Where can I get spade terminals and other wiring tools and supplies

[trainman]

Trying to find the type of spade lugs that are used in telephone repair. Also looking for the crimping tool, if you need something special, I don't know what type to use for these lugs. Are the WE style of cable restrains, such as used on the handset and line cord of 500 type phones available?

Thanks.

Tony

[Wallphone]

Tony, This would be a good place to start.
> http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=4071.0 <
Doug Pav

[Phonesrfun]

The most expedient way is to go to Oldphoneworks.  They have the crimper and the two sizes of spades.  Their prices are a little on the higher side, but they have it and you don't need to wonder about what you are getting elsewhere.

Do read the threads that have been posted which Doug has provided.   Not only do they provide other sources, but they also talk about the ways to do a good crimp, which is a learned technique.  It certainly does not come naturally.

[trainman]

OPW is currently out of stock on the crimping tool as of 4/17/11. I placed an order without  purchasing the tool, so I'll have to email or call and see if any are expected back in stock.

I did find the cable restraints I was looking for at OPW. Must have missed them lst time I ordered cords.

[TelePlay]

I found a source for a 602B telephone spade lug crimper at a US web site for $10.60 plus shipping. An on-line store called Phoenix Enterprises.

This seems to be the old RS crimper with a few other crimp dies in the handle next to the wire cutter. They even provided a spec diagram which is attached and shows the dies that work best for telephone spade lugs.

Their web site is at this link: http://www.phoenixent.com/tools.html?gclid=CPiRpaSAvqcCFR9x5QodbQo2_A

They list the specs for the dies on the crimper on the attached schematic of the crimper.

Radio Shack still sell the telephone spade lugs, not cheap, but not the crimper.

[TelePlay]

The Phoenix Enterprises telephone spade lug crimper part number is HWS15874, and they call it a MULTI-PURPOSE CRIMPER, still listed at $10.60 each.

It's about a quarter of the way down the page at the link in my prior post.

602B is the part number of the same crimper given to it by the original manufacturer in Tiawan.

[Greg G.]

The Phoenix Enterprises telephone spade lug crimper part number is HWS15874, and they call it a MULTI-PURPOSE CRIMPER, still listed at $10.60 each.

It's about a quarter of the way down the page at the link in my prior post.

602B is the part number of the same crimper given to it by the original manufacturer in Tiawan.

There's an alternate ordering page if you do NOT want to give Google your CC # (which I don't).  http://tinyurl.com/3wxlx3f

I just ordered one, but be aware that this $10.60 item turns into $27.62 after shipping and handling is added.  (Kinda like buying a phone on ebay!)

[TelePlay]

Wow! Didn't check S&H but that would classify as a rip off, worse than a phone on eBay. They want $6 for handling and then $11 more for shipping. That handling charge is the killer, for a half pound item. Sounds similar to one of those great $9.95 plus S&H deals on TV that turns into a $79 order.

Now, if you want to buy them directly from the manufacturer in Tiawan, they are about $5.50 but you have to buy a hundred and then deal with that S&H, customs and import fees. I have that contact information but doubt you want it.

It's been a while since I bought mine at Radio Shack but I'd bet if they were still available from Radio Shack, they would be going for about $30.

Anyway, did a lot of background work looking for that crimper and Phoenix was the first place I found in the US where you could buy just one. There may be others. I stopped after finding that source.

After you get it, put up a post to let us know it is the spade lug crimper once sold by Radio Shack.

[Greg G.]

Wow! Didn't check S&H but that would classify as a rip off, worse than a phone on eBay. They want $6 for handling and then $11 more for shipping. That handling charge is the killer, for a half pound item. Sounds similar to one of those great $9.95 plus S&H deals on TV that turns into a $79 order.

Now, if you want to buy them directly from the manufacturer in Tiawan, they are about $5.50 but you have to buy a hundred and then deal with that S&H, customs and import fees. I have that contact information but doubt you want it.

It's been a while since I bought mine at Radio Shack but I'd bet if they were still available from Radio Shack, they would be going for about $30.

Anyway, did a lot of background work looking for that crimper and Phoenix was the first place I found in the US where you could buy just one. There may be others. I stopped after finding that source.

After you get it, put up a post to let us know it is the spade lug crimper once sold by Radio Shack.

I don't know what Radio Shack's tool looked like.  Yeah, at first I thought I accidentally ordered two of them.  The shipping and handling charges were a bit much, but it still saved me a lot of looking and running around trying to find the correct tool locally, which I've already tried w/o success.  

[TelePlay]

Here's a picture of the Radio Shack crimper I bought more than 10 years ago. Seems identical to the Phoenix crimper except for the added crimping dies below the wire cutter in the handle. My crimper even has Tiawan stamped on the metal die area.

Radio Shack is selling a similar crimper for it's for D-sub connectors and doesn't work well on spade lugs according to posts on this site. Black metal with red handles but wrong crimping dies. Someone bought one and tried to modify one of the dies but was not happy with the outcome.

Here's the link to that original discussion which I found useful for someone in the thread showed the correct way to use the crimper.

     http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=4071.0

You might find it interesting. I was putting the spade lugs in the crimper die upside down and getting lousy crimps. Flipped the lug over in the crimper as shown in the tutorial and they came out perfect. The RS crimper didn't come with instructions.  :-O

And, yes, running around these days is more expensive and time consuming than searching the web for what one may think will be a locally easy to find item.

[trainman]

I got the crimper fromPhoenix.  It works on the standard size lugs. How about the larger cloth piercing lugs OPW sells? No die on that tool to give a satisfctory crimp for thelarger lugs.

[rp2813]

I just bit the shipping bullet and got a Phoenix crimper as well.  Maybe I'm doing something wrong because I'm using Radio Shack spades but am not getting good crimps at all.  I'm pretty sure I'm putting the spade into the crimper correctly, but the spades don't seem to lend themselves to a round crimp.

[TelePlay]

I was putting the spades in the crimper with the opening up, toware the open end of the die. Once I was told the spade lug should be put into the 22-26 die with the open spike ends of the lug facing downward, toward the bottom of the die. I got great crimps.

When putting the lug in the die in the downward position, you have to push the lug into the die and the the lug sticks in the die by itself freeing up a hand to insert the wire into the lug while closing the crimper. The opposite die pushes the lug downward and as it does, the spikes on the lug are forced into the bottom of the die to form a perfect round crip around the wire.

Follow this link to see a picture of how the lug goes into the crimper.

     http://tinyurl.com/44sqt56

[allineedislove]

My Friends, I got one of the RS crimpers, and have some spade pugs, but I can't find the way to do the correct crimping. Could some one show me how to do the correct crimping?.
Regards

[Phonesrfun]

My Friends, I got one of the RS crimpers, and have some spade pugs, but I can't find the way to do the correct crimping. Could some one show me how to do the correct crimping?.
Regards

As Teleplay said, the open end of the spade shaft goes toward the closed end of the die, so that as pressure is applied, the open ends are forced to wrap around the insulation of the wire.  Do not strip the wire.

Somewhere, about 6 months ago on this forum we had some photos and examples.