How to cut and/or extend rope light - Revision history

Dirknerkle: /* Painting Rope Light */

2020-05-12T12:42:51Z

Painting Rope Light

Dirknerkle: /* Painting Rope Light */

2016-06-04T15:53:04Z

Painting Rope Light

Admin: /* Making a Rope Light Plug */

2015-07-16T21:14:16Z

Making a Rope Light Plug

Admin: /* Cutting Rope Light */

2015-07-16T21:13:41Z

Cutting Rope Light

Admin: /* Making a Rope Light Plug */

2015-07-16T21:13:08Z

Making a Rope Light Plug

Admin: /* Making a Rope Light Plug */

2015-07-16T21:11:39Z

Making a Rope Light Plug

Admin: /* Cutting Rope Light */

2015-07-16T21:11:03Z

Cutting Rope Light

Admin: /* Cutting Rope Light */

2015-07-16T21:10:47Z

Cutting Rope Light

Admin: /* Cutting Rope Light / Making a Rope Light Plug */

2015-07-16T21:10:00Z

Cutting Rope Light / Making a Rope Light Plug

Admin: /* Making a Rope Light Plug */

2015-07-16T21:08:53Z

Making a Rope Light Plug

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:42, 12 May 2020
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	== Painting Rope Light ==		== Painting Rope Light ==
		+
	:'''DupliColor Metalcast''' or '''Krylon X-Metals''' paints are great choices for painting rope light. They're transparent paints so the light can shine through. It usually requires 2 or 3 coats to get the color depth you like, but the paint does not flake off and lasts for years. Available colors are red, blue, yellow, green, purple, orange, smoke and silver. You can spray one color over another to achieve other colors but the more layers you put on, the less light shines through. These paints are generally available at auto parts stores or on-line from various sources. The colors should remain vibrant for 5 years or more, and the paint does not flake-off.		:'''DupliColor Metalcast''' or '''Krylon X-Metals''' paints are great choices for painting rope light. They're transparent paints so the light can shine through. It usually requires 2 or 3 coats to get the color depth you like, but the paint does not flake off and lasts for years. Available colors are red, blue, yellow, green, purple, orange, smoke and silver. You can spray one color over another to achieve other colors but the more layers you put on, the less light shines through. These paints are generally available at auto parts stores or on-line from various sources. The colors should remain vibrant for 5 years or more, and the paint does not flake-off.
		+
		+	[[File:Metalcast.JPG \| 200px \| center]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:53, 4 June 2016
Line 64:		Line 64:

	== Painting Rope Light ==		== Painting Rope Light ==
−	:'''DupliColor Metalcast''' or '''Krylon X-Metals''' paints are great choices for painting rope light. They're transparent paints so the light can shine through. It usually requires 2 or 3 coats to get the color depth you like, but the paint does not flake off and lasts for years. Available colors are red, blue, yellow, green, purple, orange, smoke and silver. You can spray one color over another to achieve other colors but the more layers you put on, the less light shines through. These paints are generally available at auto parts stores or on-line from various sources.	+	:'''DupliColor Metalcast''' or '''Krylon X-Metals''' paints are great choices for painting rope light. They're transparent paints so the light can shine through. It usually requires 2 or 3 coats to get the color depth you like, but the paint does not flake off and lasts for years. Available colors are red, blue, yellow, green, purple, orange, smoke and silver. You can spray one color over another to achieve other colors but the more layers you put on, the less light shines through. These paints are generally available at auto parts stores or on-line from various sources. The colors should remain vibrant for 5 years or more, and the paint does not flake-off.

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 * Silicone glue
 * Clear shrink tube (large enough for your rope light)
-* Heat gun
+* Heat gun or hair dryer
 :1 - Strip about 3/4" of insulation off the plug wire and separate the two wires a bit. Twist them very tightly so there are no stray wires and tin the entire bare wires using your soldering iron. It's important that the wires are smooth and tightly wound to minimize their size as much as possible. The tinned ends become the connectors and will be inserted into the rope light ends. The

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 == Cutting Rope Light ==
-Tools needed:
+'''Tools needed:'''
 * Sharp utility knife and/or wire cutter
 :Incandescent rope light can only be cut in specific places. Look for a section that has two wires like the picture below. The rope light can be cut between the two wires. Cutting it elsewhere usually doesn't work and if it does, you'll likely find that there are fewer bulbs in the section which will cause them to run hotter, probably shortening their effective life. Cut the rope light straight across with a clean cut, either with a good wire cutter or sharp utility knife.

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:13, 16 July 2015
Line 23:		Line 23:

	== Making a Rope Light Plug ==		== Making a Rope Light Plug ==
		+
		+	'''Tools Needed'''
		+	* Sharp utility knife and/or wire cutter
		+	* Needlenose pliers
		+	* Awl (or make your own)
		+	* A few 1" brads/small nails
		+	* Soldering iron (to tin wires)
		+	* Silicone glue
		+	* Clear shrink tube (large enough for your rope light)
		+	* Heat gun

	:1 - Strip about 3/4" of insulation off the plug wire and separate the two wires a bit. Twist them very tightly so there are no stray wires and tin the entire bare wires using your soldering iron. It's important that the wires are smooth and tightly wound to minimize their size as much as possible. The tinned ends become the connectors and will be inserted into the rope light ends. The		:1 - Strip about 3/4" of insulation off the plug wire and separate the two wires a bit. Twist them very tightly so there are no stray wires and tin the entire bare wires using your soldering iron. It's important that the wires are smooth and tightly wound to minimize their size as much as possible. The tinned ends become the connectors and will be inserted into the rope light ends. The

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 == Making a Rope Light Plug ==
-:2 - Strip about 3/4" of insulation off the plug wire and separate the two wires a bit. Twist them very tightly so there are no stray wires and tin the entire bare wires using your soldering iron. It's important that the wires are smooth and tightly wound to minimize their size as much as possible. The tinned ends become the connectors and will be inserted into the rope light ends. The
+:1 - Strip about 3/4" of insulation off the plug wire and separate the two wires a bit. Twist them very tightly so there are no stray wires and tin the entire bare wires using your soldering iron. It's important that the wires are smooth and tightly wound to minimize their size as much as possible. The tinned ends become the connectors and will be inserted into the rope light ends. The
 :::Left: good winding, right: poor winding
 :::[[File:10-poor_wrap.jpg | 250px]]
@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 ::: [[File:12-good_tinning.jpg | 250px]]
-:3 - You will need an awl or other sharp, pointed tool to make space for the tinned wires in the rope light end. You can make an awl by driving a finishing nail into a short piece of wood and filing the end sharp like the example below.
+:2 - You will need an awl or other sharp, pointed tool to make space for the tinned wires in the rope light end. You can make an awl by driving a finishing nail into a short piece of wood and filing the end sharp like the example below.
 :::[[File:2-homemade_awl.jpg | 400px]]
-:4 - Insert the awl into a power wire in end of the rope light, twisting it and gradually enlarging the hole to make it large enough for the tinned wires. Take your time and be careful. It's a good idea to put the rope light into a vise instead of holding it with your hand because if you slip, you'll drive the awl into your hand or arm. And alternate way of doing this is to use a small finishing nail or brad and lightly hammer it into the power wire, and leave it there temporarily. In the photo below, note that the nails driven into the end of the rope light are about the same diameter as the tinned wire. This will make it a bit easier to insert the wires later.
+:3 - Insert the awl into a power wire in end of the rope light, twisting it and gradually enlarging the hole to make it large enough for the tinned wires. Take your time and be careful. It's a good idea to put the rope light into a vise instead of holding it with your hand because if you slip, you'll drive the awl into your hand or arm. And alternate way of doing this is to use a small finishing nail or brad and lightly hammer it into the power wire, and leave it there temporarily. In the photo below, note that the nails driven into the end of the rope light are about the same diameter as the tinned wire. This will make it a bit easier to insert the wires later.
 :::[[File:3-tinned_wires.jpg |400px]]
-:5 - Slip a selection of shrink tube over the rope light and slide it down a bit. It's often easier to do this now than slide the tube on later. Then working with one wire at a time, insert the tinned wires into the holes. The holes you made with the awl or the nails will begin to shrink immediately so you must be quick with this step. You'll probably need the needlenose pliers to grab the wire and push it into the hole. Push it in as far as you can but realize that it probably doesn't have to go in all the way. Check to make sure the wires are not shorted and plug in the lights to make sure they light. If so, unplug them from power before you continue!
+:4 - Slip a selection of shrink tube over the rope light and slide it down a bit. It's often easier to do this now than slide the tube on later. Then working with one wire at a time, insert the tinned wires into the holes. The holes you made with the awl or the nails will begin to shrink immediately so you must be quick with this step. You'll probably need the needlenose pliers to grab the wire and push it into the hole. Push it in as far as you can but realize that it probably doesn't have to go in all the way. Check to make sure the wires are not shorted and plug in the lights to make sure they light. If so, unplug them from power before you continue!
 :::[[File:4-wires_inserted.jpg |400px]]
-:6 - Slide the shrink tube up so the joint is about in the middle and inject some silicone glue down near the tinned wires. It's not necessary to fill the space since when you heat the shrink tube, it will compress the glue for you. Then use the heat gun to shrink the tube. Notice that some of the glue may come out -- that's okay. Just wipe the excess off.
+:5 - Slide the shrink tube up so the joint is about in the middle and inject some silicone glue down near the tinned wires. It's not necessary to fill the space since when you heat the shrink tube, it will compress the glue for you. Then use the heat gun to shrink the tube. Notice that some of the glue may come out -- that's okay. Just wipe the excess off.
 :::[[File:5-silicone_glued.jpg |400px]] :: [[File:6-heatshrink.jpg |340px]]
-:7 - Straighten the plug wire so it's in line with the rope light and let the glue set overnight.
+:6 - Straighten the plug wire so it's in line with the rope light and let the glue set overnight.
 :::[[File:7-setting.jpg |600px]]

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 * Heat gun
-::Incandescent rope light can only be cut in specific places. Look for a section that has two wires like the picture below. The rope light can be cut between the two wires. Cutting it elsewhere usually doesn't work and if it does, you'll likely find that there are fewer bulbs in the section which will cause them to run hotter, probably shortening their effective life. Cut the rope light straight across with a clean cut, either with a good wire cutter or sharp utility knife.
+:Incandescent rope light can only be cut in specific places. Look for a section that has two wires like the picture below. The rope light can be cut between the two wires. Cutting it elsewhere usually doesn't work and if it does, you'll likely find that there are fewer bulbs in the section which will cause them to run hotter, probably shortening their effective life. Cut the rope light straight across with a clean cut, either with a good wire cutter or sharp utility knife.
 :::[[File:1-cut_rope_light.jpg | 400px]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 This technique can be used to shorten incandescent rope light, splice two pieces of incandescent rope light together or add a plug to a piece of incandescent rope light.
-== Cutting Rope Light / Making a Rope Light Plug ==
+== Cutting Rope Light ==
 Tools needed:
@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 :::[[File:Ropel1.jpg | 400px]]
 :2 - Strip about 3/4" of insulation off the plug wire and separate the two wires a bit. Twist them very tightly so there are no stray wires and tin the entire bare wires using your soldering iron. It's important that the wires are smooth and tightly wound to minimize their size as much as possible. The tinned ends become the connectors and will be inserted into the rope light ends. The