Can you crimp wire in high temperature butt splices with a bolt cutter My engineers say they will arc and cause problems. I think it works fine but what do I know?

Answer 1

A butt splice must be crimped with the proper tool and proper die to get the full compression that the splice needs. In most cases the barrel butt splice should be the same manufactures name as the tool that is used to crimp it. Bolt cutters are used just as the name applies for cutting bolts. Bolt cutters have a cutting knife edge and when used to crimp butt splices there is not enough contact of the surface area on the splice. This knife edge also weakens the splice, as the material of the splice is separated before enough pressure can be applied to tighten the splice to the wire inside the barrel.