Restoring Cable Memory?
 

I have some stingers that were left all bent up in the corner of our equipment room, and now they are impossible to wrap due to being stuck bent for so long.
Basically it's like opening a new extension cord from lowes, the cable is warped and there is no cable memory to be wrapped correctly.
Main point:
Is there any way to restore the cable memory and straighten out the cables?

I have heard rumors of letting them sit out in the sun for a couple hours they'll warm up and 'melt' themselves back into shape.

OFTEN, it's the braid that picks up the "memory" and not the rubber/plastic.

The longer you leave a cable stretched out straight in a warm environment, the better the chance you MAY be able to restore a "happy coil" but I've tossed many a VIDEO cable that never came back after a well intentioned lackey disobeyed my DIRECT ORDER to leave cable wrapping to me.

Likewise, I've had mostly good luck with high-quality cables stretched out on a warm sunlit driveway in the middle of summer for a few hours.

"I've had mostly good luck with high-quality cables stretched out on a warm sunlit driveway in the middle of summer for a few hours."

And if you lay back in a hammock and watch, the tension diminishes and all is well.

So true... perhaps a cold beverage and someone to serve it...

It occurs to me that I could offer cable-relaxing service to DVInfo subscribers, I'll move to someplace warm year-round, ya'll can send me your tired, your worn cables and a suitable contribution... Oops, Chris says no marketing without permission, but, Don, you've started a few ideas circulating! Thanks.

Wrap the XLRs in Gladwrap, run the cables in your microwave for 20 secs. Try and keep them looped on the centre turntable.

Disclaimer. I've never done this, it was told to me by a guy who is now out of the industry.

Cheers.

I don't recommend putting anything with metal in a microwave oven. Of course 20 seconds is pretty short but still. For a more detailed discussion see this

WikiAnswers - Can you put metal in a microwave oven

Hmmm... I smell something fishy... <grin>

Please don't put cables into a microwave. Have you heard of arcing? If not, you will know all about it if you put cables into microwave. Whoever thought of this must be in the running for the Darwin Award.

Dan

I've never tried it but you could wrap the cable in old towels/rags, put it in the dryer, then hang it after its sufficiently warmed.

if you want them to smell good don't forget the fabric softner ;p

In some neighborhoods the kinks might not disappear but the cable will.

Regardless of how you relax the cable, be sure to wear ear protection as you straighten it. All the sounds trapped behind the kinks come rushing out at once and it makes a hell of a racket.

Really? I thought The Kinks broke up?