2 (more) cable crimping questions

[Steve]

Q1. When crimping 2.5sq.mm T&E, blue crimps are used for the 2.5sq.mm L and N, but should red crimps be used on the (smaller diameter) earth wire?

Q2 I notice on my newly acquired ratchet crimpers that the depressions in the jaws (where the crimp fits) are smallest for blue and the biggest for red (yellow in the middle). Thus seems c*ck-eyed to me. Surely the smallest should be red (1.5sq.mm), followed by blue (2.5sq.mm) then yellow (4sq.mm). Are the crimpers incorrectly marked (just bought them from TLC) or am I missing something subtle?

Cheers

[John Rumm]

You can use either - most blue crimps have a minimum wire size that is smaller than the 1.5mm^2 CSA CPC in 2.5mm^2 T&E, and reds have a maximum greater than that. I tend to use blue, to save messing about with more than one colour at a time.

Sounds like they are marked incorrectly... they usually look like:

own set are pretty much the same:

at the tip of the jaws, then blue, then yellow nearest the pivot.

[Steve]

Many thanks John.

Q1 I'll stick with all blue crimps then. Q2 Your photo shows what I expect - my new crimps are wrongly colour coded! I'll be taking them back.

Cheers

Steve

[newshound]

Come on, the true DIY-er would be getting out the paint!

What a weird mistake :-)

[tony sayer]

Thats deffo arse about face!...

Thats how all ours are...

Nice big ratchet ones too...

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Think they're all like that given the larger crimps need more pressure.

[Tim S]

While we're on the subject, one of my ratchet crimp tools didn't feel very tight, so I put the adjuster round a couple of positions until it felt better.

Is there a more orthodox way to calibrate the ratchet, well, without buying expensive equipment, that is. Or do you do yours by feel?

Cheers

Tim