I've worked in a venue doing AV for over 30 years. I have wrapped thousands of cables. This is the first video I have seen that goes deep into why we do it the way we do. I even learned a few things and will be enen more proficient now. I'm going to use this as a training video for all my new AV techs because I want them to know not just the how but also the why behind these methods. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, you are obviously someone who knows cable and I respect that.
I used to work as an A/V tech and when I was being 'trained', they wouldn't let me take the time to understand how it worked and actually made fun of me for not figuring it out within 10 seconds. I ended up doing a lot of over overs because of that until I naturally figured out a better way on my own. This video proves that not everybody figures it out in 10 seconds. Thanks for posting it.
More than 50 years on this planet, and some random TH-cam video teaches me how to coil a cable. Unreal. So, THANK YOU! I have a feeling my air compressor hoses and garden hoses thank you too.
I’ve been playing guitar and bass for 58 years. I never knew this. Thanks for showing me and I will show all my students this and require that they show their friends.
OMFG, I feel like a total idiot. This is so simple and so obvious and pure genius. Can’t believe I’ve never just figured it out on my own! This was the video I didn’t know I needed until I watched it. Thank you 10^6
This is applicable to so many things beyond just standard AV gear. I do lots of Radio work and antenna wire is a PITA, we often coil it much like spooling it to maintain that natural curve. This seems like a much better method for cables during non permanent ops. Not to mention network cable. Where have you been for the past 25 years of my life! 😂
I have no idea why this was recommended to me, BUT I’M SO GLAD IT WAS! I just went out and over-undered my garden hose, which always gets twisted…this method works like a champ! Then I did the hose for my air compressor…awesome. All my extension cords are now laying in the sun to warm up and relax before I recoil them over-under. I like the daisy-chain loop method for those cords, except for storage - they will be much more compact now. THANK YOU, and thanks to the weird TH-cam algorithm!
I was told in high school that this was the correct way, but I had never bothered to learn. Thanks for the excellent video with not only the "how" but the "why" so clearly articulated. I'll have to start rehabilitating some of my cables!
I learned this years ago, watching "This Old House". Tom Silva pulled the show's gaffer into the camera, to show everyone this method of cable/cord wrapping. He had never noticed it before and thought everyone should see and use it. He was right. I wrap both my power cables and air hoses this way. Remember though, flat cables Always get wound flat. 😁✌🖖
Thanks for mentioning this, I just found that video. "How to Coil an Extension Cord | This Old House" It's a very short demo of this method in that video so it's nice to see an in-depth explanation of it here. I'm still not completely sold on this method though, there is an old figure-8 method that works quite easily on long cables and ropes and I find it far more intuitive and gives the same results. I also like the bucket method mentioned in the This Old House episode for certain situations.
Been doing this for years and it has not only saved me time but also cables which all adds up to real money in the bank. We also use the last two rounds to kind of knit the end around the coiled cable to act as a natural tie. This tie can be annoying to undo at times but having the Velcro or other ties adds cost and one more thing to keep track of and clean. The chain stitch used by a lot of the construction trades works but it puts more bends in the cable adding to the work hardening of that internal copper or other wire - a coiled cable does less of that and stack or hangs better during moves and storage.
You can spot without binoculars a mile away if a person is someone you want to work with at a festival gig by how they're coiling up a cable. Glad for a clear guide to this on TH-cam, thank you for sharing!
I've been using figure 8s forever. I may give this a shot. I play acoustic but I use air hoses and extension cords and rope all the time on my small farm. Good stuff, man. Thanks!
I do it mostly like the first roadie wrap, except one big difference. When I extend my arm to go for the grab for my under, I open my palm and face it forward as opposed to your fist forward. I grab the cable and bring my wrist in and rotate it to put the cable under. Your way messes with my coordination. When I get knots, it can be what you said about tossing from the wrong end, but a lot of times it's 50 ft or 100 ft+ mic cable or 14/3 power or 12/3 power. I can't seem to wrap it without overlapping it, or tie it without bundling up the nice wrap I just did. So I don't throw it out - I just lay it out one or a few over/unders at a time. One tip I learned, especially for cables carrying power (feeder and portable extensions) is always start at the male/plug side and end at the female side. This is to ensure the power is disconnected for safety purposes without really having to think or question. A lot of times you can't see both termination points at once.
For power cables, I also start with the male end, because I don't want the male prongs getting banged up, as it gets pulled across the pavement/ground/floor/whatever. I wrap my air hoes the same way and start with the male, for the same reason. 😁✌🖖
I've watched a few cable wrap demonstrations and yours is the best for sure. The fact you take the time and explain the do's and don'ts and clearly show SLOWLY how it's done clicked in my brain. Before I was doing the under loops the same as the over, just with a weird wrist flick motion. I just went and re-wrapped all my cables like a pro. Time to order that sweet looking rattlesnake weave cable.
Thank you. I finally get it 😂. If I wind laid out cable onto a reel the problem doesn't exist but if I use my usual over over method to wrap it into a loop I'm actually twisting the cable in a corkscrew whilst holding one end tight!
Great video. Appreciate the multiple views, and detail. If you ever update the video, or do a follow up, you might go in depth on that cable throwing technique. As a layman who knows how to over under. I often find, especially when things get packed up hastily, cable ends get flipped around, and I get the 'knots' scenario.
I've been trying to get this for years. I just paused the video and did my 100' lawn cord with loops as long as my wingspan, and it worked. Sheesh. Take your damn "like", already.
Excellent it is correct. I have 40 year old power extension cords that are still in perfect shape because when the wire is wrapped over & under there is no tension on the wire it will be relaxed as its stored. Whats really cool is you can tech a cord to relax. if you buy an new power extension it will be wrapped like a garden hose loop loop its a mess to store. if you wrap it back up over & under and let it sit on the hook it will unloop itself and remember that over under relaxed memory. The other important thing to make it easy to pull out a uniform length on every loop is I like to hold the hand holding the roll against my right hip bone the one that protrudes at your waist line. Hold the loop there palm out to load the wire and pull the free hand out to the proper wire length for each loop.Its hard to get correct lengths if both hands are in space and one at least not fixed.
probably one of the most valuable videos on TH-cam and I’ve watched hundreds of thousands of them. Thank you so much for this. I used to think I was pretty good at it. I just learned today I am not. I’m gonna start practicing technique tonight.
Very comprehensive explanation. While I already knew these things and just needed to be reminded of the technique I thought your thorough and clear explanation was worth commending
Thanks for the load out lesson. Playing guitar and wrapping up cables the wrong way for 32 years. 😂 I learned something new today. You're the best Hank! 🤟
I'm a carpenter for 40 years, coiled many a cord, over and over. As the memory develops in the cord, I sometimes throw in an under wrap, but didn't know why. Thanks for the explanation, I'll do it right from now on, I promise!
I learned this as an apprentice in a machine shop for electrical cables and hoses. The owner expected them to be put away this way. I never gave it much thought till I tried teaching some of the help in my shop. Some people can pick this up in a couple minutes. But for some reason some people have a really hard time wrapping their heads around it.
I get cable from manufacturers and cables always tangled up. Tried this rn 3 times both ways just the way you did it. It just works ty for this shared with fam
The first test my advanced video production professor gave was an over under cable wrapping test. That was it; show up and properly wrap a 25ft XLR cable. I'm so thankful for that lesson. I still use it for everything
Great video! I was always good at coiling and organizing cables properly, but learn over-under until I helped with video at college. Cheers to the late Don Reiber, director of media services at the University of Toledo!
Hello I started learning Over Under Cable wrapping in the film studio some 40 or more years ago. We were thought with aircraft cable and Piano wire used to fly actors on set. If you got it wrong oh boy you would get your knuckles wrapped. I would call your method Left Handed as I learned the reverse of the hands. Great stuff and thanks for the video, well done.
Also works great with the tow rope when wakeboarding and what-not. You can just toss it out there, take up the slack and it straightens right out with no annoying tangles.
Awesome video! I actually downloaded it so I can reference it the next time I'm wrapping up my extension cords. Also, I have a couple older extension cords that have this twisted curly warp to them and I never knew why. Apparently it's the wire inside the sheath of the extension cord that's twisted from doing only "overs".
I have a polyurethane air hose that is the bane of my existence. I'm gonna have to try this technique to roll that thing up to see if it will lay flat after unrolling it. If I can get that thing to roll out and lay flat, I will forever use this technique to roll up all me cords and hoses. I'm a 40yr veteran carpenter and it takes a sound guy to teach me how to roll up a hose.
I learned how to do this when I was in college. I worked as a gaffer on a TV show. The first thing they taught me was a gaffers coil. Same as a roadie wrap.
Brilliant. I have always used "figure 8" wrapping but there's a limit on how big a bundle one ends up making. Figure 8's are especially useful for smaller, shorter cables such as can be wrapped between two outer fingers.
Thanks for the education. makes perfect sense when you present it that way and I can see how it helps to protect the wires INSIDE the cable as well. Great job and Great cables!
We rock the second method when the loops need to be smaller and more precise. Every cable that's in a box is wrapped this way, and every cable on a dealer wall is too.
Other way is to do a figure eight wrapping, that is/was specially true for the heavy tri-coax cables for analog TV camera. That can be useful for water hose. It has the same result of inverting the twists= at each time. My dad taught me the fine art of cable coiling when I was like 10 yo, he was the one supervising fleets of analog TV cameras (at that time, there was even on guy following the camera and cameraman, he was in charge of making sure the cables were following untangled). When you wrap an extension cord around your arm, you can make a figure eight. When you wrap the power cord around your drill, make a figure eight.
Excellent video, when wrapping/coiling small diameter cables like microphone or guitar, I keep the cable in my finger tips and role the cable instead of trying to flip it with my hand. You need a second video to address larger cables like Socapex or feeder.
I was not underwhelmed when I watched this video. Instead, I cheered and then immediately sent a cable to my mom via' Western Union letting her know to watch. Thank you. Cheers from So.Ca.USA 3rd house on the left (please call before stopping by)
Thanks, ill share thre video with others who are learning the craft. I hold Right and flip with my left. Your 'reversed' method might be easier for right handed folks to learn. ( I'm a righty, but do some things left-handed, like this)
This works great for flexible cable that are not too overly long. For stiffer cable, like thick coax, it's harder to do. You get kinks "downstream" since you are introducing a twist in the remaining part of the cable. For those cases I find that doing the figure 8 thing, that rock climbers do with rope, works a bit better.
Yes, the figure 8 is best, for those cables which are of greater length and/or girth, which are difficult to hold in your hand. Just make an 8, on the ground/floor and pick up, in the middle, with two hands. Just like downtown. 😁✌🖖
This is great; I am a fan of this method but I was hoping you'd cover the big drawback and you did. I once used this on a 100 foot boat anchor rope, and before I realized what was happening I had about 30 tight overhand knots in my anchor rope ha. Just be REALLY careful not to pull the end through the center.
I think this is the first video I've seen on over under. There's something you missed pointing out. When you wrap over over, it becomes a coil. An inductor. This can pick up unwanted noise from an electrical cable or noisy walwart. Conversely, if it's a power cable, it can heat up causing a voltage drop. I tried it once with a 100foot power cord and my weed Wacker. The power cord got warmer. It's funny. I just taught someone last night. Thanks for the video.
Thanks. I agree with the induction (especially with extension cords). But, typically, instrument cables are stretched out when in use and coiled for storage.
Extension/power cords should Always be used laid straight. If there are any coils, they should Not be layered. Electronic circuit voltages (low) are not dangerous but are not good, for the circuits. Line voltage can be very dangerous. 😁✌🖖
Got it at 6:06! That's on you, Hank, EXCELLENT instructions. Exciting stuff, I'll be practicing this for some time, it's going to be my go-to. The secondary method, even cooler 😎 I will be doing it your way from now on!
A word of caution. Do not use over/under with fiber optic cables. This can cause a lateral break in the fiber. Fiber optic likes to be rolled on to a form/reel.
I've been trying to get my wife n kids to roadie wrap their iphone cables but they refuse and end up replacing their cables ever 6mo. Here I am on year 4 with my charging cables.
the over-under is indeed the correct way to do it for the reasons mentioned (over-over means you're twisting the cable lengthwise the whole time, the free end is spinning around while you wrap and unless you find a way to "unspin" that end as you unwrap you end up with a mess) my problem with it is i use it on my 15' guitar cables, ending up with that about 12" loop that i then velcro tie off, but i have a hard time telling which way to grab the ends when unwrapping; i have about a 1 in 3 chance of ending up with the row of overhand knots in my cable what's the trick for keeping the ends from migrating through the loop accidentally?
I think the best way for me to is always make sure the coil is set up as a stack. There is a defined top and bottom or left and right. When I tie it up that is still in place. You could also make the 'top' of the stack plug longer as a 'tail' so you can visually see it's not going through the loops.
Thanks for this! I have a 50' ext. cord that's got permanent, tight waves in it from coiling it wrong. I also seems like newer ext. cords are jacketed, rather than molded into the casing. That seems to exacerbate the problem with the wires twisting inside the jacket. So, given the number of cords out there that look like kinked 80's hair, have you got a method for getting rid of the kinks? Thanks!
I feel ya! I would say getting the cable to relax with long loops over/under style and patience. I'm dealing with it now, and they are improving, but I have years of damage to correct. I love how my new-ish cables are are so nice - because I did the Over/Under from the start. Good luck!
@@RattlesnakeCableCompany Thanks for the reply. Only thing I could think of was taking it to the shop, bolting it the wall on one end and stretching is out to the other end of the shop(50') and either attaching it to a drill and spin it in reverse for a while. Perhaps tossing it in a low heat oven to soften and help take the memory out. Not really worth the time/cost for the ext. cord, but may be a good " Fuq around Friday" project. :D Cheers
If you notice, the wires are twisted around each other, inside the jacket and the jacket has been stretched, in the same direction. If you use the "new" method, you can keep it from getting worse but you will Never get it straightened out. In that respect, the cord is Fuqed. If it is too annoying, get a new one. 😁✌🖖
I have some extension cords that I have on a reel. As in I just connect one end of the extension cord to it and then turn the handle and the cord wraps up around the reel. My question is, can that damage the extension cord because I'm not doing the over under technique?
I would say as long as you make sure the twist is straightened out when you pull, and the let the reel twist back on the return. I've seen some seriously jacked up cords on these systems though.
Excellent…but I think it wasn’t mentioned that the looping is performed towards your body, not away. I got it correct the first time but I didn’t pay attention the second time and now I know why it was such a mess.
I don't think I think of it with the body in mind. It's away from the arm holding the loops though. So option #1 I go left to right.. so not towards my body. Option #2 I can see how that can be viewed as towards, but not sure. Either way, I'm glad you sorted it out!
With super thick, i.e. Feeder and very long/thick/heavy lines or snake, isn't there another way to wrap it, especially if wrapping directly into a road case? I saw a union/IATSE roadie with a video on this once but don't recall how to find it. Seems it was figure-8 into a case or a very big over-under variant but he placed it all on the ground as he went.
If you did a figure 8, on a flat surface,you would have the same thing. When you pick up the 8, in the middle, you now have a single circle, wrapped over and under. 😁✌🖖
I understand what you're doing, but I've found it much easier to start with the jack in my left hand pointing towards me rather than away from me. The way you are demonstrating this looks awkward awkward in that it uses movements unnecessary to achieve the same result.
@@RattlesnakeCableCompany You can roll the cable in your fingers, which is much less awkward, but simpler and quicker while achieving the desired result.
@@RattlesnakeCableCompany: it has been too long since I watched, to remember what you did but, for my power cords, I always start with the pronged end, in my hand, to keep it from flopping around, on the ground/floor and getting banged/bent up. If it is an air hose, the input end and if it is a water hose, the threaded end, for the same reason.😁✌🖖
Yes. I like to define "top" and "bottom" for the cable. Pulling the top will pull clean. Pulling from bottom will pull clean too..as long as you don't pull it through the loops.
I can't watch this. Every time you show an example of incorrect wrapping it's like nails on a chalkboard. I learned the over/under technique a long time ago and I've never looked back. It's physically distressing to deal with cables/cords that are done wrong. Thank you for making this video to educate the masses.
I have never heard it called wrapping a cable. I heard rolling up and coiling up. So that's something new. Although, I probably won't be using that because it makes me think of gift wrap or covering it with tape. As far as the right way and the wrong way... It's pretty pretentious to say this is the right way, and everything else is wrong. I will admit, this is by far the best way I have ever seen. But there's no way I would be so bold and think there might not be a better way.
The long term effect on the cable is BS, what about cable drums for long cables. They don't coil over-under yet are widely used for high performance cables in broadcast etc. Yes it stops tangling on short cables (even then you can deploy cables in a way to avoid that) but that's all.
When you lay out a hand wound cable, you are not pulling it off a spool/drum. When pulling it out of your hand, it is like pulling it off the axle end of a spool, which is the Wrong way, to take it off a spool. If you use this method, you can pull it out of your hand and it will always lay flat. If it could be wound this way, on a spool (ridiculously impractical), you could then pull it off the axle end and it would lay flat.
@@RattlesnakeCableCompany I think of wrapping cables as the outer skin that is _wrapped_ around a bundle of separate wires together. Usually done in cars and sich.
@@zapa1pnt Yes they do. But one of the multiple definitions still has to include the one being portrayed. I'm going to *_Bag_* the cables. Even though Bag has multiple meanings it does not include placing the cables in a *_Box._* Which also has multiple meanings which does not include a bag.
I have plenty of experience with people like you who don't want me to tell them how to avoid damaging my expensive cables. And when I ask you to refrain from touching my gear, you are always the guy who spazzes like a psycho and say that I am the one with a problem. Interesting compusion that you have, maybe you should seek professional help, is my advice.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 88 | คู่เอก "ป้อมเพชร vs อัสลามจอน"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1ZqTVVbMgbo/mqdefault.jpg)
I've worked in a venue doing AV for over 30 years. I have wrapped thousands of cables. This is the first video I have seen that goes deep into why we do it the way we do. I even learned a few things and will be enen more proficient now.
I'm going to use this as a training video for all my new AV techs because I want them to know not just the how but also the why behind these methods. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, you are obviously someone who knows cable and I respect that.
Wow! Thank you for the comment! Thanks for sharing this as a training video!
I used to work as an A/V tech and when I was being 'trained', they wouldn't let me take the time to understand how it worked and actually made fun of me for not figuring it out within 10 seconds. I ended up doing a lot of over overs because of that until I naturally figured out a better way on my own.
This video proves that not everybody figures it out in 10 seconds. Thanks for posting it.
Thanks for watching!
More than 50 years on this planet, and some random TH-cam video teaches me how to coil a cable. Unreal.
So, THANK YOU!
I have a feeling my air compressor hoses and garden hoses thank you too.
Thank you so much! Glad you liked it.
I’ve been playing guitar and bass for 58 years. I never knew this. Thanks for showing me and I will show all my students this and require that they show their friends.
@@dukeofearl4117 sharing the video would be amazing. Glad you liked it.
I've been doing it right but grabbing the wrong ends each time! I appreciate that part
Ooof.. yeah, that part can be painful!
OMFG, I feel like a total idiot. This is so simple and so obvious and pure genius. Can’t believe I’ve never just figured it out on my own! This was the video I didn’t know I needed until I watched it. Thank you 10^6
Glad I could help!
This is applicable to so many things beyond just standard AV gear. I do lots of Radio work and antenna wire is a PITA, we often coil it much like spooling it to maintain that natural curve. This seems like a much better method for cables during non permanent ops.
Not to mention network cable.
Where have you been for the past 25 years of my life! 😂
Nice to see Fred Armistan in the cable biz!
Um yeah.. that's me
@ seriously, great info. Looks like it will work well for rope and line too.
@@chiphill4856For rope, check out the Joe Brown flake. It is a similar principle but different technique
This the best over under cable cooling video I have ever seen. Thanks so much!
Amazing! Thank you!
if anyone knows how to wrap a cable...it's this man! this is who you listen to right here!
Thank you!!
I have no idea why this was recommended to me, BUT I’M SO GLAD IT WAS! I just went out and over-undered my garden hose, which always gets twisted…this method works like a champ! Then I did the hose for my air compressor…awesome. All my extension cords are now laying in the sun to warm up and relax before I recoil them over-under. I like the daisy-chain loop method for those cords, except for storage - they will be much more compact now. THANK YOU, and thanks to the weird TH-cam algorithm!
Thank you youtube-algo! Glad you liked the video. This comment made my day.
Lawn mower cable, hosepipes, extension cables. So many applications.
I was told in high school that this was the correct way, but I had never bothered to learn. Thanks for the excellent video with not only the "how" but the "why" so clearly articulated. I'll have to start rehabilitating some of my cables!
Awesome! I'm glad this video was helpful.
How did YT know I _needed_ to see this? Great tutorial Hank, I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon getting my cable life in order.
Awesome! Thank you YT algo!
I learned this years ago, watching "This Old House".
Tom Silva pulled the show's gaffer into the camera,
to show everyone this method of cable/cord wrapping.
He had never noticed it before and thought everyone
should see and use it. He was right.
I wrap both my power cables and air hoses this way.
Remember though, flat cables Always get wound flat. 😁✌🖖
I loved that show!
Thanks for mentioning this, I just found that video. "How to Coil an Extension Cord | This Old House"
It's a very short demo of this method in that video so it's nice to see an in-depth explanation of it here.
I'm still not completely sold on this method though, there is an old figure-8 method that works quite easily on long cables and ropes and I find it far more intuitive and gives the same results. I also like the bucket method mentioned in the This Old House episode for certain situations.
@@edelweisstomner9009: Yes, the figure eight can be good, for those lengths too
long to bungle in one hand.
I HATE flat cables... Such a pain in the ass.
Been doing this for years and it has not only saved me time but also cables which all adds up to real money in the bank. We also use the last two rounds to kind of knit the end around the coiled cable to act as a natural tie. This tie can be annoying to undo at times but having the Velcro or other ties adds cost and one more thing to keep track of and clean. The chain stitch used by a lot of the construction trades works but it puts more bends in the cable adding to the work hardening of that internal copper or other wire - a coiled cable does less of that and stack or hangs better during moves and storage.
Very cool.
You can spot without binoculars a mile away if a person is someone you want to work with at a festival gig by how they're coiling up a cable. Glad for a clear guide to this on TH-cam, thank you for sharing!
Absolutely!
I've been using figure 8s forever. I may give this a shot.
I play acoustic but I use air hoses and extension cords and rope all the time on my small farm.
Good stuff, man. Thanks!
Figure 8s is a good move - especially for the super long cables - 75+
I do it mostly like the first roadie wrap, except one big difference. When I extend my arm to go for the grab for my under, I open my palm and face it forward as opposed to your fist forward. I grab the cable and bring my wrist in and rotate it to put the cable under. Your way messes with my coordination.
When I get knots, it can be what you said about tossing from the wrong end, but a lot of times it's 50 ft or 100 ft+ mic cable or 14/3 power or 12/3 power. I can't seem to wrap it without overlapping it, or tie it without bundling up the nice wrap I just did. So I don't throw it out - I just lay it out one or a few over/unders at a time.
One tip I learned, especially for cables carrying power (feeder and portable extensions) is always start at the male/plug side and end at the female side. This is to ensure the power is disconnected for safety purposes without really having to think or question. A lot of times you can't see both termination points at once.
For power cables, I also start with the male end, because
I don't want the male prongs getting banged up, as it gets
pulled across the pavement/ground/floor/whatever.
I wrap my air hoes the same way and start with the male,
for the same reason. 😁✌🖖
Great advice Hank. I'm sure a lot of younger cats out there aren't hip to that tip. Thanks for sharing man...keep on rockin'!
Thank YOU!
I've watched a few cable wrap demonstrations and yours is the best for sure. The fact you take the time and explain the do's and don'ts and clearly show SLOWLY how it's done clicked in my brain. Before I was doing the under loops the same as the over, just with a weird wrist flick motion. I just went and re-wrapped all my cables like a pro. Time to order that sweet looking rattlesnake weave cable.
That's great! Thank you. Right now you can use code VET20 to save 20% on that snake weave cable!
Thank you. I finally get it 😂. If I wind laid out cable onto a reel the problem doesn't exist but if I use my usual over over method to wrap it into a loop I'm actually twisting the cable in a corkscrew whilst holding one end tight!
Glad it helped
Great video. Appreciate the multiple views, and detail. If you ever update the video, or do a follow up, you might go in depth on that cable throwing technique. As a layman who knows how to over under. I often find, especially when things get packed up hastily, cable ends get flipped around, and I get the 'knots' scenario.
That's interesting. Yes, it's all about the 'stack' when you grab the cable and define 'top' and 'bottom' before throwing.
I've been trying to get this for years. I just paused the video and did my 100' lawn cord with loops as long as my wingspan, and it worked. Sheesh. Take your damn "like", already.
Glad it helped!
Also very useful for garden hoses and ropes
Love using this technique on hoses and rope.
Excellent it is correct. I have 40 year old power extension cords that are still in perfect shape because when the wire is wrapped over & under there is no tension on the wire it will be relaxed as its stored. Whats really cool is you can tech a cord to relax. if you buy an new power extension it will be wrapped like a garden hose loop loop its a mess to store. if you wrap it back up over & under and let it sit on the hook it will unloop itself and remember that over under relaxed memory. The other important thing to make it easy to pull out a uniform length on every loop is I like to hold the hand holding the roll against my right hip bone the one that protrudes at your waist line. Hold the loop there palm out to load the wire and pull the free hand out to the proper wire length for each loop.Its hard to get correct lengths if both hands are in space and one at least not fixed.
Nice! I like that hip bone technique!
probably one of the most valuable videos on TH-cam and I’ve watched hundreds of thousands of them. Thank you so much for this. I used to think I was pretty good at it. I just learned today I am not. I’m gonna start practicing technique tonight.
Awesome! Glad you liked it!
Very comprehensive explanation. While I already knew these things and just needed to be reminded of the technique I thought your thorough and clear explanation was worth commending
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the load out lesson. Playing guitar and wrapping up cables the wrong way for 32 years. 😂 I learned something new today. You're the best Hank! 🤟
The Over/Under is where it’s at!
I'm a carpenter for 40 years, coiled many a cord, over and over. As the memory develops in the cord, I sometimes throw in an under wrap, but didn't know why. Thanks for the explanation, I'll do it right from now on, I promise!
That's awesome! Glad the vid was helpful!
I learned this as an apprentice in a machine shop for electrical cables and hoses. The owner expected them to be put away this way. I never gave it much thought till I tried teaching some of the help in my shop. Some people can pick this up in a couple minutes. But for some reason some people have a really hard time wrapping their heads around it.
Thanks for the comment. I agree. They need to get that a-ha moment, and then it's automatic.
I get cable from manufacturers and cables always tangled up. Tried this rn 3 times both ways just the way you did it. It just works ty for this shared with fam
Awesome! Glad it worked.
The first test my advanced video production professor gave was an over under cable wrapping test. That was it; show up and properly wrap a 25ft XLR cable. I'm so thankful for that lesson. I still use it for everything
That's a great first test!
Great video! I was always good at coiling and organizing cables properly, but learn over-under until I helped with video at college. Cheers to the late Don Reiber, director of media services at the University of Toledo!
Finally! I've been searching for a really good explanation of how to do this, and this is the *best* one ever.
Thank you!
I'm glad you found it helpful!
Hello I started learning Over Under Cable wrapping in the film studio some 40 or more years ago. We were thought with aircraft cable and Piano wire used to fly actors on set. If you got it wrong oh boy you would get your knuckles wrapped. I would call your method Left Handed as I learned the reverse of the hands. Great stuff and thanks for the video, well done.
I'm a 'righty' , but wrap 'lefty' also. I need to learn the other way to be Abe to teach others more easily
Great Lesson. Just long electrical extension cords but this is as useful as hell to me! Thank You!
Awesome! Glad it helped with your extension cords.
Also works great with the tow rope when wakeboarding and what-not. You can just toss it out there, take up the slack and it straightens right out with no annoying tangles.
I use this for rope too!
Marvelous presentation. Thank you so much!
Awesome! Thank you!
I learned a thing! thanks 🙂
Excellent!
Awesome video! I actually downloaded it so I can reference it the next time I'm wrapping up my extension cords. Also, I have a couple older extension cords that have this twisted curly warp to them and I never knew why. Apparently it's the wire inside the sheath of the extension cord that's twisted from doing only "overs".
Yep, the cable is continuing to twist inside the PVC
I have a polyurethane air hose that is the bane of my existence. I'm gonna have to try this technique to roll that thing up to see if it will lay flat after unrolling it. If I can get that thing to roll out and lay flat, I will forever use this technique to roll up all me cords and hoses. I'm a 40yr veteran carpenter and it takes a sound guy to teach me how to roll up a hose.
That's awesome!
Been doing this for years but still learned something, especially that rattlesnake version. Excellent video.
Awesome! Glad you liked it!
To the front page! Thank you
Sweet!!
Wow, well done, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
You're welcome! Glad you liked it!
I learned how to do this when I was in college. I worked as a gaffer on a TV show. The first thing they taught me was a gaffers coil. Same as a roadie wrap.
That's great! Gaffers know their stuff.
Brilliant. I have always used "figure 8" wrapping but there's a limit on how big a bundle one ends up making. Figure 8's are especially useful for smaller, shorter cables such as can be wrapped between two outer fingers.
Thanks for watching. I haven't done much figure 8 in the past.
For vacuum cords, criss cross between the posts to facilitate ease when using the rotating post for quick release.
You're AWESOME. That was a great video. Thank you !!!
Thanks! Glad you liked it.
Can't believe I haven't heard of this. Thank you very much.
You're welcome! Glad you found it useful.
The best cable wrapping video on the Internet!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for the education. makes perfect sense when you present it that way and I can see how it helps to protect the wires INSIDE the cable as well. Great job and Great cables!
Happy to help!
Excellent video! ( wasn’t aware of the second roadie Rattlesnake technique wrap ) Thanks
We rock the second method when the loops need to be smaller and more precise. Every cable that's in a box is wrapped this way, and every cable on a dealer wall is too.
Other way is to do a figure eight wrapping, that is/was specially true for the heavy tri-coax cables for analog TV camera. That can be useful for water hose. It has the same result of inverting the twists= at each time.
My dad taught me the fine art of cable coiling when I was like 10 yo, he was the one supervising fleets of analog TV cameras (at that time, there was even on guy following the camera and cameraman, he was in charge of making sure the cables were following untangled).
When you wrap an extension cord around your arm, you can make a figure eight. When you wrap the power cord around your drill, make a figure eight.
Excellent video, when wrapping/coiling small diameter cables like microphone or guitar, I keep the cable in my finger tips and role the cable instead of trying to flip it with my hand.
You need a second video to address larger cables like Socapex or feeder.
I was not underwhelmed when I watched this video. Instead, I cheered and then immediately sent a cable to my mom via' Western Union letting her know to watch. Thank you. Cheers from So.Ca.USA 3rd house on the left (please call before stopping by)
"3rd house on the left"????
I hope it's not also the Last house.
😱😱😱 😁✌🖖
Thanks, ill share thre video with others who are learning the craft. I hold Right and flip with my left. Your 'reversed' method might be easier for right handed folks to learn. ( I'm a righty, but do some things left-handed, like this)
This works great for flexible cable that are not too overly long. For stiffer cable, like thick coax, it's harder to do. You get kinks "downstream" since you are introducing a twist in the remaining part of the cable. For those cases I find that doing the figure 8 thing, that rock climbers do with rope, works a bit better.
Yes, the figure 8 is best, for those cables which are of
greater length and/or girth, which are difficult to hold
in your hand. Just make an 8, on the ground/floor and
pick up, in the middle, with two hands. Just like downtown. 😁✌🖖
This is great; I am a fan of this method but I was hoping you'd cover the big drawback and you did. I once used this on a 100 foot boat anchor rope, and before I realized what was happening I had about 30 tight overhand knots in my anchor rope ha. Just be REALLY careful not to pull the end through the center.
Yeah, you have to watch your self. Man.. anchor rope? That would be a rough one to deal with.
@ haha it sure was. I was late to the game on this wrap so using it on everything. Gotta be careful though ha, I know now.
done good, thX
Thank you!
I think this is the first video I've seen on over under. There's something you missed pointing out. When you wrap over over, it becomes a coil. An inductor. This can pick up unwanted noise from an electrical cable or noisy walwart. Conversely, if it's a power cable, it can heat up causing a voltage drop. I tried it once with a 100foot power cord and my weed Wacker. The power cord got warmer. It's funny. I just taught someone last night. Thanks for the video.
Thanks. I agree with the induction (especially with extension cords). But, typically, instrument cables are stretched out when in use and coiled for storage.
@@RattlesnakeCableCompany I've seen them coiled. Look under any keyboard. They're usually coiled alongside the quad box. Very common.
Extension/power cords should Always be used laid straight.
If there are any coils, they should Not be layered. Electronic
circuit voltages (low) are not dangerous but are not good, for
the circuits. Line voltage can be very dangerous. 😁✌🖖
07:43 & I have just paused the video to try it out on my phone charging cable...
It is very grateful....
Amazing! Yes, it's satisfying with the phone charging cable!
Got it at 6:06! That's on you, Hank, EXCELLENT instructions. Exciting stuff, I'll be practicing this for some time, it's going to be my go-to.
The secondary method, even cooler 😎 I will be doing it your way from now on!
I rock both methods almost evenly. Good to have both techniques. Glad you liked it!
I’ve found that keeping my elbows tucked by my sides I can easily keep loops consistent.
Interesting!
About a month ago I showed the deck hands at work this, they thought I was a wizard or something.
You are a wizard!
A word of caution. Do not use over/under with fiber optic cables. This can cause a lateral break in the fiber. Fiber optic likes to be rolled on to a form/reel.
That makes sense!
I've been trying to get my wife n kids to roadie wrap their iphone cables but they refuse and end up replacing their cables ever 6mo. Here I am on year 4 with my charging cables.
Year 4 on that cord.. that IS impressive!
👍👍
could you please teach this to everyone in elementary school...
That would change the world ;)
the over-under is indeed the correct way to do it for the reasons mentioned (over-over means you're twisting the cable lengthwise the whole time, the free end is spinning around while you wrap and unless you find a way to "unspin" that end as you unwrap you end up with a mess)
my problem with it is i use it on my 15' guitar cables, ending up with that about 12" loop that i then velcro tie off, but i have a hard time telling which way to grab the ends when unwrapping; i have about a 1 in 3 chance of ending up with the row of overhand knots in my cable
what's the trick for keeping the ends from migrating through the loop accidentally?
I think the best way for me to is always make sure the coil is set up as a stack. There is a defined top and bottom or left and right. When I tie it up that is still in place. You could also make the 'top' of the stack plug longer as a 'tail' so you can visually see it's not going through the loops.
Thanks for this! I have a 50' ext. cord that's got permanent, tight waves in it from coiling it wrong. I also seems like newer ext. cords are jacketed, rather than molded into the casing. That seems to exacerbate the problem with the wires twisting inside the jacket.
So, given the number of cords out there that look like kinked 80's hair, have you got a method for getting rid of the kinks?
Thanks!
I feel ya! I would say getting the cable to relax with long loops over/under style and patience. I'm dealing with it now, and they are improving, but I have years of damage to correct. I love how my new-ish cables are are so nice - because I did the Over/Under from the start. Good luck!
@@RattlesnakeCableCompany Thanks for the reply. Only thing I could think of was taking it to the shop, bolting it the wall on one end and stretching is out to the other end of the shop(50') and either attaching it to a drill and spin it in reverse for a while. Perhaps tossing it in a low heat oven to soften and help take the memory out. Not really worth the time/cost for the ext. cord, but may be a good " Fuq around Friday" project. :D
Cheers
If you notice, the wires are twisted around each other, inside the jacket
and the jacket has been stretched, in the same direction.
If you use the "new" method, you can keep it from getting worse but you
will Never get it straightened out.
In that respect, the cord is Fuqed. If it is too annoying, get a new one. 😁✌🖖
🍻
Twist right twist left repeat
I have some extension cords that I have on a reel. As in I just connect one end of the extension cord to it and then turn the handle and the cord wraps up around the reel. My question is, can that damage the extension cord because I'm not doing the over under technique?
I would say as long as you make sure the twist is straightened out when you pull, and the let the reel twist back on the return. I've seen some seriously jacked up cords on these systems though.
Damn I can be a roadie now
Ooof... yeah, that part can be painful.
Those loops that are formed in the cable when you do it wrong are called a$$holes.
Yes.. that is correct. LOL
Excellent…but I think it wasn’t mentioned that the looping is performed towards your body, not away. I got it correct the first time but I didn’t pay attention the second time and now I know why it was such a mess.
I don't think I think of it with the body in mind. It's away from the arm holding the loops though. So option #1 I go left to right.. so not towards my body. Option #2 I can see how that can be viewed as towards, but not sure. Either way, I'm glad you sorted it out!
Can you show me that over-the-shoulder point of view left handed?
I'll have to try that with the left handed technique.
With super thick, i.e. Feeder and very long/thick/heavy lines or snake, isn't there another way to wrap it, especially if wrapping directly into a road case? I saw a union/IATSE roadie with a video on this once but don't recall how to find it. Seems it was figure-8 into a case or a very big over-under variant but he placed it all on the ground as he went.
If you did a figure 8, on a flat surface,you would
have the same thing. When you pick up the 8, in
the middle, you now have a single circle, wrapped
over and under. 😁✌🖖
I understand what you're doing, but I've found it much easier to start with the jack in my left hand pointing towards me rather than away from me. The way you are demonstrating this looks awkward awkward in that it uses movements unnecessary to achieve the same result.
I think your way is just as 'awkward,' just a different direction - assuming you're doing the 'under' motion.
@@RattlesnakeCableCompany You can roll the cable in your fingers, which is much less awkward, but simpler and quicker while achieving the desired result.
@@RattlesnakeCableCompany: it has been too long since I watched,
to remember what you did but, for my power cords, I always start with
the pronged end, in my hand, to keep it from flopping around, on the
ground/floor and getting banged/bent up. If it is an air hose, the input
end and if it is a water hose, the threaded end, for the same reason.😁✌🖖
Water hose
Can you lay the cord on the ground in a pile and pull the top and pull it all out without it getting tangled on itself?
Yes. I like to define "top" and "bottom" for the cable. Pulling the top will pull clean. Pulling from bottom will pull clean too..as long as you don't pull it through the loops.
Pretty much.
So cool of Fred Armisen to star in this for Rattlesnake.
I can't watch this. Every time you show an example of incorrect wrapping it's like nails on a chalkboard.
I learned the over/under technique a long time ago and I've never looked back. It's physically distressing to deal with cables/cords that are done wrong.
Thank you for making this video to educate the masses.
Oh man.. wrapping it incorrectly.. was BRUTAL for me. Thanks for watching!!
@RattlesnakeCableCompany
I could see your hesitation every time. Like your body was fighting a nasty virus.
You get it!
Air hose...
Just know there are different types of cable and they get wrapped different.
They told me it was the California method, because, you know, they go both ways...
I'm from California, actually, and hardly know anyone who does.
being left handed i find it hard to follow
I have never heard it called wrapping a cable. I heard rolling up and coiling up. So that's something new. Although, I probably won't be using that because it makes me think of gift wrap or covering it with tape.
As far as the right way and the wrong way... It's pretty pretentious to say this is the right way, and everything else is wrong.
I will admit, this is by far the best way I have ever seen. But there's no way I would be so bold and think there might not be a better way.
Thanks for the awesome comment!
The long term effect on the cable is BS, what about cable drums for long cables. They don't coil over-under yet are widely used for high performance cables in broadcast etc. Yes it stops tangling on short cables (even then you can deploy cables in a way to avoid that) but that's all.
When you lay out a hand wound cable, you are not
pulling it off a spool/drum. When pulling it out of
your hand, it is like pulling it off the axle end of a
spool, which is the Wrong way, to take it off a spool.
If you use this method, you can pull it out of your
hand and it will always lay flat. If it could be wound
this way, on a spool (ridiculously impractical), you
could then pull it off the axle end and it would lay flat.
I think that is called _coiling_ and not _wrapping_
Ok....
@@RattlesnakeCableCompany
I think of wrapping cables as the outer skin that is _wrapped_ around a bundle of separate wires together. Usually done in cars and sich.
@@dave_ecclectic: Many words have multiple definitions.
@@zapa1pnt Yes they do.
But one of the multiple definitions still has to include the one being portrayed.
I'm going to *_Bag_* the cables. Even though Bag has multiple meanings it does not include placing the cables in a *_Box._* Which also has multiple meanings which does not include a bag.
just go wireless. problem solved for good
@@pyoodiepie awesome! Post your 100% wire-free set up!
5:00 if want to skip the bs
15min to tell me how to wrap a cable?! No
Ok.....
15 min of information on how to do things correctly. I certainly learned a lot.
And years of doing it wrong. You do you boo boo.
I have plenty of experience with people like you who don't want me to tell them how to avoid damaging my expensive cables. And when I ask you to refrain from touching my gear, you are always the guy who spazzes like a psycho and say that I am the one with a problem. Interesting compusion that you have, maybe you should seek professional help, is my advice.