Welding Cable Repair

[Miss the Pontiacs]

My buddy is going out of town and since he does a lot of favours for me, I thought I would do him a solid. My buddy is a pipeline welder. On this truck he of course has the heavy welding cables. In places the insulation is cracked or even small chunks missing.

What I would like to do while he is on vacation is repair if possible. I was thinking of wrapping with what I call using DR tape. The box says B Sealing Tape. It is 1/8th” thick and 1.5” wide. I thought I had some 1/2” or 3/4” wide but if I do I can’t find it. I’m thinking after lapping the tape it would have insulating values and hopefully waterproofed. I was then thinking of using vinyl tape and then finishing off with a shrink tube outer skin.

Is there a specific shrink tubing available or simply the normal run of the mill tubing readily available?
Would the vinyl tape actually be of any value or simply go with the DR tape and the shrink tube.

Another thing I noticed is the fine copper making up main copper cable is a little blackened even to a degree inside the core of the cable. Does this have any mesureable affect on the potential or quality of the welding being done? Or does it require more power from the welder in general? This last point just had me wondering.

Replacement of these cables I am told is like $300 per spool is what I believe he said or maybe it was $300 for 2 spools. Which is still nuts.

 

[Danglerb]

Its central to your buddies livelihood, if he wanted it fixed, it would be fixed.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

He was talking about it when I drove him to the airport. Thought I would do him a favour. If he wants to buy new he can use these for spares. He had some ripped off his truck one night while working out of town. I feel it can’t hurt. Just wanted to know the best procedure to repair. So central or not is probably not the issue.

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,...... I wrap mine in good ole Quality electrical tape,......

No reason to add excess weight to cables ya gotta drag all over a jobsite everyday,.....
'n a fat bump where the repair is, catches, 'n hangs on "Stuff", when yer tryin' to pull, or flip a cable around a jobsite,.....

'n No, black don't hurt the cable,... Green is a sign of corrosion,....

 

[hammerhead611]

Any pipeline welder I've worked around just wrap the cracks in the cables with electrical tape. No need to go overboard when the cables are just going to get drug around over rocks, gravel, through mud and muck

 

[wrenchguy]

Ayuh,...... I wrap mine in good ole Quality electrical tape,......

No reason to add excess weight to cables ya gotta drag all over a jobsite everyday,.....
'n a fat bump where the repair is, catches, 'n hangs on "Stuff", when yer tryin' to pull, or flip a cable around a jobsite,.....

'n No, black don't hurt the cable,... Green is a sign of corrosion,....

this, cables and cords = murphys law = knots, tangles and hang-ups. But for me ( not a liner) i repair mine with pieces of glued shrink tube, fast and easy.
Plus i got a bunch that fits for free. i think its cheap on eprey.

 

[scubadoober]

Quality electrical tape. It does need to be fixed whether he realizes that or not. Cracks and gaps in the sleeve cause fraying and oxidation of the copper strands. This leads to resistance and ultimately heat which will break down the sleeve further. There is also a safety concern if he has his cable in standing water. Welding cables have a life span, and sometimes there is no saving them.

 

[jeepinerdeep]

My pap welded off a rig for 40 years, he just used electrical tape.

 

[Zewnten]

Vulcanized rubber tape and marine grade heat shrt are my go to. Clean the spot with electrical cleaner then apply. Used to do this for buried DC wires and come back a couple years later and you can't get the vulcanized rubber apart, have to cut it off.

 

[ez-duzit]

...I was thinking of wrapping with...B Sealing Tape...1/8th” thick and 1.5” wide...then thinking of using vinyl tape and then finishing off with a shrink tube outer skin...

You'll just wind up making the cables thick, stiff and unmanageable.

 

[Bretny]

If the insulation is stiff and cracking with the inner copper turning black its prob time you just retire them to being a spare aet of cables. $300 isnt bad considering they should last 20+ years.

 

[FigureItOut]

You'll just wind up making the cables thick, stiff and unmanageable.

That's exactly what I was thinking, too many layers and each doesn't really add any particular attribute missing from the other layers.

OP, just get you some Raychem DR-25 heat shrink. It's flexible, abrasion resistant, fluid resistant to all kinds of chemicals, and will certainly insulate and waterproof the cable.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

FIO Thanks for the brand name and only one wrap got it.
Thanks to the rest of you guys for the opinions and info.

 

[RustyJunk]

Heat shrink is good if you're pulling the connecting lugs off so you can slide it on but this drain tile tape is the best material I've ever seen for patching cables, it puts regular electrical tape to shame and its waterproof.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DI-2-in-x-50-ft-Corrugated-Tile-Tape-BT02R050B/207006357

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

Heat shrink is good if you're pulling the connecting lugs off so you can slide it on but this drain tile tape is the best material I've ever seen for patching cables, it puts regular electrical tape to shame and its waterproof.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DI-2-in-x-50-ft-Corrugated-Tile-Tape-BT02R050B/207006357

Rusty
Will take a look tomorrow Thanks.

 

[ez-duzit]

...this drain tile tape is the best material I've ever seen for patching cables, it puts regular electrical tape to shame and its waterproof.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/DI-2-in-x-50-ft-Corrugated-Tile-Tape-BT02R050B/207006357

Yeah, but what are its electrical insulation properties?

 

[readhead]

When I was still running four welding trucks doing structural steel we kept shrink tube on all the trucks and the shop foreman had some also. OSHA only allows shrink tube to repair leads. We were on a job and OSHA dropped in for a general inspection. We were rolling up for the day when the inspector looked at the leads which had electrical tape on several nicks and gave us a pass but said to go to the shop and fix all the nicks with shrink tape. He said we might not be this lucky next time.

 

[06 DIESEL]

Per OSHA

https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2005-04-05-1

April 5, 2005

Mr. Thomas J. Davies
Corporate Safety Manager
The Herrick Corporation
P.O. Box 9125
Pleasanton, CA 94566

Dear Mr. Davies:

Thank you for your December 11, 2003 letter to the U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Your letter was referred to OSHA's Directorate of Enforcement Programs (DEP) for review and response. This letter constitutes OSHA's interpretation only of the requirements herein, and may not be applicable to any question(s) and/or scenario not delineated within your original correspondence. You had specific questions regarding the use of welding leads in General Industry. We apologize for the delay in responding to your request.

Scenario: You have been informed by OSHA officials that the General Industry standard does not allow for repair to welding leads. Even if the repair is further than 10 feet down the lead from the holder and the repair is equivalent insulation, it still cannot be used because the standard does not allow for repair. The language in the standard states "replace" and, therefore, the lead cannot be repaired.

Question: Can welding leads be repaired in General Industry, or do they have to be replaced whenever damage occurs?

Reply: OSHA's General Industry standard requires that the welding leads be replaced. 29 CFR 1910.254(d)(9)(iii) is a result of the reorganization and renumbering of Subpart Q, Welding, Cutting, and Brazing, Final Rule, April 11, 1990. (The standard was previously numbered §1910.252(b)(4)(ix)(C).) The standard, which was adopted from ANSI Z49.1-1967, Safety in Welding and Cutting, clearly states that cables with damaged insulation or exposed bare conductors shall be replaced. Although repair of cables is mentioned in the more recent ANSI standard Z49.1-1999, OSHA has not adopted this standard.

Additionally, you stated that you had been informed by OSHA officials that repairing welding leads is "ok" in the Construction Industry, specifically, under §1926.351(b)(4). This standard allows for the repair of cables beyond 10 feet from the cable end and, "...protected by means of rubber and friction tape or other equivalent insulation." This provision does not apply to the cable lead referred to in §1926.351(b)(2) which may only be replaced and not repaired.

Thank you for your interest in occupational safety and health. We hope you find this information helpful. OSHA requirements are set by statute, standards, and regulations. Our interpretation letters explain these requirements and how they apply to particular circumstances, but they cannot create additional employer obligations. This letter constitutes OSHA's interpretation of the requirements discussed. Note that our enforcement guidance may be affected by changes to OSHA rules. Also, from time to time we update our guidance in response to new information. To keep apprised of such developments, you can consult OSHA's website at www.osha.gov. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the Office of General Industry Enforcement at (202) 693-1850.


Sincerely,



Richard E. Fairfax, Director
Directorate of Enforcement Programs

I personally allow rubber tape repairs, but not vinyl electric tape repairs. Preferred method is heat shrink rubber.

 

[readhead]

I had that discussion with my local OSHA guy and he allowed shrink tube only after we talked about the practicality of condemning leads for minor damage. When I showed him that we were prepared to repair nicks on site he agreed on the fix.

 

[toplessHO]

Yeah, but what are its electrical insulation properties?

output of arc welder is not consider high voltage
I agree on the shrink tube as better than electrical tape