At 05:42 AM 6/3/2012, Lee Jones wrote: >How about the following procedure: select a heat shrink tubing that >is just slightly larger diameter than coax cable, cut a 6"-8" long >piece, stick 1/2" to 1" (1-3 cm for you Canadians :-) ) of coax cable >into the end of the heat shink tubing, shrink entire length of heat >shrink tubing down so it grabs coax cable & makes a several inch long >smaller diameter guide, slide lubed boot over guide portion, then pull >small diameter guide portion of heat shrink tubing with pliers to force >feed boot onto & over coax cable. Since you're pulling the coax cable, >its super-flex nature shouldn't be a problem. At 06:14 AM 6/3/2012, smplx wrote: >I was thinking something similar. Instead of using heat shrink tubing to >reinforce the coax cable, use a thin walled metal tube that fits over the >coax cable. Initially put a snug fitting metal rod inside the metal tube. >Load the boot onto the tube. replace rod with coax cable. Slide boot from >tube to cable. Thanks to both Lee and Sergio. Both of your suggestions made me think of something that works easily=20 and quickly. I took 3.5" thin-wall brass tubing that just fits over the coax and=20 another 3.5" piece that just fits (easily) inside the rubber boot. I=20 cleaned one end of the larger piece both inside and out as well as=20 the outside of one end of the thinner piece. I stuck the smaller=20 piece into my lathe and used a smooth taper to expand the end so that=20 it just fits inside the larger tube. I fluxed it well with Kester=20 AZ2331 water-soluble flux and filled the outside of the taper with=20 solder. Added more flux, then slide the small tube inside the=20 larger. Also added some flux to the inside of the larger tube where=20 the small tube exited. I then chucked the larger piece into the lathe and used a piece of=20 drill-rod in the tailstock that just fit inside the small tube. This=20 kept everything concentric. Fired up the lathe and used a smoothing tool to taper the larger tube=20 down to the diameter of the small tube. Added more flux at the seam,=20 then heated both tubes, also at the seam. Waited for the solder on=20 the small tube to melt (inside the larger tube), then pulled the=20 small tube as far out from the larger tube as possible - so that the=20 outside taper on the small tube was up against the inside taper on=20 the larger tube. Then added solder to outside of the seam. The end result is a tube that fits over the coax, with a smooth taper=20 down to a smaller tube that the boot fits over nicely. Lubed both=20 the boot and the tubing, then slide the boot onto the small=20 tube. Pushed the boot all the way onto the large diameter tubing,=20 using my vise with the jaws set so as to allow the small tube to=20 slide freely between. Then slipped the large tube over the coax and=20 used the vise jaws to push the boot off of the large tube onto the=20 coax. I had to pull on the small tube while pushing on the coax help=20 the boot to move off the large tube onto the coax - the coax just=20 wanted to fold and curl. But it was quick and painless. The brass tubing is the standard stuff that you get at hobby shops -=20 packaged by K&S. These are available in 1/32" increments and they=20 just fit inside each other. That makes the wall thickness somewhat=20 less than 1/64". I keep on hand several feet of each size from 1/16"=20 all the way to 1/2" - its simply amazing how useful this stuff=20 is. It forms beautifully on the lathe (tapers, etc) and solders easily. I'm not sure how long it might have taken me to think of this=20 solution - or even if I would have thought of this without your=20 suggestions. And it was easy - it took longer to write up this email=20 than it took to actually make the thing. Many thanks! dwayne --=20 Dwayne Reid Trinity Electronics Systems Ltd Edmonton, AB, CANADA (780) 489-3199 voice (780) 487-6397 fax www.trinity-electronics.com Custom Electronics Design and Manufacturing --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .