings_s/54.htmMillermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm