On 12/29/2013 10:33 AM, Ralph Mowery wrote:

"philo " wrote in message
...

Oh, we just used those for auxiliary contacts, I usually worked with the
350AMP connectors where heating could be significant.

When soldering was mentioned, I was thinking for around # 12 wire or
smaller. I worked around everything from very small wire around # 26 to
some of the 000 sizes. Never soldered anything. Had to use some hydraulic
crimping tools on the larger stuff. Hand tools just would not do a good
job. I doubt anyone would think of soldering the wires that are over 1/4 of
an inch or larger.
There were some ground wires that were cadwelded, but I don't count that as
solder.

The place I worked for had thousands (maybe millions) of crimped or wire nut
connections. Almost never saw a crimp fail except when some dummy tried to
crimp solid wire. A few wire nut connections failed, but I suspect they
were not put on correcctly.

At one time around the house I did solder some of the molex connectors that
used from # 24 to # 12 wire. Not that I wanted to, but because I did not
have the proper crimp tool. Now I have the tools, I don't solder.


I quit soldering connections in the late 70's

In the 30 years I was crimping there were no problems.
(Other than my very first time.)

OTOH: Guys in the shop sometimes soldered and got the contacts
contaminated...and the connector would eventually melt due to the heat.


The only time we used a foot-operated hydraulic crimper was in a nuclear
power plant when we used 300mcm cables.


Normally 4/0 was the max. we'd deal with.