Jemerb's Megadrum

[Firelord]

does anybody have a nice technique for squeezing them without breaking them?

If you're talking about the IDC cable, then yeah, sure. It requires some skill, but essentially you should simply use a small vice for this job (that is unless you have an IDC crimp tool).

[kurtus420]

pump pliers worked well for me on the idc cable, just adjust them so they bottom out as you tighten and work from side to side until evenly clamped.