This is an area I would also like to know more about. Rebuilding bikes from
the 1930's through to the 1980's sees me looking for all types of cable.
Does anyone know when the plastic outer took over from the painted cloth?
I have examples of silver and black painted cloth wrapped cable, bare
cadmium coated, ribbed plastic and smooth plastic. Before I found the cad
coated stuff, a whole roll on French ebay, I had stripped an old MIG welder
hose and used the stainless steel liner.
I recently found a company in New York who have offered to cloth wrap some
steel inner cable to replicate that cloth covered stuff from the 1930-40's.
At $4.75 a foot it is pricey. Especially as I have to buy plastic covered
cable over here, strip it and then post it to the USA. Then I have to find a
way to paint it.
I am surprised to learn that this cloth covered cable is not available to
motorcycle restorers. They happily spend a fortune on a 1920's rebuild (for
instance) , authentic down the last nut and bolt and then put plastic
covered control cables on it. I have enquired after it in the UK, Australia
and the USA. The company, Rhode Island Wire, have a cloth wrapping machine
but they use it to make authentic wiring looms for old cars.
I am sure there is a market for old style cloth covered and plastic ribbed
cable in various colours and diameters. Albeit small so perhaps not worth
setting up a machine for. Perhaps a producer in China could be found? Then
we would need the correct ferules too.
A can of worms. Mark Stevens Evanton Scotland