How to Crimp Wire Rope Cable

Crimping a wire cable can be a difficult task without the proper equipment. Most wire cables come either in 1/2-inch or 3/4-inch thickness. The 1/2 inch is obviously easier to crimp, but with the proper tools, the 3/4 inch wire cable is possible to crimp as well. The entire process for crimping a wire cable and putting an "end" on it should take around 10 minutes with all the tools in place.

• 1

  Take the end or the area you want to crimp and bend it back and forth a few times loosening up the wire structure a bit. This helps the process of crimping by loosening the fibers in the cable to make it easier to crimp.

• 2

  Place the end or the area you want to crimp an inch deep into the bench vise grip. You need a bench vise grip because it is the most powerful crimping device short of buying a mechanized machine.

• 3

  Begin tightening the vise until it becomes taut. Wiggle the cable back and forth some more to loosen up the fibers a little more. Tighten the vise as hard as you can now. Loosen the bench vise and remove your cable.

• 4

  Take the cable end you want to put on the crimped spot and slide it on. Take your cable swager tool and use the biggest setting and squeeze it like a pliers to connect the ends to the cable, crimping them together.