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.
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?

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

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.

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.

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.

If you use a soldering iron, I recommend you learn about keeping your tip clean,
tinned, and after it gets up to heat, wet it slightly by melting a bit of solder
with it. The molten solder will help the heat transfer from the tip to the wires.

If you use a small torch (I haven't done this much) you have to stabilize your
joint in midair, apply the torch flame, then lift the flame and INSTANTLY apply
the solder before the joint cools. It's easy to goop on a blob of solder with a
flame, but it will most likely be a cold solder joint and this is a bad thing.

There are excellent Web pages on the fundamentals of soldering. GTA.

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

In article , Grant Erwin says...

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.

Grant, the next time you're doing this, make up a couple of test joints.

Make one your usual way, and then make another, with the same stripped
length (oh, say a half inch for number 14 stranded) but make the second
one by simply tinning the two stripped ends, overlapping them, and
then sweating them together. If you feel like it you can sweeten
the joint with a touch of extra solder, but that's mostly to get some
extra flux in there. Basically it's a lap joint, the two conductors
lay side-by-side, and the solder flows when their heated with the
gun.

Then, destructively test both kinds of joints by clamping one end
in the vise and wrapping the other end around a dowel to pull on,
and simply pull till the joint lets go.

Compare the yeild force for one, vs the other. You might be suprised.

Jim


--
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

jim rozen wrote:

In article , Grant Erwin says...


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.


Grant, the next time you're doing this, make up a couple of test joints.

Make one your usual way, and then make another, with the same stripped
length (oh, say a half inch for number 14 stranded) but make the second
one by simply tinning the two stripped ends, overlapping them, and
then sweating them together. If you feel like it you can sweeten
the joint with a touch of extra solder, but that's mostly to get some
extra flux in there. Basically it's a lap joint, the two conductors
lay side-by-side, and the solder flows when their heated with the
gun.

Then, destructively test both kinds of joints by clamping one end
in the vise and wrapping the other end around a dowel to pull on,
and simply pull till the joint lets go.

Compare the yeild force for one, vs the other. You might be suprised.

Jim

Jim, I am certain you are better on an electronics bench than I am, but I was
taught to first make the mechanical connection and only then do the soldering.
Of course, I was like in Cub Scouts or something then, and I've soldered a whole
bunch of things by just juxtaposing them and fusing them together with solder,
but I wanted to pass along what I was taught.

Grant

"B.B." u wrote in message
news | 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.

I highly recomend you run out to the auto parts store and get one of
those terminal kits that have a tool and assorted terminals and splices in
it. Set you back for way less money and be way more reliable in the long
run, than an amateurish soldered wire splice.
I say this because soldering, while not hard to learn, is really easy to
get wrong and come up with a joint that will cause you no end to the
headaches. I've repaired enough of them to know, and one is too many.

| 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?

Not gonna happen. The suggestion to get a smaller gun that will get
used up sooner will do you better. Even the expensive grease guns at work,
with the very expensive grease that goes into airplanes still separate, so
they are kept in buckets or plastic boxes with "diapers" in the bottom for
that very reason.



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

If you have a copper rod - say 1/4" or 3/8" - put a wood handle on a length.
Then file a flat on one side and a steeper flat on the other - like a screw
driver, but 'thin' on the top side' and thicker on the bottom...

Clean up the sides with a slight taper - and this is your new soldering iron.
You can Tin plate or such - but the solder will do that.

With a torch - heat the rod until it starts getting red - that is hot.
Then:

On the upper part - and back side - you want to melt some rubber on it to prevent
solder from attaching. If you have an old boot - or someone isn't looking -
roll it around on the heal...

If you get some on the top - just use the file. Works faster when the copper is hot!

Now to tin the top and use it.
Using rosin flux solder - NEVER acid for electronics - Acid is for pipe and sheet metal....
Heat the iron and move the tip of the solder around the iron tip - let the flux flow out -
then add more pressure and get more metal to the copper.

If you have a plummer friend - he might have an iron he wants to get rid of -
and maybe a lead pot as well... their irons are much larger. (more wattage).

A Rough rule is have an iron 4x the size of the work. It has to store high temp
in a quantity to sink it to the work. Larger tips have more heat storage and last longer.

You could make a head out of 1/2" or 3/4" square stock as an example.

Martin

Martin Eastburn
@ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net
NRA LOH & Endowment Member
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder



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.

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.

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.

If you use a soldering iron, I recommend you learn about keeping your
tip clean, tinned, and after it gets up to heat, wet it slightly by
melting a bit of solder with it. The molten solder will help the heat
transfer from the tip to the wires.

If you use a small torch (I haven't done this much) you have to
stabilize your joint in midair, apply the torch flame, then lift the
flame and INSTANTLY apply the solder before the joint cools. It's easy
to goop on a blob of solder with a flame, but it will most likely be a
cold solder joint and this is a bad thing.

There are excellent Web pages on the fundamentals of soldering. GTA.

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

----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

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

On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 11:14:58 -0600, "B.B."
u wrote:

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?

3M is good.


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."

Don't use acid core solder on electrical stuff, period. The acid flux
residue will eventually corrode the joint. Use rosin core solder on
electrical stuff, leave the acid core solder in the plumbing kit.

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?

Plews makes some pretty good guns. Mine doesn't leak.

B.B. wrote:
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."


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

Rosin-core is just that, solder with a rosin core. There's also an
activated rosin core that's more expensive but worth it for joints that
are oxidized and otherwise hard to clean. Rosin isn't as an aggressive
as other fluxes at removing oxides, joints should be bright metal,
scrape or sand or do whatever you have to to get bright metal, then
don't handle with greasy fingers afterwards. Can be used for
mechanical joints, too, just not very aggressive with joining up steel
parts or galvanized

"Acid" core stuff usually has zinc chloride("killed" acid used to be
the old plumbers' term) as the active ingredient, it's supposed to be
used for mechanical joints, gutters, architectural sheetmetal, etc.
It's not used on electrical joints at all, period. The residue will
sit there and slowly convert your wires into copper chloride, even with
water flushing you can't be sure that the flux didn't get into the
insulation. Works great for its intended use, though. This stuff will
rust any steel within breathing distance, too.

There's also paste fluxes with zinc chloride, ammonium chloride and/or
rosin in them, these are intended for much larger-scale projects where
they'd use a 5 lb soldering copper and a blowtorch in the old days,
like roofing and large gutters. Don't use on electrical joints,
either.

In some areas, all you can get is the tin-based, lead-free solder, this
probably has it's own peculiarities. As long as the flux isn't choride
based, it's probably OK for electrical joints. I haven't had to use it
yet on anything but plumbing, but the time will probably come.

Stan

B.B. u 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

Get a decent solderin iron. They really do make a differnce. The blue
handled Wellers with a plug on one end are excellent. They're like $30 or
so, and tips might be $4.

Even a 30 watt model can do what you are describing. Use a fat tip.

Twist the wires together so they don't fall apart.

Clean the soldering iron tip. Add solder after it's hot until it's shiny,
wipe the tip of on a wet sponge to get the crap off. They block heat flow.
Your tip should always be shiny.

Heat the copper joint to be soldered. Test it by prodding it with some
rosin cored 60/40 electronic solder. If it's hot enough, the solder will
melt easily and start to wick into the copper if its stranded, or start to
flow over the wire if it's solid. If it's doesn't melt on contact, wait a
few more seconds, and try again.

Don't solder by blobbing solder from the iron on the joint. It doesn't
work. Solder will suck into a properly heated joint like a sponge. You
don't want too much solder either- just enough to fill the gaps.

Good contact with a clean iron tip is key. You can melt some solder onto
the tip just before touching it to a joint to make the heat flow better to
what you're soldering. Crappy $5 soldering iron's don't stay tinned
nicely, the handles get hot and burn your hands, and the tips are too weak
to be useful, not to mention they take too long to heat up. I'm good at
soldering, and find those irons hard to use. Those blue wellers are hard
to beat for good design and quality.

On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 15:50:30 -0600, Don Foreman
wrote:

On Sun, 01 Jan 2006 11:14:58 -0600, "B.B."
. ru wrote:

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?

3M is good.

I'll just add, either 3M "33" or "66". Usually the latter is
more expensive. Both of these age well (work good for years)
and flex good in cold temps.

If you blow through tape quickly (a roll per week/day) use
the cheap stuff for non-demanding work.

I always keep both cheap and good on hand. Use the cheap
stuff for pulling, homebrew band-aids... and the good stuff
when I really didn't want to see/fix it again.
--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b
Remove no.spam for email

"Leon Fisk" wrote in message
...


| I'll just add, either 3M "33" or "66". Usually the latter is
| more expensive. Both of these age well (work good for years)
| and flex good in cold temps.
|
| If you blow through tape quickly (a roll per week/day) use
| the cheap stuff for non-demanding work.
|
| I always keep both cheap and good on hand. Use the cheap
| stuff for pulling, homebrew band-aids... and the good stuff
| when I really didn't want to see/fix it again.
| --
| Leon Fisk

I second that plan. I still do that myself. As a former industrial
maintenance electrician, I always carried at least two rolls then. I went
through temporary applications like crazy, from pulling to short term
hookups. Stuff that I expected to stay put forever, I used Scotch 33+,
which is the best stuff there is. I have a few cheap rolls of other colors
as well, mostly to use for marking wires and such with a sharpie. I've
never used the 66 or 88, though.
The Scotch 70 is a gray tape that has no adhesive, and comes on a roll
with a cellophane backing. It's stretchy and sticks to itself. Gotta use
it with clean hands, but this is awesome stuff. They also make it in red
for high temp applications. Use it a lot on aircraft and high performance
applications. I really like that stuff, but it's very expensive, so I have
to pick the applications carefully. It won't punch through on sharp edges
like vinyl tape does.

On Mon, 02 Jan 2006 21:19:45 GMT, "carl mciver"
wrote:

"Leon Fisk" wrote in message
.. .


| I'll just add, either 3M "33" or "66". Usually the latter is
| more expensive. Both of these age well (work good for years)
| and flex good in cold temps.
|
| If you blow through tape quickly (a roll per week/day) use
| the cheap stuff for non-demanding work.
|
| I always keep both cheap and good on hand. Use the cheap
| stuff for pulling, homebrew band-aids... and the good stuff
| when I really didn't want to see/fix it again.
| --
| Leon Fisk

I second that plan. I still do that myself. As a former industrial
maintenance electrician, I always carried at least two rolls then. I went
through temporary applications like crazy, from pulling to short term
hookups. Stuff that I expected to stay put forever, I used Scotch 33+,
which is the best stuff there is. I have a few cheap rolls of other colors
as well, mostly to use for marking wires and such with a sharpie. I've
never used the 66 or 88, though.
The Scotch 70 is a gray tape that has no adhesive, and comes on a roll
with a cellophane backing. It's stretchy and sticks to itself. Gotta use
it with clean hands, but this is awesome stuff. They also make it in red
for high temp applications. Use it a lot on aircraft and high performance
applications. I really like that stuff, but it's very expensive, so I have
to pick the applications carefully. It won't punch through on sharp edges
like vinyl tape does.


Same here.

Gunner, machine tool service tech

"Pax Americana is a philosophy. Hardly an empire.
Making sure other people play nice and dont kill each other (and us)
off in job lots is hardly empire building, particularly when you give
them self determination under "play nice" rules.

Think of it as having your older brother knock the **** out of you
for torturing the cat." Gunner

In article , Gunner says...

it with clean hands, but this is awesome stuff. They also make it in red
for high temp applications. Use it a lot on aircraft and high performance
applications. I really like that stuff, but it's very expensive, so I have
to pick the applications carefully. It won't punch through on sharp edges
like vinyl tape does.

Same here.

The red, high temp silicone tape (without any adhesive, it sticks
to itself like crazy) is available in small (well, tiny) rolls from
radio shack.

This is what I use for trussing up magneto coils to be sure the
HT terminals don't pop off, and to hold on the layer of teflon
tape I put on as insurance.

Jim


--
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

In article ,
Cydrome Leader wrote:

Get a decent solderin iron. They really do make a differnce. The blue
handled Wellers with a plug on one end are excellent. They're like $30 or
so, and tips might be $4.

[...]

Thanks! That was all extremely helpful.

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

Get a decent solderin iron. They really do make a differnce. The blue
handled Wellers with a plug on one end are excellent. They're like $30 or
so, and tips might be $4.

I like the Weller (or other copies of same)
soldering guns, as opposed to irons. Quick
heat, and cools off again quickly so you aren't
worrying about having this hot thing in your work
area so much. Works well for automotive stuff
in cramped areas under the dash and the like.

I like to give the tip a quick dab of solder as I
apply it to the joint so it gets good thermal
contact, then apply the solder to the far end of
the joint. Once the joint gets hot it will flow in
quickly. Also, it seems that the finer the better
for size of solder for electrical stuff, but I'm not
sure why.

For torch soldering on plumbing, the solder with
silver in it seems to flow together as well or
better than the old lead-based solder.

Keep in mind that a lot of this is my subjective
bias, and if an iron works for you, then by all
means use it. Personally the only stuff I really
like using an iron on is stained glass...

--Glenn Lyford

In article .com,
says...

I like to give the tip a quick dab of solder as I
apply it to the joint so it gets good thermal
contact, then apply the solder to the far end of
the joint.

Isn't it amazing how long a nearly red-hot solder
gun tip can be pushed against a piece of wire,
and the wire stays ice cold?

Trouble is, the tip has point contact with the
work. And the work, when cold, does not deform
under the pressure because it's cold.

All it takes is a tiny bit of solder to set things
off - indeed even a bit of flux can do it too.

For really small work, the radiation is enough to
heat the work - doing tiny connectors under the
microscope, all I have to do is get the tip of
the iron *close* to the pin, and it will come up
to temperature. There's nowhere else for the
heat to go!

Jim


--
==================================================
please reply to:
JRR(zero) at pkmfgvm4 (dot) vnet (dot) ibm (dot) com
==================================================

wrote:
Get a decent solderin iron. They really do make a differnce. The blue
handled Wellers with a plug on one end are excellent. They're like $30 or
so, and tips might be $4.

I like the Weller (or other copies of same)
soldering guns, as opposed to irons. Quick
heat, and cools off again quickly so you aren't
worrying about having this hot thing in your work
area so much. Works well for automotive stuff
in cramped areas under the dash and the like.

I like to give the tip a quick dab of solder as I
apply it to the joint so it gets good thermal
contact, then apply the solder to the far end of
the joint. Once the joint gets hot it will flow in
quickly. Also, it seems that the finer the better
for size of solder for electrical stuff, but I'm not
sure why.

For torch soldering on plumbing, the solder with
silver in it seems to flow together as well or
better than the old lead-based solder.

I don't like the tin/silver plumbing solders. They seem really runny after they melt and seem prone
to dripping all over the place. Lead solders don't seem nearly as messy, they flow slower.


Keep in mind that a lot of this is my subjective
bias, and if an iron works for you, then by all
means use it. Personally the only stuff I really
like using an iron on is stained glass...

--Glenn Lyford

Here is what happens when you solder a stranded wire to a terminal that is
intended to be crimped. The solder get wicked up by the wire, past the
terminal, sometimes under insulation if you are really ambitious. Now you
have a well soldered short and stiff wire bundle exiting the terminal and
transiting abruptly to un soldered bundle. There is no strain relief there
and that is where it will break. Do it right.


Regards,

Boris Mohar

Got Knock? - see:
Viatrack Printed Circuit Designs (among other things) http://www.viatrack.ca

void _-void-_ in the obvious place

In article ,
Boris Mohar wrote:

Here is what happens when you solder a stranded wire to a terminal that is
intended to be crimped. The solder get wicked up by the wire, past the
terminal, sometimes under insulation if you are really ambitious. Now you
have a well soldered short and stiff wire bundle exiting the terminal and
transiting abruptly to un soldered bundle. There is no strain relief there
and that is where it will break. Do it right.


Regards,

Boris Mohar

What are you replying to?

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