Wireless Set No. 52 Canadian - Project

[David Dunlop]

I was able to move forward on both the Reno and this sub-project today.

The sub-project was broken down into three steps, the first step was the one completed today, and for a variety of reasons it was the most important as it put a number of assembly theories for this LEADS to the test. All have passed so far.

The first thing was to measure off 1-1/2 inches back from one end of my piece of 7mm rubber sheathed, braided copper core HT Cable, and tape that point off. This is the start of the process to get that measured length of the central copper core exposed to pass through the tip assembly of the LEADS.

Once measured off, I used a thin. Blade cutter to slice through the outer rubber sheath of the cable at the edge of the tape. I then made a longitudinal cut from the circumference cut at the tape to the end of the cable and peeled off the rubber sheath to expose the inner insulation.

I was lucky the inner insulation was a soft clear plastic product that when cut into carefully, the insulation could be carefully bent at the cut and it would slowly split by itself to the inner copper core. I removed the insulation in two sections as shown to make it easier to slide the insulation off the copper core. As I removed the second section of insulation, I slowly twisted the insulation in the direction of the stranding on the copper core to tighten up the core wires as much as possible. I wanted to do this so it would all easily clear the pin assembly as it passed through it.

The next step was to insert this end of the cable all the way into the pin terminal I had fabricated.

David

[David Dunlop]

Once the cable was in the pin terminal assembly, I pulled it all snug with my fingers and then bend the copper core 90 degrees over the tip of the pin to secure the cable at the inner end of the pin terminal assembly. The pin is a nicely rolled tube and I made certain the core was bend 180 degrees away from this rolled seam. I wanted to take advantage of that seam for solder to wick down the full length of the pin to ensure a solid bond between the copper core wire and the inner wall of the pin. You can see that slot facing the camera in the first photo.

I then placed a small ring of solder round the base of the pin at the front end of the sleeve with the cable held vertically in a small bench vice. My plan was to use a propane torch for the soldering rather than an iron, to avoid any lateral load on the pin from holding an iron to it to heat the pin. I did not want the pin ending up on an angle. I also had to ensure the base of the pin was firmly soldered to the metal sleeve assembly for maximum pin stability. This would also make the pin terminal ‘hot’ electrically, just like the originals were.

When I heated the tip of the pin with the propane torch, I could watch the small solder ring at the base, as soon as it melted, I could remove the flame from the pin and add solder to the tip of the pin to secure the copper wire core inside it. I could also then go back and add more solder to the base joint, if necessary. It worked out pretty slick.

Once the pin had cooled, I snipped off the excess copper wire core from the tip of the pin and filed down any excess solder from the pin and base of the terminal assembly.

The final part of this work was sorting out the insulating sheath to be applied over the Pin Terminal Assembly, as per the original. Once the insulating sheath is applied to this end, by default, it becomes the Receiver end of this LEADS Assembly, as it will no longer fit through the eye screws along the top front of the three 52-Set Components in the Carriers No. 4. The manual makes note that the Operator must always insert this cable, exposed Pin Terminal first, from the Receiver side of the setup. The illustrations and photos in the 52-Set manuals are not that detailed for this information, but I had a similar Aerial Lead for my 19-Set I used for reference. I also had a section of the right, thick walled heat shrink tubing that just slipped over the Pin Terminal Sleeve. Once cut to a suitable length, slipped into place and given a shot from a heat gun, I was done.

This Sub Project will continue.

David

[David Dunlop]

As mentioned in Post #543, there are three main parts to this Sub-Project. The first part, now completed, was to fabricate the Receiver end of the LEADS, as it was the most complex.

The second part will be to add an Identification Sleeve to the LEADS.

From what I have seen from available photographs, this sleeve is between one and two inches in length (closer to the two end) and in most instances is yellow in colour with black lettering. A few photos suggest there might also be a version out there with a brown resin impregnated sleeve. The yellow one, I think, is early production as the illustrations in the manuals show it with “ No. C7” just legible. The 1948 Update to the Master Parts List shows this illustration but notes the wording on it is early production and should be ignored.

The challenge I have encountered with this ID Sleeve is getting the right size of sleeve in yellow. A 9/32-inch Inside Diameter just slides nicely over the 7mm HT cable for the LEADS. I have been able to source thin wall heat shrink tubing locally in that size, but only in black. I like the idea of the thin wall heat shrink since the actual location of this sleeve in photographs varies from right up against the Receiver Pin Terminal on the LEADS to nearly at the right side partition wall on the Carriers No. 4, between the Receiver and Supply Unit. It is possible it was a lose sleeve in the first place based on the photos, so I would not have to heat it in place. This offers a second bonus. Thin wall heat shrink tubing tends to be much more flexible in its unheated state than post heating, so it would have added flexibility for the large curve the LEADS makes from the Receiver AE Terminal around to the first hole it encounters in the Receiver/ Supply Unit partition on the Carriers No. 4.

So the game plan for the sleeve is to find an appropriate shade of yellow spray paint, cut an appropriate length of black 9/32-inch ID heat shrink tubing and paint it. Once cured, it will slide easily enough onto the open end of the 7mm cable I am working with and I can move it up to the Finished Receiver Pin Terminal end. I can then take my time looking for appropriate black lettering to add to the ID Sleeve,

Once the ID Sleeve is finished and on the cable, I can measure out the correct length of cable to finish this Sub-Project and add the Sender Pin Terminal Assembly to it. The 9/32-inch ID of the heat shrink is too narrow to fit over the 8mm OD Pin Terminal Sleeve, so the heat shrink tube has to be slide in place before the cable can be fully completed at both ends.

I will keep you posted.

David

[Chris Suslowicz]

Originally Posted by David Dunlop

As mentioned in Post #543, there are three main parts to this Sub-Project. The first part, now completed, was to fabricate the Receiver end of the LEADS, as it was the most complex.

The second part will be to add an Identification Sleeve to the LEADS.

From what I have seen from available photographs, this sleeve is between one and two inches in length (closer to the two end) and in most instances is yellow in colour with black lettering. A few photos suggest there might also be a version out there with a brown resin impregnated sleeve. The yellow one, I think, is early production as the illustrations in the manuals show it with “ No. C7” just legible. The 1948 Update to the Master Parts List shows this illustration but notes the wording on it is early production and should be ignored.

The challenge I have encountered with this ID Sleeve is getting the right size of sleeve in yellow. A 9/32-inch Inside Diameter just slides nicely over the 7mm HT cable for the LEADS. I have been able to source thin wall heat shrink tubing locally in that size, but only in black.

David

Um, not wishing to rain on your parade but heat-shrink tubing is a fairly recent invention and definitely post-WW2. (From the patents it looks like a mid-1950s development at the earliest.)

The WS19 (etc.) connectors I've seen have used printed & varnished cambric sleeving, metal tab-fastened ID labels, and printed rubber tubing (usually yellow or pink), plus pasted-on paper labels for fairly early stuff not expected to be exposed to the elements. Printed (shrink-on?) plastic sleeving is mainly seen on later Larkspur and Clansman cabling.

The expandable rubber sleeving is Hellerman/Tyton and there are various hand tools for applying it (as labels or number sleeves) to cables. I bought some of the yellow variety but am not sure it's small enough for the P11 cable used for aerial leads.

I'll see if I can get a photograph of the leads included with the "Dummy Aerial No.2 & No.3" set I have, which I think will use the same construction as the WS52 aerial lead. (The pin connectors on the ends are nickel-plated turned brass and uninsulated apart from a black rubber sleeve covering the cable joint to the connector.)

Best regards (and probably apologies for not posting this earlier),
Chris.

(The 'salmon pink' rubber sleeving tended to be used on internal equipment wiring and connecting cables for test equipment - the latter probably as a distinguishing mark to prevent it leaving the workshop with the repaired kit.)

[David Dunlop]

Good Evening, Chris, and thanks for your comments. No rain felt here at all actually. We do have showers forecast for the day and a high of 8 degrees, but with 80% of our snow gone yesterday, I am not complaining at all!

I think I looked into that Hellerman/Tyton product a year or so back, though I am not sure why. I believe it was to do with some C42 Set cables I was considering making at the time. I ended up solving that problem by selling the set. Won’t be happening THIS time round, however.

If I am correct in my recollections, there were some rather colourful nicknames floating about for the tool required to apply those H/T rubber sleeves and the tools were a tad pricy for the very limited use I would get from one.

For this particular 52-Set cable, my first priority was to find the right cable type and get the finished length correct. Next, get as close to the original look as I could, based on the current availability of required parts. If I still smoked, I would say I would like to get close AND have the cigar! If I can figure out the length of required sleeve and a colour of yellow reasonably close to the rubber originals, I will be a happy camper.

Lettering to go on the sleeve is another matter at the moment. I have yet to see close up details of any surviving such Leads and the images to date only show one small line “NO. C7” out of an as yet unknown number of lines.

You are spot on with the number of versions of identification for cables during the war. I can also add to that list you posted with the 19-Set cable included in the last photo I posted. It is simply stamped with silver paint on the black rubber sleeve on each end lug with the cable ZA Number. Nothing else at all. Very cryptic and without a VAOS Reference at hand, quite a challenge to identify.

Enjoy you evening, Chris, and thanks again!

David

[David Dunlop]

I took some measurements off the Illustration in the Parts Manual and a photo of the complete set in the Operators Manual and dusted off my Proportional Algebra from High School this morning.

From the Illustration, I got a length for the ID Sleeve tucked up against the Pin Terminal Sleeve of 1.20 inches.

From the Photo of the ID Sleeve a bit way up the Leads from the Pin Terminal, I get a measurement of 2.0 inches long for the ID Sleeve. The more I look at these two options, the more I think the differences reflect two, distinct types of ID Sleeves.

Chris.

Based on the typical tool used to apply the H/T style rubber sleeves on electrical wiring, is there a limit as to where on a piece of wire the tool can actually apply it? Most, if not all I have ever seen, have been at, or very close to the end of a wire, overlapping an end fitting, or butted directly against the end of same. So, if these rubber sleeve hand tools have a limited reach, I am thinking this might be the type of ID Sleeve that was on the Leads in the Illustration. In turn, the ID Sleeve in the Photo, is more likely a free moving type of sleeve of a differing type.

Be nice to find some original surviving Leads to study.

David

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

1-5/8". There is one in captivity...

[Chris Suslowicz]

Hi David,

Well, I've fished out the bag(s) of yellow sleeving - one continuous 5-metre length and a bag of "umpteen" (100) by 25mm sleeves, the set of 'bodkin' sleeving tools, a Larkspur aerial pigtail and the bottle of "Hellerine" lube.

The "MJ8" bodkin takes the pigtail (which I assume is P11 cable) and I can slide a 25mm sleeve over it well enough - 50mm might be harder work to get it off the bodkin - probably needs a polish as there's a bit of surface spotting, and more Hellerine might help. I'm not sure the prongs on the pliers are long enough for much more than 25mm, and they're not immediately to hand anyway. (Also, the tool itself may not be strong enough to expand a 2-inch length of the sleeve unless it was softened by heating first.)

Printing on the sleeve is going to need some suitable ink (craft shop or a company that prints on rubber) and probably metal type - though I've seen one-off cables with handwritten labels and a protective layer of varnish (probably applied later).

Wording will probably be "CONN. SINGLE No. C7" or similar followed by the stores code. I've got "Leads, Aerial No.9" somewhere, spelled in full!

I'll see what I can dig up, it might be an interesting project.

Best regards,
Chris.

[David Dunlop]

Hello Bruce.

Now that is nicely in the middle isn’t it. Good to know one has survived. If you get a chance, can you post some photos? It will give me something to think about during the next phase in the Reno.

Chris.

If you are pulling night shifts again, don’t stay up too late with this stuff.

David

[Chris Suslowicz]

Bah! Didn't find the aerial lead; I must have moved it to a different box in the 3-D Chinese sliding tile puzzle. Though I did find a box of surprisingly chunky cables, which it turns out are battery cables for the Switchboard, Charging, No.5 (presumably useless because they live in the Stowage unless you need to remove the set from the vehicle for use as a ground station with charging set).

Oh well... might get an early night for a change.

Chris.