Bootlace Ferrules - What Are They Used For?

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Hi,

I have a bag of so called 'bootlace' ferrules that came with a box of stuff. I understand that they can be crimped onto wire ends but where does the bootlace go, is there a special socket for it? It's not clear from eBay, for example when looked up, if there are female receptacles for 'bootlaces'.

Curiously,

BlowingOldBoots
 
BlowingOldBoots said:
Hi,

I have a bag of so called 'bootlace' ferrules that came with a box of stuff. I understand that they can be crimped onto wire ends but where does the bootlace go, is there a special socket for it? It's not clear from eBay, for example when looked up, if there are female receptacles for 'bootlaces'.

Curiously,

BlowingOldBoots
Click to expand...

sometimes supplied when the wires go into chocolate box type connectors. Must admit I've only had them supplied once, With an immersion heater timer.
 
Used in any situation where direct screw pressure would otherwise damage stranded cable, e,g, 13a sockets, cheap shore power plugs and sockets, chocolate block without pressure tabs etc, they are in fact mandatory when installing to BS standards in such situations.
 
Thanks, thats clear now. I have never seen a bootlace on a 13A plug's wiring with stranded wire.
 
David2452 said:
You should have, every non moulded power lead needs them to comply with EU and BSI regs and has done for a while, I don't think most people use them when fitting a new plug at home though, or even aboard for that matter.
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I've always soldered the strands before inserting a wire into anything that uses a screw to hold the wire in place on a plug or an appliance. In other situations I use a pin-ended crimped termination.
 
Progressively crimping blade, rather than bootlaces connectors onto all of my scew down wiring terminals. Much easier to connect / disconnect and easy to stack. Don't trust soldered terminals in screw down connectors.
 
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telsyork said:
Soldering is not recommended because it causes a stress fracture at the end of the solder.
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The solder is only used to hold the strands together at the inserted end when they are being compressed by the screw. The 'free' part of the cable is held by the cable clamp on the plug or the appliance. I can see how there could be a stress fracture at the end of the solder IF the rest of the cable is not clamped but I don't see how there can be a "stress fracture" seeing that the wire is immobilised.

I could well be wrong, of course; I am not an electrician.
 
PuffTheMagicDragon said:
The solder is only used to hold the strands together at the inserted end when they are being compressed by the screw. The 'free' part of the cable is held by the cable clamp on the plug or the appliance. I can see how there could be a stress fracture at the end of the solder IF the rest of the cable is not clamped but I don't see how there can be a "stress fracture" seeing that the wire is immobilised.
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Indeed. The real reason soldering under screw threads is not recommended is that apparently the solder can "cold-flow" out from under the screw, reducing the clamping pressure and giving a high-resistance joint that heats up. Probably only an issue on high-current circuits, but even so, why go to extra effort to produce something non-recommended?

Pete
 
Soldering the conductor is not best practise, solder creeps under pressure and can result in loose connections, it is in fact specifically listed as an unacceptable practise in BS EN ISO 13297, in fact soldering anything is, including "extra solder" on crimp terminals.
 
Having got fed up with the way the plastic ends to bootlaces disintegrate, I actually use them for ...... Bootlaces.

I also use them on stranded wiring and they are brilliant, especially if what you are terminating the wire into is awkward to get at as they greatly reduce the chances of stray strands if you can put the ferrule on in a more convenient location and then connect.

They also reduce the chances of problems if things have to be disconnected and reconnected multiple times, say if you are fault finding.
 
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