Thread: The Damage Arcing can do to a Plug and Socket

Originally Posted by RayG

and also most electricians have their marvel pliers within easy reach Ray

Channellock are the pliers of choice for the discerning electrician.http://www.bunnings.com.au/channello...liers_p6015774A pair of pliers and a flat blade screwdriver will tackle most electrical jobs. Sometimes you need specialist equipment like one of them philips head screwdrivers but if you don't have one the pliers will get you out of trouble.

Originally Posted by Hunch

I think you must be rather naive in the trades! If anyone here or elsewhere claims never having used less than the approved tool, you've either found a saint, or a liar....and I'm inclined to the latter.

Hunch, it depends very much what sort of equipment one works with. And certainly also a lot what sort of company one has learned his trade.

For example, would you like your family to fly with an airline whose maintenance electricians would use "less than the approved tool" - for anything other than the onboard entertainment system I mean? See?

The problem in this country is that a majority of electricians have started out on wiring buildings, or maybe assembling whitegoods. There is precious very little electrical high tech insdustry capable or willing of training apprentices. No manufacturer of power stations for example. So where shall the skilled industrial maintenance electricians come from?

PS: I am not a saint nor a liar. I do use wire strippers at home, and if I do I will be taking great care not to score copper. What I object to are those guys that think they can turn up with rusty pliers and a pocket knife and a screwdriver they found in corn flakes box, to install an industrial grade power plug onto a piece of machinery that costs more than the home that most work for a lifetime to own.

Philips head screw drivers, looxury!

Originally Posted by [COLOR=#3E3E3E

cba_melbourne[/COLOR]]Hunch, it depends very much what sort of equipment one works with. And certainly also a lot what sort of company one has learned his trade.

For example, would you like your family to fly with an airline whose maintenance electricians would use "less than the approved tool" - for anything other than the onboard entertainment system I mean? See?

The problem in this country is that a majority of electricians have started out on wiring buildings, or maybe assembling whitegoods. There is precious very little electrical high tech insdustry capable or willing of training apprentices. No manufacturer of power stations for example. So where shall the skilled industrial maintenance electricians come from?

PS: I am not a saint nor a liar. I do use wire strippers at home, and if I do I will be taking great care not to score copper. What I object to are those guys that think they can turn up with rusty pliers and a pocket knife and a screwdriver they found in corn flakes box, to install an industrial grade power plug onto a piece of machinery that costs more than the home that most work for a lifetime to own.

I still think you're making it way too dramatic for something relatively simple. The Mary Magdalene point I was trying to make was more directed at qualified trades, sometimes, expediency or necessity trumps other things.

I'd be more concerned with your airline example of heavy maintenance off-shored pursuing the bottom line quid. Thankfully, aircraft design and redundancy seems to keep ahead of that.

Bloke mentioned, did his time at BHP, which I expect was one of the better programs back then, certainly for industrial electricians. Funnily enough, did go to the trouble of getting obsolete pre-DIN rail Weidmuller terminal blocks and ferrules, to match existing stuff in one machine, he laughed at that effort, used the blocks, but declined the ferrules, even with the crimp tool at hand.

Originally Posted by cba_melbourne

I hope your mate does not use side cutters to strip the wire insulation..... I have seen many electricians do this, especially those that save on using ferrules.

I've been using side cutters to strip cables for 30 years. I don't see the problem myself.

Originally Posted by cba_melbourne

Hunch, it depends very much what sort of equipment one works with. And certainly also a lot what sort of company one has learned his trade.

For example, would you like your family to fly with an airline whose maintenance electricians would use "less than the approved tool" - for anything other than the onboard entertainment system I mean? See?

The problem in this country is that a majority of electricians have started out on wiring buildings, or maybe assembling whitegoods. There is precious very little electrical high tech insdustry capable or willing of training apprentices. No manufacturer of power stations for example. So where shall the skilled industrial maintenance electricians come from?

PS: I am not a saint nor a liar. I do use wire strippers at home, and if I do I will be taking great care not to score copper. What I object to are those guys that think they can turn up with rusty pliers and a pocket knife and a screwdriver they found in corn flakes box, to install an industrial grade power plug onto a piece of machinery that costs more than the home that most work for a lifetime to own.

Next you'll be telling me I'm should have used ferrules on the flex cable when I make a 10 amp 3 pin extension lead.

I guess I learnt my trade from someone who "started out on wiring buildings, or maybe assembling whitegoods"

I should have spent more time searching the web than practicing my trade.

John

> I've been using side cutters to strip cables for 30 years. I don't see the problem myself.

It is, and always was bad practice. But as long as your customers are happy with you using side cutters, you can get away with it for another 30 years. I doubt they will let you work on quality stuff though.

By the way, have you ever tried to strip a Teflon insulated wire with side cutters? I never succeeded. Have fun trying

I must say I make up a load of 10A ext leads at work. We use titanex and Aristoflex cable which is beautiful stuff for leads. I always use ferrules on the socket end. Thats just what we do. I use a combination of pliers, side cutters, and cable strippers depending on what particular job I am doing and how many cables I need to strip. Of course with the big cables say 10mm2 and over I use a knife. Just my 2c