Rist's Wires and Cables

[PaulM]

Hope this is the 'right' section!

Recently, whilst working on our 'Project Vivat' finishing off a camera PSU, I had cause to use some more of my stock of 1950s Marconi equipment wire manufactured by Rist's Wires and Cables.
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Rist%27s_Wires_and_Cables

Historically, I've always hated this stuff but now I appreciate it a bit more having used new old stock straight off the reel. We are fortunate in having a quantity of this wire donated to 'the cause' and very useful it's been too.

With time the wire cracks with movement after hardening in high-temperature valve kit but if you don't move it the insulation is good and of high integrity. Generally it survives just fine and cleans up well.
The new old stock is actually a delight to work with and I've changed my opinion!

The one problem I have is that I can't recall what we called this stuff at Marconi's. It was before my time (1975 on) and in broadcast kit at least it was no longer used. What did we call it? There's various Rist's trade names but I don't recognise them.

I hadn't realised until doing some searching just how big a company Rist's was and how important they were in aviation and military kit. Another one gone.

Best regards,

Paul M
Chairman, BECG
www.becg.tv

[vidjoman]

I think the cable shown is similar to one we used in the 1960’s to recon parts for military gear. Ours was not from Rists but another company and was known as Uninyvin. We also used a similar cable which had a woven screen between the outer fibre glass and the insulation and called Uninyvinmetsheath. This cable always came in random lengths as the machines making it would grind to a halt. Ordering 100 meters it would come on 3 or 4 reels and often with multiple deliveries over a week or two.

[duncanlowe]

Ah. Rists Wire and Cable. That reel is from Newcastle under Lyme. The factory is still there, although the company is now known as Leoni.

[PaulM]

Thanks for the response - 'Uninyvin' rings a distant bell and just 'Nyvin' another, but I'm not sure that's what it was called at Marconi's Chelmsford.

Looks like the stuff is still made by several companies and in various forms:

https://www.flexoncables.com/uninyvin-cables.php

What I really like about it is that it doesn't 'run back' like PVC (it behaves like PTFE or similar), but it's easy to strip and stays put when shaped.

Best regards,

Paul M

[MotorBikeLes]

I remember Rists well. I used to ride (push bike then) to school along the A34, past both Rists and the BTH (British Thompson Houston) factories on my way to school, mid '50s.
Later I lived in a pal's house whilst He took a job in S. Ireland, and the neighbour used to work for Rists. I think he designed wiring looms for cars and bikes. At some stage I acquired a load of odd crimp and solder connectors used on looms. Most were useless for motorbike stuff, and almost impossible to solder. No idea why. I still have a few I think.
Les.

[McMurdo]

Rists, later Lucas-Rists were split into the far more convenient-sounding companies under 'Leoni Wiring Systems' and 'Sumitomo Electric Industries'. As duncan says, the factory, or at least part of it, is still there at Lower Milehouse Lane, the rest being given over to industrial units and housing. It was such a big factory in its day that it had its own bus stops within the factory.
They were a regular call for me, the last jobs being to get the last of the big bunching and flash-test machines working as they were being moved to a factory in Eastern Europe. At the time they were making mains flex and twin-and-earth. I later went to sumitomo's new-build factory on a neighbouring industrial estate to fix a machine that tested and inserted blade car fuses into fuseboards, originally done at the Rists site for several UK car manufacturers. My first job as apprentice was, working for a sub-contractor, inspecting solder joints on rists fuseboards for the new jaguar XJ6, rists being heavily involved in made-up automotive wiring looms from the early days.

[telstar]

Originally Posted by PaulM

Hope this is the 'right' section!

Recently, whilst working on our 'Project Vivat' finishing off a camera PSU, I had cause to use some more of my stock of 1950s Marconi equipment wire manufactured by Rist's Wires and Cables.
https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Rist%27s_Wires_and_Cables

Historically, I've always hated this stuff but now I appreciate it a bit more having used new old stock straight off the reel. We are fortunate in having a quantity of this wire donated to 'the cause' and very useful it's been too.

With time the wire cracks with movement after hardening in high-temperature valve kit but if you don't move it the insulation is good and of high integrity. Generally it survives just fine and cleans up well.
The new old stock is actually a delight to work with and I've changed my opinion!

The one problem I have is that I can't recall what we called this stuff at Marconi's. It was before my time (1975 on) and in broadcast kit at least it was no longer used. What did we call it? There's various Rist's trade names but I don't recognise them.

I hadn't realised until doing some searching just how big a company Rist's was and how important they were in aviation and military kit. Another one gone.

Best regards,

Paul M
Chairman, BECG
www.becg.tv

Hi Paul.
I used to work at Simms Motor Units in Leeds pricing repair invoices for the various jobs that they did, and they had Rists cables in stock, I remember them well. There used to be many cables around in the 1970's like Ward & Goldstone, Ripaults, and Lucas.
Cheers
Mike