I take it for granted you are looking for donated plugs? Might
call or email around to any theater or production company you can find a name to in offering up a 501c3 tax letter in exchange for the value of what ever
stage pin plugs can be spared.
Dependant on what brand you get,
friction tape, ferrules, ring or flag terminals in making them properly fitted might still require some budget. A Pinsplitter will probably also be necessary.
-Pinsplitters are available
thru most theater suppliers. Chrocus cloth, silicone fiber abrasive Dremmel wheels and electrical contact cleaner with lubricant might also be necessary - available
thru suppliers such as McMaster, Fastinal, Grainger or
MSC. Pins of used plugs often need splitting in addition to cleaning/freshening up the bright work.
-Friction tape (to
build up the outer
jacket of the #0 fiberglass sleeve covered
wire whip to most
stage pin plugs
cord grip opening.) Available at most home centers, on certain brands of
stage pin plug, the
cord grip is designed to only
grip 12/3 SO cable and will need
friction tape or a
Heyco cord grip to hole a
fixture wire.
A better solution than
friction tape (a lost art in doing so) is if you have free time, 12/3 SO cable and
Bates or TMB' and other lines plugs with
strain relief inserts in use in-house, ask also for
Bates cord grip inserts. (Note if you have TMB ProPlug in use - the
cord grip insert does not work with
Bates cord grip inserts.) Remove the more modern plugs from your
line cable if 12/3 SO, because it with the
strain relief inserts will fit the
cord grip to any
stage pin plug. Than with inserts, use your more modern plugs on the lights, and the older plugs you might get on the cable. You will now have to re-terminate 100 plugs, but will get a better
strain relief system.
-Ferrules will be necessary to buy if re-tasking the above
Bates type plugs or getting any similar to ProPlug that use ferrules. 12ga. .31" long un-insulated, and a good idea to use a 16ga. insulated
ferrule sleeved inside of the 12ga. one (.37" cut down for .31" length) for dual wall protection and proper centering of 16ga
fixture wiring. You can also strip double length and more or less fold the 16ga
wire in half in just using the 12ga
ferrule. If you do not use a
ferrule in a
Bates type
connector, dependent on the fine stranding of the
wire a few bad things can happen. I can list them on request, but be assured you want to use a
ferrule always.
-Ring or Flag Ring Terminals are required for other types of plugs. Union plugs require two flag terminals and a short length
ring terminal, others just ring terminals that can all be sized to the
wire gauge. Normally such plugs require the
friction tape though because the
cord grip is for 12/3 SO type
wire and won't
grip a
fixture whip short of the above
friction tape or extra
Heyco cord grip I have seen used. Swap them out for the
line cable plugs if
Bates in use, and your stored or can get extra
cord grip inserts from them supplying their surplus (no matter brand) plugs. Normally they have a bin full of extra
cord grips not used - of which a handful can be given from. A handful or two of these inserts should be all you need.
So the good thing is dependent on the
plug brand, you might be able to use any #8 stud size
ring terminal sized to the
gauge of the
wire in use (remember if necessary the folded over 16ga
wire in going 12ga
terminal). Such
crimp terminals are available at most home centers I think in the insulated version for more modern plugs, or its easy enough to remove the
insulation for older styles.
-If using classic Union
stage pin plugs, you will need two flag terminals and a un-insulated (short)
ring terminal in the #8 stud size for each. I have seen and done both tinned and a special round
ferrule (not available) also for them - don't try tinned. To
crimp a flag type
ring terminal, you need to use either a Klien/Vatco #1900 multi-tool (with it's inner cutting
edge ground away). Or any Stakon / Klien #1005 (believe the single jaw model), either with their front cutting
edge ground away up to the
crimp stop. This to properly
crimp a flag
terminal.
Insulation displacement is a key to
crimping any
terminal above and especially for these. (Separate topic on why.)
McMaster Carr sells both 12ga and 14ga flag terminals, but do not sell short length ring terminals. I might in the past found short 12ga x #8 stud ring terminals
thru a electronics supplier like Allied, DigiKey, Mouser or Newark, believe last time I bought them was direct
thru Union. A 14-16ga normal un-insulated
ring terminal might be short enough if you strip extra short the
ground wire for doing this. Union cable strip length is almost an art in itself.
Good luck on getting the donations, realizing you would probably spend $250.00 for new plugs, but with donations have to spend $50-100 and spend more time.
Hope it helps and ask for more info if wanted about ferrules,
crimping, friction tapping or what
Heyco cord grip used. Believe I terminated my first
stage pin plug... back in like 85'... a few years of experience in there is details useful to convey in doing it right.
