Shortening Kz550 clutch cable

Son of a bitch. It will let me post the photos, but won't let me edit the posts without reducing the photo link count. ARRRRGHH!

I will have to start over. This thread can be deleted in it's entirety. :pinch:

For anyone curious...
The destructive tests took about 800 lbs to slip the cable out of the barrel end. The clutch takes about 50 lbs of tension to actuate. So there is about a factor of 10 safety margin on the tension. Still, the original cable end could take a lot more. So stronger solder, or better method may be in order. It may be a simple as twisting the cable end at sharper angles in the "knot". The failure seems to be that the solder simply gives out, as the wire still has solder on it, and the barrel still has solder on it.

I posted it to my server instead of trying to re-post this entire thread.

This thread can be deleted.

Here's a link to the completed page for anyone interested in shortening a clutch cable.
gpzweb.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.co...tchCableShorten.html

Even without a detailed commentary, the topic pics alone are rather interesting. It would be a shame to delete it.

I had to add a few photos. They're all on my site, with comments and part numbers.

(Same link as above)
gpzweb.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.co...tchCableShorten.html

How about brazing it with brass rod and ox/acety? use a piece of brass to make the barrel 1st.
Then braze it all together? I have done that in the past just to make a ball on the end of cable strands

I usually braze the loose ends of bicycle cables to stop them from unraveling. So I tried brazing a clutch cable years ago. The cable gets too hot during brazing and becomes really weak and a little brittle. It would probably also rust faster since the plating may come off. The excess heat often leaves the cable dark colored. But the main problem was the weakness. The cable would snap off after a few pulls.

Brazing works fine to keep the cable from unraveling since there is no strength requirement. It's more convenient since brazing seems to work without cleaning, probably because of the extra heat.

Soldering is a pain due to the requirement of meticulous cleaning, but is way stronger.

BTW, on a related note, the metal should never get so hot that any of it even comes close to glowing red. If it does, it's been way overheated and no good. Luckily, the flux let's you know when you are hot enough. When it starts bubbling, you really want to stop adding heat. The solder should start to melt on contact, as long as it's been getting some preheat near the flame.