Repairing a partially broken wire?

[Nanako]

My favourite lamp isn't working right, it randomly cuts out if the cable isnt held at the right angle.

After some close inspection, i have identified the break. About a millimetre wide, the cable sheath is pierced and the copper wire within is presumably damaged. If i bend it in a loop so that the damaged part closes, and use a peg to hold it that way, it works reliably, so this isnt a huge priority, but that is mildly inconvenient

I know how this happened, i was working on sanding and repainting a door recently, took it off the hinges and lay it down, but i didn't notice that the lamp's cable was underneath the edge of that door (i was using it as a work light), and the weight pressing into an edge caused this damage to the wire

I would like to repair this, if possible. I looked into buying a replacement, it'd cost £35, this is a flexible lamp from ikea that i can't find any cheap alternatives for. I would rather not spend that

But moneysaving aside, half the reason i do DIY is to learn and develop new skills, its a hobby as much as a practical thing, so i'd like guidance and advice in fixing this

I don't have any experience with electrics, although i did study the basics in school, and my grandgfather was heavily into it, he demonstrated soldering on a few occasions, and i have lot of tools. For now i've wrapped the broken section in a bit of electrician's tape for safety, though this is not rigid enough to hold it in a functional position

I would intuit the repair process goes something like...

Identify the broken part (done)
Strip away the cable sheath carefully (with a blade, or pliars? not sure what to use)
Solder the broken cable together wih some kind of metal (i don't have a soldering iron, but they are cheap)
Resheath with electrician's tape for safety

Am i near the mark?

I'm not sure what kind of metal i'd use for the soldering, or how to strip the cable, advice would be appreciated

 

[jj4091]

A repair will always be a weak spot. Better to buy some new cable and rewire the lamp.

 

[Murdochcat]

Depends where along the length of cables the break is but could you just shorten the cable?

 

[Nanako]

Depends where along the length of cables the break is but could you just shorten the cable?

right in the middle unfortunately, and the cable is already a bit shorter than i'd like

 

[Nanako]

A repair will always be a weak spot. Better to buy some new cable and rewire the lamp.

That might be trickier than expected, its an ikea Lanspelare

Notably, there is a little control box in the middle of the cable with several buttons. Power, warmth, and +/- intensity. The break is unfortunately between the lamp and the control device, i'm not sure how much a device might complicate repairs

 

[jj4091]

Have you got a link to it or can you post a pic

 

[Sureitsoff?]

This one?

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/lanespelare-ring-light-with-phone-holder-10514358/

 

[Taylortwocities]

There are more than a dozen products in the ikea Lanspelare range. you'll have to help us with a link, or a photo.
But most Ikea products aren't made to easily repair. You'd need to find out firstly how many conductors are in the cable that is damaged. Then investigate how to open the switch/controller and the cable entry into the light itself.

Once that is done we may be able to assist further.

 

[Ragnar_AT]

This one?

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/lanespelare-ring-light-with-phone-holder-10514358/

That’s SELV (extra-low voltage), which makes repairs easier. I‘d get some quality electronics solder with flux core (I like the Stannol stuff, it behaves almost exactly as the old lead-based stuff) and two sizes of heatshrink tubing, one for each individual core. Cut the cable at the break, slip the big heatshrink over one end, strip about 20 mm of each core, add 25 mm of small heatshrink, twist the ends together facing each other so you get a straight run of cable again, solder and add heatshrink. Watch a few soldering tutorials on Youtube and practice on some wire scraps first.

Had it been on a mains wire I‘d have tried finding a coupler like the one I got at B&Q a few years ago, a little plastic box with two strain relief clamps and three connectors, looks like an inline switch without the rocker.

 

[Nanako]

This one?

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/lanespelare-ring-light-with-phone-holder-10514358/

yup that is the correct one

 

[Nanako]

That’s SELV (extra-low voltage), which makes repairs easier. I‘d get some quality electronics solder with flux core (I like the Stannol stuff, it behaves almost exactly as the old lead-based stuff) and two sizes of heatshrink tubing, one for each individual core. Cut the cable at the break, slip the big heatshrink over one end, strip about 20 mm of each core, add 25 mm of small heatshrink, twist the ends together facing each other so you get a straight run of cable again, solder and add heatshrink. Watch a few soldering tutorials on Youtube and practice on some wire scraps first.

Had it been on a mains wire I‘d have tried finding a coupler like the one I got at B&Q a few years ago, a little plastic box with two strain relief clamps and three connectors, looks like an inline switch without the rocker.

i did a bit of searching for heatshrink tubing, and there are a LOT of sizes, any idea what i'd need? Something smaller i presume?

The wire is pretty thin, maybe 5mm, no idea how many smaller wires (cores?) are inside it

and how exactly is stripping done?

 

[Taylortwocities]

i did a bit of searching for heatshrink tubing, and there are a LOT of sizes, any idea what i'd need? Something smaller i presume?

The wire is pretty thin, maybe 5mm, no idea how many smaller wires (cores?) are inside it

and how exactly is stripping done?

Oh dear. I rather think, with respect, that you don’t have a scooby. You’d have to invest in
Soldering iron and solder
Heat shrink tubing and a heat gun (hair dryer might do it). By the time you’ve done that it’s almost the cost of a new one.
Do you have a Repair Cafe near you?
I volunteer for our local one, and your sort of job is what we often do on a Saturday morning!
Find one near you. https://www.repaircafe.org/en/visit/

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

i did a bit of searching for heatshrink tubing, and there are a LOT of sizes, any idea what i'd need? Something smaller i presume?

Lidl often sell in the middle isle, little parts boxes - one of them includes a variety of heatshrink tubing. Use the smallest size, which will fit the cores, warm it with a lighter and it will shrink down tight. The repeat with the larger one over the outer sheath.

The wire is pretty thin, maybe 5mm, no idea how many smaller wires (cores?) are inside it

and how exactly is stripping done?

With a sharp blade, to nick the outer sheath, so it snaps and can be pulled off the cores, then the cores have to be stripped. You can use pliers, snips, or wire strippers for that.

 

[Nanako]

Oh dear. I rather think, with respect, that you don’t have a scooby. You’d have to invest in
Soldering iron and solder
Heat shrink tubing and a heat gun (hair dryer might do it). By the time you’ve done that it’s almost the cost of a new one.
Do you have a Repair Cafe near you?
I volunteer for our local one, and your sort of job is what we often do on a Saturday morning!
Find one near you. https://www.repaircafe.org/en/visit/

I dont know much about electrics, i think i was upfront about that ! But i'm here to learn

i do actually have a heat gun, bought it for label work once, recently been using it for fabric interfacing and paint drying, so that part won't be a problem, and the tubing seems pretty cheap, i saw packs on amazon for various prices under a tenner, just gotta know specifically what to get so i dont end up wasting money!

 

[Ragnar_AT]

A mixed box with short pieces is probably the best bet. Shrink ratio of the cheapest stuff is usually 2:1 so if the entire lead is 5 mm you can use 8 mm tubing, 10 mm would probably just about work too.

You‘ll also need a soldering iron. Unless you want to get deeper into electronics I‘d suggest a cheap generic 30 W iron with something like a 5 mm chisel tip. A decent iron stand helps too.