Cartridge Tool: needle nose crimping pliers

[Alonski]

Anyone know where to find a tool to safely crimp tonearm wire clips to cartridge pins for best contact?

Cheers,
Alón

[Alec124c41]

I tin both sides, then solder them.

Cheers,
Alec

[Ottermel]

I think you meant to say you solder the sleeves to the lead wires not to the cartridge pins, then you have to unsolder every time you change cartridges and besides the heat from the soldering iron does no good to the cartridge components.

[Alec124c41]

Sometimes I'm up too late.
Pinch the clips so that they are a tight fit on the pins when you slide them on. Crimping is not recommended.

Cheers,
Alec

[audiopile]

In terms of technique - just to make this clear. Don't try and crimp the clip onto the pins while the clip is installed onto the pin. This doesn't work all that well. I'd suggest using a surgical clamp aka hemostste to hold the base of clip and then very carefully and gently crimp the clip slightly tighter with a good needle nose pliers.When you've done this right the clip will slide onto the pins - but grip the pin quit securely. If it doesn't -start over and close the clip up very slightly more until it does.
I always liked this about Grado carts - their larger diameter connecting pins made a nice firm contact almost every time you switched from their competitors phono cartridges to the Grado. Downside - if you switch back to a lot of other carts from a Grado - you needed to tighten the clips up a little bit to get a solid low resistance connection.
Slightly off topic - I really like the Michell cartridge clips as replacements/upgrades to everything else I've run into.Right down to the weep hole that lets rosin/flux run out as you're soldering them on - these things are reasonable to install and last longer in use switching between carts than any other type I've tried.

[natty_dredd]

If I have a cart with thinner than usual pins, I just give the tags a quick close with some pliers before I fit them.

[Whitneyville]

Hemostats are the perfect "little tool" for lots of things. They are little needle nose pliers, vises, heat sinks, and more. I prefer the mosquito curved tip myself in a 150mm size for most things, but I have some 50mm ones and some 250mm ones and sizes in between. I hit up my dental hygentist for her damaged dental picks and tools and I re-grind them for new "tools" I want.