# Couple questions on military twist type connectors



## macfixer01 (Mar 27, 2011)

Hi All,
I have basically two questions for the more knowledgeable members. I bought a lot of these military type connectors and have been struggling with taking apart the various kinds shown, and other types in the box. Many of the female gold pins have what looks like stainless steel sleeves over a portion of the pin which would preclude cell stripping. At best the sleeves are hard to remove, and some just don't seem removable at all. How do you folks normally handle these pins? Do you just put them in a crock pot first to remove the steel and any solder? I didn't know if HCL would dissolve stainless or if something like nitric acid would be needed?




About the big Bendix connector on the right... Unfortunately several of the largest connectors in the lot contain only what looks like silver-plated pins. I have to wonder why they haven't turned black though since they're embedded in rubber which I assume contains sulfur? The pins really look to me like silver, but have a thin gold wash possibly, just at the solder end. If it isn't silver does anyone know the typical composition of pins like this? I tried looking up a number I found on one of the connectors but could only find sites for requesting quotes for purchase.

Thanks in advance,
macfixer01


----------



## lazersteve (Mar 27, 2011)

The canon plug it's self should have an NSN number on it that can give you all of the information you seek.

Break out a 10 power loupe and check the perimeter of the plug housing for a series of numbers.

Here's a thread on the topic:
NSN Lookup

Steve


----------



## rusty (Mar 27, 2011)

I sold this dogbone with canon ends from an old WWII RCA transceiver on ebay last year for over $200.00, you have gold mine. List those canon plugs on ebay under military go worldwide.

The RCA receiver and transceiver was leased to the UK, Russia and some other countries under the war effort. Sorry I could not find a better picture under such short notice.

When I found that old RCA it weighed 88 lbs, much to heavy to ship so i dismantled it and every part sold including the chassis screws. I know that your canon plugs will be a welcome item on auction.

Then you have the other military collectors who have jeeps and other rough terrain vehicles, the trailers all use canon plugs.

Good luck and hope you make some big bucks from your assortment of canon plugs.


----------



## macfixer01 (Mar 27, 2011)

lazersteve said:


> The canon plug it's self should have an NSN number on it that can give you all of the information you seek.
> 
> Break out a 10 power loupe and check the perimeter of the plug housing for a series of numbers.
> 
> ...




Hi Steve,
It looks like that site isn't working anymore. Anything I try to search for just pops up a white page saying Error at the top left. I tried to bring up the example link so I could substitute a similar part number but the example gives Page Not Found. I'm only finding 8-digit numbers or less on the Bendix connectors. Two totally different connectors both have the same number MS17348R printed in one spot then in another spot one has 36C10PW and the other says 28C12S. I thought at first they might indicate the number of pins but the former is a 48 pin connector and the latter is a 26 pin connector. A 37 pin connector has the same MS17348R along with 28C21SW. Two others connectors have stamped numbers in the casting, both have AN3102C at one side then at another side one says -36-10PW and the other says -36-7PW. It's just confusing me more.

Thanks,
macfixer01


----------



## rusty (Mar 27, 2011)

macfixer01 said:


> Hi All,
> I have basically two questions for the more knowledgeable members. I bought a lot of these military type connectors and have been struggling with taking apart the various kinds shown, and other types in the box.
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> macfixer01




Feed the plugs through a hammer mill. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:


----------



## macfixer01 (Mar 28, 2011)

rusty said:


> macfixer01 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi All,
> ...




Rusty,
So far I'm getting by with a small vice, a hacksaw, channel locks, and a pair of vice grips. The vast majority is the metal shells, too much junk to want to grind up everything even if I could.

macfixer01


----------



## Sodbuster (Mar 28, 2011)

macfixer01:
If your vise is up to it, you mite try cracking the casting off by pointing the pins up and crank down on the casting till it cracks. Rotate it 90 degrees and crack it again. 
The casting is fairly brittle and once cracked in quarters it almost falls apart if thay haven't been vulcanized.
I found this to be quicker than sawing the casting.

Ray


----------



## Anonymous (Mar 28, 2011)

The centers pop out of the housing fairly easily when manipulated.I mount the housing in a bench vice then use a different tool based on what the center compound is made of.Sometimes just a flathead screwdriver is all that is needed to pop the center out.If the center is made of soft rubber,then a lot of the pressure is released from the pins and they can be extracted easily.If the center is a hard plastic,then hit it softly with a hammer(on concrete).After a few soft hits the material is reduced to small bits and you can easily pick up the pins that are left behind.It takes a little getting used to,but me and my family can clear about 50 pounds of cannon(barrel) connectors in one night without any problem.I have some connectors here that weigh between 5-10 pounds each,they are really neat looking.Some were used for underwater sonar on a huge vintage navy ship.


----------



## lazersteve (Mar 28, 2011)

macfixer01 said:


> It looks like that site isn't working anymore.



Try this datasheet for the MS17348R-

Datasheet

The document lists gold with silver as one of the contact coatings.

Here's another good milspec lookup site posted by another member recently:

Milspec Lookup

Careful cutting and grinding on the housings as they contain Cadnium.

Steve


----------



## macfixer01 (Apr 3, 2011)

lazersteve said:


> macfixer01 said:
> 
> 
> > It looks like that site isn't working anymore.
> ...




Hi Steve,
I wanted to thank you for the updated link. I guess the pins in question are just silver plated, although I would have expected the sulfur in the rubber to turn it black. Maybe the vulcanizing has it locked up so it's unavailable. I believe too now that not all of these so called mil-spec or just old 1960's-1970's pins don't necessarily have all that much more gold plating. That is despite what fools are bidding on them, as if every type was a potential gold mine?

Almost forgot too, thanks for mentioning cadmium. Several of the connectors did look like they were galvanized.

Regards,
macfixer01


----------



## dtectr (Apr 3, 2011)

datasheetarchives.com


----------



## Harold_V (Apr 4, 2011)

macfixer01 said:


> I would have expected the sulfur in the rubber to turn it black.


They are most likely plated with rhodium.

Harold


----------



## Anonymous (Apr 4, 2011)

Harold,can you elaborate?Because I still have literally thousands of these from that naval destroyer in '09 .


----------



## Harold_V (Apr 5, 2011)

mic said:


> Harold,can you elaborate?Because I still have literally thousands of these from that naval destroyer in '09 .


The closest I can come is to relate a job I quoted when I was running my machine shop. It was a defense job (Univac), and required rhodium plating (an electrical contact of sorts). If I'm not mistaken, it offers resiliency and no corrosion problems, each desirable qualities in connectors. 

Truth is, I may be wrong. Try dissolving one in nitric. If the shell remains, pretty good chance it's rhodium. If it doesn't dissolve in AR, that's most likely what it is. 
If you think it may be silver plated, a quick test with Schwerter's will answer the question. 

Harold


----------



## Anonymous (Apr 5, 2011)

I will try it tomorrow on a small one,and let everyone know.But right now I am literally falling asleep at the keyboard.


----------



## macfixer01 (Apr 5, 2011)

One other thing. Part of my original question nobody touched on was how to handle the gold plated pins with the steel shells stuck on them?

Thanks,
macfixer01


----------



## Harold_V (Apr 5, 2011)

macfixer01 said:


> One other thing. Part of my original question nobody touched on was how to handle the gold plated pins with the steel shells stuck on them?
> 
> Thanks,
> macfixer01


Try a wash in HCl to remove the steel shell. Or try the same thing with dilute sulfuric acid. Incineration after that treatment should eliminate traces of acid for the next operation. I expect the shell in question is stainless steel. 

Harold


----------



## macfixer01 (Apr 5, 2011)

Harold_V said:


> macfixer01 said:
> 
> 
> > One other thing. Part of my original question nobody touched on was how to handle the gold plated pins with the steel shells stuck on them?
> ...




Thanks Harold. Stainless steel was what I assumed them to be also.


----------



## scrappile (Dec 24, 2012)

dtectr said:


> datasheetarchives.com




MS17348R36C10PW is part number
http://www.dlis.dla.mil/webflis/pub/pub_search.aspx
use part number box 
http://www.dlis.dla.mil/webflis/pub/pub_search.aspx
has NSN link
http://www.dlis.dla.mil/webflis/pub/pub_search.aspx?niin=5935014436645&newpage=1


----------

