I really enjoy tech weeks, always lots of good stuff, but people seem to hold back their tech posts until one comes around. So, here is a little trick I use to wrap visible wiring for a more traditional, and far less tacky, look than split loom. Sorry for the crappy pics, I was doing this at work for a car thats in, and thought it would make a good tech piece. I didn't have my camera with me, so all the pics were taken with my phone. Step One: get the wires your going to run ready Step Two: (Optional) With one end of your wires anchored in a vise, chuck the loose end up in a drill and go to town. (I dont always do this, actually I usually don't, but its kinda fun. This can look kinda cool when left unwrapped with just a single collar of electrical tape every 8-12") Step Three: Wrap the wires in electrical tape, don't worry this is just a "base coat" of sorts. The electrical tape gives the next layer a good base to stick to, especially if you are doing this over wires that have been on the vehicle for a while, and have a little oil and/or dirt on them. Sorry, no pic on this one, you guys should know how to wrap wires in electrical tape. Step Four: Now the secret weapon - Cloth bicycle handle bar tape. The brand I usually buy is called Cateye. The box looks like this- The trick to wrapping with this stuff is to go at as steep of an angle along the wires as you can, and do NOT overlap, like you would electrical tape, try to get the edge of each pass to butt up right against the pass before- On the ends, if you get the angle right when you start your wrap you can end up with a nice square end, or, with a little work, you can tuck a loose end back under the last wrap. A couple drops of super glue on the ends will help keep them from unraveling. Done right, from more than a foot or two away, your wireloom will look like the old woven cloth wrap wirelooms. Hope someone can get some use out of this.
I was expecting a fish from the we-pond... Sorry for picking on your spelling, and thanks for the article!
very cool...i have a cobble job wiring in my roadster right now and i was planning on ordering the cloth loom but i haven't priced it yet....... this look VERY traditional and blends in with the background like the cloth loom i hate split plastic too! thanks... what's a roll of that stuff cost......do you order it from the internet or get it from a local place
I get it from the bike shop a few blocks from the shop. I've seen it at a couple of them. It runs around $4 a roll around here.
VW has a cloth electrical tape, but I'm sure its expensive. I've used it on projects before. Looks to be very similar to that bicycle grip tape.
I too despise split loom...I have filled trash cans with that junk since it's creation...and let's not get started on the colored split loow (HEY LOOK!!!!THE WIRES ARE OVER HERE!!!!) yech. I dig the original looks of the cloth tape, but I still gravitate towards the ziptie every 8 inches or so...I cut my teeth in racing, and nothing sucks worse than trying to chase a bad or burned wire for 7 feet of that stuff.
We used hockey tape on one very hi-end project that everyone has seen. It kinda disappears into nothing. I think 4 rolls was about $7 at the local mullet stick store.
It is called friction tape! You can buy it Lowes, Home Depot. LESS THEN 4 BUCKS A ROLL http://www.mcmaster.com/ <TABLE class=Tmplt_7 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 rules=none border=0 frame=box><THEAD><TR><TH align=left colSpan=2><TABLE class=PrsnttnHdrTbl cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=PrsnttnHdrNm>Black-Cloth Electrical Tape</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TH></TR></THEAD><TBODY><TR><TD class="CPYCell SeqNbr1Cell" style="WIDTH: auto">Also known as friction tape, this traditional black cotton electrician's tape provides an abrasion-resistant shield for overwrapping low-voltage splices. The rubber adhesive applied to both sides of this tape works as a nonslip surface when applied to tool handles. Tape thickness is 0.015". Dielectric strength (the ability to withstand electrical voltage without rupture) is 1200 volts and tensile strength is 40 lbs./in. width. Temperature range is -40° to +266° F; apply at +32° to +104° F. Supplied on a cardboard spool. Meets ASTM D69 and D4514 requirements. </TD><TD class="TBLCell SeqNbr2Cell" style="WIDTH: auto"><TABLE class=PrdctTbl cellSpacing=0 cols=7 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=TblHd></TD><TD class=TblHd></TD><TD class=TblHd></TD><TD class=TblHd></TD><TD class=TblHd></TD><TD class=TblHd></TD><TD class=TblHd><CENTER>Per Roll </CENTER></TD></TR><TR><TD class=TblHd></TD><TD class=TblHd>Lg., </TD><TD class=TblHd>Spool </TD><TD class=TblHd>Roll </TD><TD class=TblHd>Case </TD><TD class=TblHd></TD><TD class=TblHd><TABLE class=InnerTbl cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=InnerTblCell>Partial</TD><TD class=InnerTblCell align=right>Full</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=TblHd>Wd. </TD><TD class=TblHd>yds. </TD><TD class=TblHd>ID </TD><TD class=TblHd>Dia. </TD><TD class=TblHd>Qty. </TD><TD class=TblHd></TD><TD class=TblHd><TABLE class=InnerTbl cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=InnerTblCell>Case</TD><TD class=InnerTblCell align=right>Case</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR id=TR587 onmouseover=TrMouseOver(this); onmouseout=TrMouseOut(this);><TD class=ColBanner colSpan=7></TD></TR><TR id=TR588 onmouseover=TrMouseOver(this); onmouseout=TrMouseOut(this);><TD class=TblData>3/4"</TD><TD class=TblData>20</TD><TD class=TblData>1 1/4"</TD><TD class=TblData>3 3/4"</TD><TD class=TblData>20</TD><TD class=TblData style="BORDER-LEFT: #eee 1px solid; WIDTH: auto">76465A1 </TD><TD class=TblDataCellWithInnerTbl style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px"><TABLE class=InnerTbl cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=InnerTblCell>$2.25</TD><TD class=InnerTblCell align=right>$2.03</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR id=TR589 onmouseover=TrMouseOver(this); onmouseout=TrMouseOut(this);><TD class=TblData>1 1/2"</TD><TD class=TblData>20</TD><TD class=TblData>1 1/4"</TD><TD class=TblData>3 3/4"</TD><TD class=TblData>20</TD><TD class=TblData style="BORDER-LEFT: #eee 1px solid; WIDTH: auto">76465A5 </TD><TD class=TblDataCellWithInnerTbl style="BORDER-RIGHT-WIDTH: 0px"><TABLE class=InnerTbl cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=InnerTblCell>5.03</TD><TD class=InnerTblCell align=right>4.53</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
i use the woven fiberglass tubing as used on mack trucks for air and electrical looms to wrap my looms in, it expands and contracts to suit the diameter of the loom and is very abrasion resistant. only trouble is you need adhesive heatshrink at each end to stop it fraying but it looks very neat and i get it for free...
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