Printable Version of Topic

Click here to view this topic in its original format

914World.com _ 914World Garage _ Looking for a good permanent wire labeling product

Posted by: bondo Apr 8 2006, 02:37 PM

I'm doing a whole bunch of custom wiring on my LT1 conversion, and I want to label some of the individual wires that won't be grouped into connectors (like all the gauge wires behind the getty dash). Since some will be factory, and some will be custom, I won't really be able to refer to a wiring diagram unless I make one.

I've seen some products, but many of them are just clips with numbers, no good without a wiring diagram. For temporary purposes I often just make a flag of masking tape and write the wire function on it, but those eventually fall off or become unradable, and aren't very tidy.

Does anyone here know of a non-bulky, inexpensive wire label that has enough space on it to permanantly mark the wire function? 10 characters of small ballpoint text space would be enough.. maybe something like half the size of the signature spot on the back of a credit card.

Good tape would also work, but it'd have to be long lasting and stay readable. My experience with tapes are that durable ones won't hold ink (rubs off) and ones that hold ink dry up and fall off, or tear too easily. I do have one of those p-touch labelers, but man that'd be tedious!

Posted by: TimT Apr 8 2006, 03:04 PM

printout the names of the circuits, or names of the wires i.e. "Tach" on some a sheet of paper, then get clear shrink tubing, cut the little labels you have made, and heat shrink them to the wires.

You can adjust the font size to get the labels the size you want

Posted by: bondo Apr 8 2006, 04:32 PM

QUOTE (TimT @ Apr 8 2006, 02:04 PM)
printout the names of the circuits, or names of the wires i.e. "Tach" on some a sheet of paper, then get clear shrink tubing, cut the little labels you have made, and heat shrink them to the wires.

You can adjust the font size to get the labels the size you want

Neat idea! One problem though.. it requres being able to get heatshrink on there.. That only requires foresight on the custom stuff but it'd require cutting the wires to label anything that's factory. (like the rear taillight wires)

Posted by: Tobra Apr 8 2006, 05:06 PM

Take clear packing tape, write info on Post-it or whatever have you, wrap tape around wire, capturing label between ends of tape, making a laminated flag of sorts.

Posted by: TimT Apr 8 2006, 05:10 PM

Ive forgotten which size, but there is a size of heat shrink that can fit over a spade connector..and still shrink tight to the wire.

You can take apart the connectors and slip the heat shrink over the spade connector, then reassemble the connector

Posted by: shaggy Apr 8 2006, 05:12 PM

what size wires?

for alarm stuff you typically just write on it w/ a sharpie
you'd be surprised how well it can be read too

-shag

Posted by: shaggy Apr 8 2006, 05:30 PM

there is also this brady labeling machine that we use for fancy stuff.

it prints lables in about a 12pt bold black font on 1 1/4''sq. white cloth tags that have an adhesive on the backs. they stick really well to wires, but im not sure they would if there were in an oily enviroment.

if the desired text was to take up only one line the machine can print that evenly spaced on the tag about 7 times in a row (vertically).

if you are interested p.m. me with a list of tags youd like made and they can be printed and sent to you.

-shag

Posted by: Rand Apr 8 2006, 05:31 PM

I have a handheld http://www.brother-usa.com/ptouch/ that works great.

You can get narrow tape, down to 9/64"
I think it's a thermal printing process, but it's a nice laminated label that won't rub off. Print the code, feed some extra blank, peel off the backing, wrap it around the wire and stick it together... voila. Super hand for all kinds of labeling.

http://www.advizia.com/brother/modelDetail.asp?PkgID=386288&User=ptouch&Rnd=550 is pretty reasonable and handles the narrow labels.

Posted by: TimT Apr 8 2006, 05:51 PM

I forgot I had a harness here in my house that is labeled with the clear heat shrink/ printed label method..

I think it looks clean, I think having those "flag" labels hanging off the end of a wire looks cheezy, and usually the flags get all balled up and are hard to read btdt.

In any event thats how I label my wires, use at your own risk

Attached image(s)

Posted by: bondo Apr 8 2006, 08:22 PM

I think TimT wins.. that is super slick looking! I'll have to get a couple different sizes/brands of clear heatshrink and see what works best. I like how they can't get mangled or caught on anything.

Thanks to all!

Posted by: Air_Cooled_Nut Apr 8 2006, 10:17 PM

Masking tape with a FINE POINT permanent marker is what I've used. Readable for non-engine locations inside the cabin. Over several years the tape flag can lose its adhesive qualities and become loose on the wire (slides on it). I stay away from ball point pens, the ink never lasts and they have inconsistant print quality. The flags, IMO, are much easier to read when I'm upside down under a dash than those that TimT uses (I've installed radios and car alarms) and they've never been a mess for me. However, I like TimT's idea because it's cosmetically better...it'll just take a little more effort to read the ones higher up in the bowels of the dash I'm gonna have to try that method out when I wire up my friend's NOS system on his race car

Posted by: Air_Cooled_Nut Apr 8 2006, 10:17 PM

QUOTE (bondo @ Apr 8 2006, 06:22 PM)
I think TimT wins.. that is super slick looking! I'll have to get a couple different sizes/brands of clear heatshrink and see what works best. I like how they can't get mangled or caught on anything.

Thanks to all!

Let us know what is successful for you i.e. be detailed

Posted by: drgchapman Apr 16 2006, 09:22 AM

Thought I'd add one more clarification. The Brady marker is great. It uses several different sizes of tape, prints in either direction for ease of reading, has many font sizes. It can also be dropped many times, from high, and keep on working.

Brady ID PAL-750-439

Attached image(s)

Posted by: drgchapman Apr 16 2006, 09:24 AM

Marked wires. You can write as much as you need by just adding another label.

Attached image(s)