In article ,
Grant Erwin wrote:

B.B. wrote:

These will be used separately.
I've decided that I'm going to try making solder connections since at
work we can't seem to keep he crip-on connecters in stock. But I've
never done any soldering before. If I'm going to be soldering 14 and 16
gage wires together (either end to end, or splicing in a branch) what
solder, what technique, and what soldering tool? Can I solder the ends
using a small butane torch or will this require a real soldering iron?
I'll never be soldering a wire directly to a component, but I may need
to solder on a terminal.

Soldering electrical wires is easy. However, it may be easier to get your work
to buy more crimp-on connectors than to buy a bunch of soldering supplies,
which
themselves will also go out of stock. Your call.

I tried that, it's easier to pull teeth out of a ****ed hippo, so now
I'm looking for workarounds. I don't do a whole lot of wiring, so I
shouldn't be consuming solder too fast to keep up with on my own dime.
Hell, where I work the seem adverse to buying anything that makes our
lives easier.

Start with the end in mind. Once you have your gorg-ass solder joint, how are
you going to insulate it? Many of us use heatshrink tubing, but you have to
remember to slip that on BEFORE you solder the joint. Other options are
electrical tape (don't cheap out here, get the good stuff, cheap electrical
tape
is a misery) or that goop-on stuff.

What would you consider "good" electrical tape? Will it not ooze
that black gunk adhesive out the sides after a while? How will I find
this tape? 3M?

To make a midair butt joint, I strip the ends of both wires the same length,
slip on a length of appropriately-sized heatshrink tube cut about 3X the
length
of the wire strip, then overlap the wires axially so the stripped ends are
next
to each other, and carefully twist them together axially. When you're done,
the
twist should look like the splice on a cheap coathanger, NOT like a stub
sticking out the side. Then heat the joint with your soldering tool until the
joint, not the tool, is hot enough to melt the solder, and immediately touch
the
solder to the joint. You don't need a boatload of solder, many newbies try to
run on way way too much. Keep the joint mechanically supported until the joint
cools, then slide the heatshrink over the joint and apply heat to shrink it in
place.

Can I get a quick explanation of rosin core vs. acid core vs.
whatever else I may run into? Is there one solder that's basically a
general-purpose type, rather than having to keep several around? AFAIK,
acid core is for dealing with stuff that has varnish or oxide over it.
The acid just takes off the varnish for you. Whereas rosin core is for
other stuff. I suppose freshly stripped wires fall under "other."

And the grease gun: anyone know how to locate a grease gun (manual,
preferably pistol-grip) that won't leak and dribble when the grease
starts to separate?

I suggest you buy a small one, and buy good quality grease. The good grease
will
be much less likely to separate, and the small gun will make it much more
likely
you'll use the grease up before the end of its (now much longer) shelf life.

GWE

I'm afraid that isn't an option. I have to use the grease that work
buys, which is cheap and runny. I use close to a pound of grease at a
time, so I also need to have a big gun. I try to leave it empty while
in the box, and only load it before I use it, but what's left inside
when "empty" still makes a mess when the shop gets hot.
I honestly do need a good grease gun.

--
B.B. --I am not a goat! thegoat4 at airmail dot net