DIY cable making

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For some unusual reason I found that the water soluble flux for your every day house plumbing works well with most cables, I couldn't guess why but I've never read the ingredients either.

Maybe because that stuff resists burning a bit more so it doesn't vaporize immediately, it's a good idea to just put the flux in the hole and start burning and adding solder rather quickly, if you are using a wood mold the heat doesn't have much elsewhere to go and so goes almost straight to making molten solder.
 
I watched quite a few videos on utube, their results varied in clean finished product. The ones where a 2 x 4 was used I don't know about that, but I guess in a pinch do what needs done.
I just want my cable shorter and cleaner looking. Every cable has been to long for every bike I have built. I don't like bikes with ape hangers or cruiser bars. I'm a mountain bike straight bars person.
It's nice to have a good few inches on hand already in the entire cable. When you snap a cable (which you always eventually will, especially when you don't have a spare for no good reason) you can always end up making some kind of repair to get it back.
 
I have plenty of excess cable. From the twist throttle to about the distance of the front axle and back to the headset tube. Like to cut than length in half.
That will still give me plenty for steering movement and a repair or three.
I have not broken a throttle or clutch cable "yet". But have broke the plastic twist throttle where it accepts the cable barrel.
 
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Man this forum never ceases to amaze me! Great work, I just snapped a clutch cable while riding the other day and thought to myself “man I wonder if I could just buy some cable and make some spares” instead I bought a new one, but this looks great. Also someone mentioned greasing the cable? Should this be done with all brake cables like this whether it’s for brakes, throttle, or clutch?
 
Man this forum never ceases to amaze me! Great work, I just snapped a clutch cable while riding the other day and thought to myself “man I wonder if I could just buy some cable and make some spares” instead I bought a new one, but this looks great. Also someone mentioned greasing the cable? Should this be done with all brake cables like this whether it’s for brakes, throttle, or clutch?

Don’t use grease it will eventually gum the gable up

Just a drop of machine oil, or you can buy proper cable lubricants and a cable Oiler (more designed for motorbike cables)
 
Fishing reel oil comes to mind too, it doesn't gum up or smell strange, and works on shredders too (which get really bad if they gum up, so I have a bottle for mine) learned that from my mom lol, just as good as 3 in 1 if not a bit better because it's good even in saltwater environments and you can buy it in Lucas brand, which anyone who knows lubes knows Lucas has their lubricated s**t together.

Edit: I forgot to mention I do grease my cables too, lightly, so far enjoying results from Lucas red and tacky, which makes the pull and return a little more slower but keeps the damn water from freezing my cables tight which oil doesn't seem to be able to do.
 
I don't grease cables, if they don't slide free on their own I don't use them.
I do love 3in1 oil though, ;-}
 
And as for soldering flux, I'm a cheapskate, I bought a pound of powdered pine gum rosin for under $20, and I mix that with 98% rubbing alcohol to dissolve it.
I won't have to buy flux for a long, long, time.
For my soldering (small electrical) I just buy solder with a flux core.
 
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