[David Dunlop]

This morning was spent getting the soldering iron cord prepped for installation of a set of Mueller clips, once I find a pair of the correct ones.

First step was to remove the AC Plug, which turned out to be a 4-piece item made by Belden. The central portion of the plug, between the blades, turned out to be a plug and a small slot head screwdriver could be slid down to meet the bottom edge of the plug and pop it free. I then just clipped the two leads at their solder points on the blades and pulled the cord out of the plug, By gripping each blade with pliers and twisting it, they unlocked from the plug shell and could be pulled free.

Next was to measure up 5.5 inches from the end of the cord and mark that point with a wrap of ¾-inch masking tape. I figured 5 inches was a good length to avoid strain on the cord and the 2-3/4 inches of Mueller clip for the No. 24A 25-Amp clips needed gives an excellent reach. The extra half-inch covers the distance from the crimp at the bottom of the Mueller Clip that captures the lead insulation and the screw terminal the lead is secured to and soldered. Interestingly, these Mueller Clips used on the Soldering Iron are identical to the ones used on the 19-Set Dummy Load Grounding strap.

The leading edge of the masking tape was where the loom of the cord would be cut back. The back side of the masking tape marks the start point for the black lacing cord that will be wound forward from that point to cover the main loom and first quarter inch of the two leads to secure them and prevent further fraying of the loom.

When the loom was finally bound, a coat of varnish was brushed on to hold it all in place. Should be ready in about three hours and then I just have to find the Mueller Clips.

There is an important addendum to working with this power cord. You may be familiar with cutting back the sheath on electrical cords to find two or more cords of twisted brown paper entwined with the electrical leads inside the sheath. This fills out the innards of the cable and presents a smooth exterior finish to the loom. It is also very flexible. On older high hear electrical appliances such as this soldering iron, toasters and laundry irons, they could not use these paper fillers. If the cord came in touch with the hot appliance, it was a serious fire hazard. This cord had three windings of asbestos in it, one formed the central core and the other two wrapped around this central core with the two electrical leads. I found that by cutting around the circumference of the black cotton loom at the masking tape and then using the edge of an Exacto Knife Blade under the loom and cutting away from it, I was able to easily slice straight down to the end of the cord, at which point the black cotton loom literally fell away. I did this with disposable rubber gloves on and a respirator and full eye goggles. With the loom off, I sprayed down the asbestos cords with a water bottle and they unwrapped easily and were cut free. Wiped everything down with a damp cloth after and everything went into a plastic bag. I can drop it off tomorrow at a hazardous waste depot at Manitoba Hydro tomorrow.

David