Putting a flexible joint in solid copper wire

A couple of questions:

1. What is the degree of flex (e.g. 45º, 90º, etc.)?
2. How many flexes must it be able to endure?
3. What is the maximum electrical resistance that the "flex joint" can have?
4. Are there any heat considerations?
5. You sound fairly literate; why not consider registering and join our community?

There are conductive elastomers that might work.

It would be very helpful if we knew the application!

Mike

How about shrink sleeving? That's flexible. Not conductive. But, you don't say if conductivity is important. Is, "solid 14AWG copper wire" used because it's handy, or necessary?

What, exactly, are you trying to accomplish.

Hi lynlynch,

Hope you are well?

Just to say I did not mean to duplicate your response and I think a good answer of a heat shrink plastic sleeve as a 'hinge'. I never read the thread site I clicked on the list sent.

Take care.

Regards.

<< shrink sleeving >>

shrink sleeving is correctly called shrinkable sleeving & becomes stiff when finished with hot-air.

More over it is Insulator not conductive while a Flexible connection is required.

If you were only reffering to a flexible covering of conductor it is a Braid [Tublar] made of Plastic/ cotton threads like copper-braid I have reffered to in post #9

and covered by the cotton or plastic-thread-braid.

If you had bothered to read the initial post you would have discovered that braid had already been tried and failed.

As far as your correcting my use of terms, that's just arrogant nonsense!

Your responses are basically a waste of time for us all.

<< If you had bothered to read the initial >>

Had you been looked the Quality of Braid; it not the De-soldering Braid But a

High-Current rated braid used in High-Current-Earth Connectors & Pigitails of moving devices for 10 to 100s of amperes.

I think you have just passed irrelevant remarks without knowing what is a Copper-Braid & what are its applications.

If you had bothered to follow the thread you would have seen that the connection does not need to conduct electricity.

Hi lynlynch,

GA to you Sir for a good point.

Take care

Hi bb,

Thanks to you. Hope you are well.

LL

<<

I'm working on a project which I'm making out of solid 14AWG copper wire. I'm trying to come up with a way to put two pieces together end to end with a flexible joint. The joint needs to be more flexible than the wire itself. >>

I am short of English language while it is your mother tongue [I assume].

Will you please explain the meanings of the bold-itallic part.

I will update my English vocabulary

Thanks

Hello Haajee,

Picture the structure as 3 distinct components, arranged in a line, end to end,

--------1----------==2==---------3------------,

the minus signs,1 and 3 are the 14awg, these are the legs or stiff portion,

the equal signs, 2, are the hinge or flexible component where the movement is intended,

It might help to think of the mechanism as a human leg, where 1 is the lower leg,

2 is the knee and 3 is the upper leg.

It appears that the original commenter's needs were only for a flexible joint , not necessary to conduct electricity.

I am guessing it was for an armature , in the artistic meaning, an internal frame to support a sculpture.

I hope this has helped.

Packdrill

my apologies, I got my post in before guest re-commented.

welcome to the cr4 guest.

Regards Mr. packrat561

Your explanation is really enough to understand the Flexible-joint.

But my dear the meaning of a Conductor's joint [ when the poster says he used a conducting braid] clearly demands a ''Conducting-Joint'' which should also be a flexible

[neccessarily not a ''pivoted''].

I hope you will read the post once again.

GA for your explaining with simple drawwing

Haajee, please read the first and subsequent post from the OP (Original Poster) below. Copied and pasted here in their entirety...................

Perhaps you can point out and explain where your phrase of "Conductor's joint [where the poster says he used a conducting braid" is?

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1st Original Post

Hello Everyone,

I'm working on a project which I'm making out of solid 14AWG copper wire. I'm trying to come up with a way to put two pieces together end to end with a flexible joint. The joint needs to be more flexible than the wire itself.

I thought of using desoldering braid, and even manage to solder it solidly to the wire and prevent the solder from getting wicked into the area that needed to be flexible for the joint. Unfortunately after bending the joint two or three times, the desoldering wick fell apart and the wires separated.

Does anyone know of any method to accomplish this?

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2nd of the posts from the OP.

Thanks for all the responses,

Mikerho, I think I probably will end up joining. I've been reading the CR4 Daily Digest for a while now, but usually don't have much to comment on the topics.

I'm using the 14AWG wire because I had scraps around (leftovers from installing some outlets in my house), and because it is flexible enough to bend but stiff enough to keep the shape I put it into.

Conductivity isn't important, and there won't be any heat applied to it once finished, but I would like to be able to bend it all the way back on itself.

It's more of an arts and crafts project than anything else.

I'll give that shrink sleeving a try over the joint and see if that works.

Thanks again

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Please note that there is mention that this hinge, is an "art and crafts' project". And the OP goes on: "I'll give that shrink sleeving a try over the joint and see if it works"

I suggest you swallow your pride, and if it is you, stop voting off topic to those that are trying to help. If you are not voting off topic then please ignore this phrase.

And, perhaps an apology to 'packrat561'.................... You really should take more care to read the whole thread in more detail and not assume what is necessary.

No insult intended.

Take care and enjoy the rest of your time at the site, OK?

Hi Haajee,

Thank for your kind post.

I do not know about other sites but, on CR4 'bold' is used to emphasize or highlight something.

If you need to copy a part of the post you are replying to, into the post you are writing, it is customary here at CR4 to use 'ordinary italics'. But I usually use 'bold italics', as it is then more obvious that is copied and pasted from the post I am replying to.

Not everyone does this, but I find it makes it obvious to whom you are writing then? Especially if the post you are replying to was written several days or a longer time back. Because if that is the case the posts may have a whole lot of other replies between the one you are writing to and your post. Hope that is clear.

Take care.

Hi Haajee,

You can stop the centre of the plastic shrink sleeve from going hard by wrapping in a small wet cloth or ribbon.

Take care.

This is commonly done in cabinet door bonding. Just in case you're going to lunch in Shanghai today, here's one supplier.

Soldering usally ruins flexibility of your wire near the joint. Try mechanical (press) fit

Thanks for all the responses,

Mikerho, I think I probably will end up joining. I've been reading the CR4 Daily Digest for a while now, but usually don't have much to comment on the topics.

I'm using the 14AWG wire because I had scraps around (leftovers from installing some outlets in my house), and because it is flexible enough to bend but stiff enough to keep the shape I put it into.

Conductivity isn't important, and there won't be any heat applied to it once finished, but I would like to be able to bend it all the way back on itself.

It's more of an arts and crafts project than anything else.

I'll give that shrink sleeving a try over the joint and see if that works.

Thanks again

There are some manufacturers of small diameter copper bellows but, if you have the space available, why not just splice the two wires and make a larger diameter circular loop for flexibility?

Hi Guest,

Can you give a little more detail of what you want and what it is used for please?

Does this 'flexible' joint need to be freely movable, or can it be made and have a shrink-wrap plastic cover?

This wire is not very thick but, I have in mind a 'hinge' where the hinge is soldered onto to bared parts of the ends of the wires.

However I can see the likely problems with this is keeping the tiny copper hinge in contact with itself to privent it from arcing. That is assuming you have power in the wire?

If it does not matter if the hinge is larger, then perhaps something is already manufactured, and that is the hinge on a pair of Spectacles?

The fabrication of a 'hinge', by whatever definition, how much flexibility is necessary and, is it a 90° or 180°?

Why would you want to have a flexible point or points, can you say?

Obviously it would be very much easier if the wire was larger.

Take care

Hi Guest,

Do you think this spring below would work for your application, with copper wire soldered on each end?

It is fully flexible and looks as if it would be one option. See below:

This is the sites address: http://www.nbtopp.com/product07.htm

Cable Tension Spring Keep cable taut during door operation Fits most standard bottom fixtures

Take care.

Regards.

Copper Braid is the solution.

Contact any Electronic Vendor like RS Components & you can get any size [dia] in free length.

Cut to suite the length, push on both ends of conductors & solder or clamp.

Have a nice day !!!!!

Alternatively you can use shield wire of a discarded coaxial cable or wash thoroughly de-solder wick (braid) and try again. De solder braid got flux that is highly corrosive.

Regards

For more images of braided copper products See:

CopperBraid+++

And Insulated braids

The fact that you thought to try desoldering braid, shows that you understand the principles involved in making flex connections. However desoldering braid properties are not optimized for fatigue resistance. Contact a wire supplier and obtain some 14AWG flex wire. The optimum solution to your problem will depend on whether the flex is always in one direction, or in arbitrary directions.

USE A BRASS SPRING (12 GA WIRE) INSIDE A SILICONE SURGICAL TUBE FOR STRAIN RELIEF. THE TUBE WILL GIVE FLEX AND PROTECTION TO THE JOINT WITH SOME STRAIN RELIEF

Hi Guest , I'm guessing , sounds like little posable figures. I think baby bear hit it with the spectacle hinges. Dollar glasses, wire-frame reading, at dollar tree store. Don't know what the metal is

What about that stuff they use to hang up net curtains:-

Good Answer.
Or add a short section of stranded wire which has been wound into a few turns like a coil spring.
Del

Why not try a small section of stranded copper. You could use compression connectors to connect it to the solid copper and it will bend easily. It might take up more space than you want, but it will work.

HELLO The Guest.

Will you please define what you mean in yor post:

Simply a mechanically-flexible & conduction between two ends of copper wire are not needed

OR

A conducting joint which should be flexible.

Discussion has abnormally gone too far without getting any results.

Your responce should have come much earlier as its your demand and you are obliged to clear it.

See post #5

Thanks

I think that the subject may be considered as closed.

Regards to all !!!!!

How about using a barrel hinge. You could drill a hole in the end insert the wire and epoxy the connection. It will flex far as long as you want it too. Some of them even have a washer that holds the hinge in different positions.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2003267/783/Miniature-Barrel-Hinges.aspx

Hello scotschdrnkr,

The site you list may not perhaps be of use to the OP, but it is a great site to find that something special you know someone should make but you can't find?

http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2003267/783/Miniature-Barrel-Hinges.aspx

Take care.

What is the power being conducted with the 14 AWG wire? Volts and amps. How long can the flexible portion be? Why not just use #14 stranded wire for the flexible portion or the entire length?

See post #5

Pleas note: There is no power through these wires.

It is an art and crafts construction only.