1. The method of forming a plurality of base terminal loops spaced along the length of an insulated conductor which comprises: providing a wire conductor with a loose-fitting insulating jacket within which the wire is bodily movable; punching two terminal loops from the wire out through its insulation adjacent the center of the conductor, the wire being pulled bodily within its insulation from opposite ends to supply material for the loops; punching two additional terminal loops in the same manner and spaced from the original loops towards the ends of the conductor while anchoring the original two loops in punch position so as to pull the wire to form the new loops only from the opposite ends of the conductor; and punching additional terminal loops in the same manner at spaced intervals along the length of the conductor while anchoring each immediately previously formed loop in punch position so as to pull wire to form the new loops only from the ends of the conductor.

2. The method of forming base terminal loops on a multiple wire flat ribbon cable comprising: providing a plurality of parallel wire conductors with loose fitting insulating jackets within which the wires are bodily movable and which are arranged as a flat ribbon cable; punching two groups of terminal loops in the wires through their insulating jackets adjacent the center of the cable, the loops of each group being in longitudinally and transversely spaced relation in a staggered pattern, and the wires being pulled bodily within their jackets from opposite ends to supply material for the loops; punching two additional groups of terminal loops in the same manner and spaced from the original two groups of loops toward the ends of the cable while anchoring the original two groups of loops in punch position so as to pull the wires to form the new loops only from the opposite ends of the cable; and punching additional groups of terminal loops in the same manner at spaced intervals along the length of the cable while anchoring each immediately previously formed group of loops in punch position so as to pull wires to form the new loops only from the ends of the cable.

9. Apparatus for forming base terminal loops on a multiple wire flat ribbon cable comprising: means for supporting a multiple wire flat ribbon cable in punching position; first and second punch means disposed on one side of said cable; means mounting said first and second punch means for punching movement toward said cable to punch terminal loops therefrom and for bodily movement in opposite directions from the center toward the ends of the cable; third and fourth punch means mounted alongside said first and second punch means on the same side of the cable and movable both in punching operations and in simultaneous bodily movement, respectively, with said first and second punch means; die means on the opposite side of said cable cooperating with said punch means in the formation of terminal groups in the cable wires; said die means being movable with the punch means longitudinally of the cable and being movable toward the cable to receive the punch means in the loop-forming operation; means for effecting movement of the die means toward the cable into position to receive the punch means; and means for effecting movement of the punch means toward the cable in the sequence of the first and second inner punch means in advance of the operation of the third and fourth outer punch means.