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Kinks in coiled wire

I tried unsuccessfully to unkink several telephone handset cords and wound up replacing them inexpensively. A kink occurs at a place where the coil chages sense -- from, e.g., clockwise to counterclockwise.

However, in the process I searched the web and found almost nothing on this phenomenon. Also, studying the kinks did not reveal what is really going on. For example, you can move the kink along the coil, but the coils traversed become irregular. It would appear that whole sections of the coil must change sense for a kink to occur.

One poster suggested immersing the coil in boiling hot water so that the original memory of the plastic cover would return. That did not work. Another said -- without more -- that the phenomenon was related to one in vines called "tendril reversal."

Does anyone know of additional information on this subject? Ken (to reply via email remove "zz" from address)

Reply to
Ken
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Sure. Just take the "U" where it reverses sense, and patiently work it down the backwards part of the loop until you untwist it. Let the free end flop freely, because it has to twirl a whole revolution for each backwards loop.

Alternatively, you could tie a heavy weight at one end of the kinky cord - very heavy, so it stretches it out practically straight; suspend it by the other end, and let it unwind itself practically completely. Then twirl the weight in the direction that it's "supposed" to coil, putting a really good set in the extended cord, and when you let it relax, it will coil naturally.

What causes it is, picking up the phone with one hand, putting it to your ear, halfway through the conversation switching to the other ear, then hanging up with the other hand. Sometimes, people answer by scooping up the handset, palm up - this puts a whole twist in the wire, usually the opposite sense of the original cord.

Good Luck! Rich

Reply to
Rich Grise

Too complicated for my feeble brain. I fixed the problem by getting cordless phones.

I'm lazy.

John

Reply to
John - kd5yi

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