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Someone please school me on soldering...

Discussion in 'General' started by wsmc 589, May 28, 2017.

  1. SundaySocial

    SundaySocial Blue & Gold

    BEEB's covered the important items except "Wear eye protection".
    Your soldering iron, wire, and component must be clean and dry. Clean with isopropyl alcohol if required.
    Use a flux intended for electrical soldering, or use rosin core solder.
    Get the iron hot, brush the tip clean with a fine wire brush, apply some flux, and then some solder. This is known as 'tinning' the iron. Leave a small amount of solder on the iron to speed the heat transfer when you contact the wire/connector. Apply the heat to the parent material (wire and connector) from one side and apply the solder to the other. When the parent material reaches adequate temperature, the solder will flow.
    I live in Spring Valley / Casa De Oro. PM me if you need some help.
     
  2. wsmc 589

    wsmc 589 Well-Known Member

    Thank you for the info. Very much appreciated. I think I have been hasty with the prep and that has caused me issues.

    .... and I always wear eye pro.... except when I failing at soldering. Excellent advice.
     
  3. Chasbro

    Chasbro Well-Known Member

    Tin the iron first. Then tin each wire. Then solder them together. Don't ask me why but you cant tin and solder all at the same time.
     
    Ian178 likes this.
  4. GixxerBlade

    GixxerBlade Oh geez

    About 1,110,000 results.
     
  5. GixxerBlade

    GixxerBlade Oh geez

    Anyone else want to say sol-der when you see the word and not saw-der? Stupid word. :D
     
  6. CB186

    CB186 go f@ck yourself

    Sure you can. Put iron to wires for 2-3 seconds, then add solder where the iron and wires(or terminals)meet. This way you don't overheat the wires and suck too much solder up under the insulation.
     
  7. Rebel635

    Rebel635 Well-Known Member

    This guy said it best. I always clean the tip and dip it in flux real quick then add solder...i flux the wire ends...with the solder on the top of the iron as soon as you touch the wire it wicks it right into strands...without flux it wont do shit...

     
  8. SundaySocial

    SundaySocial Blue & Gold

    If you have enough wattage to heat the wire and component rapidly & adequately, it happens very quickly.
    If you are doing 18 gauge or 16 gauge wires and connectors, a 100 watt radio shack iron will do it.
    If you are doing starter cables, or ground cables, I have a propane torch that will do that job ...
     
  9. diamondj

    diamondj Well-Known Member

    Are we talking a Weller iron or gun? The Weller guns I have had (mostly from Home Depot) never worked very well or for very long. The irons on the other hand are decent.
     
  10. MotoGP1199

    MotoGP1199 Well-Known Member

    This...... If you have a small soldering iron it will do nothing but cause you issues. Get a 100 watt unit. You will actually get less heat in the cables because you don't need to hold the iron on the wires for very long. If you get the right size iron it is fool proof.
     
  11. pickled egg

    pickled egg Tell me more

    Just use Scotch-Loks. ;)
     
    SuddenBraking likes this.
  12. Sabre699

    Sabre699 Wait...hold my beer.

    Bingo !

    [​IMG]
     
  13. OldSwartout

    OldSwartout Well-Known Member

    Soldering wires together in tight locations in cars or motorcycles, etc. is always a pain. and to get a good weatherproof seal, you need to use heat shrink tubing. In many cases, I've started using these heat-shrink crimp butt connectors: https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...60142-P?searchTerm=wire+connectors#fragment-3. They have a sealer on the inner diameter of the insulation, so that when you heat shrink it, the sealer melts and forms a weatherproof seal. They've become available in most auto parts stores in recent years, so they're easy to find.
     
  14. YouTube and also make sure you twist them together. Electricians knot or something like that. Solder the clean iron. Heat the fluxed wires. It should flow. Sure your iron is hot enough? Also use a bit smaller diameter solder.
     
  15. Hell no! Take the time and do it in a more robust manner.
     
  16. pickled egg

    pickled egg Tell me more

    Something like this, then?

    [​IMG]
     
  17. CB186

    CB186 go f@ck yourself

    "I kill you!"
     
  18. Only if you use an impact gun.
     
  19. Slider82

    Slider82 Well-Known Member

    Scotch-Loks, the first place to look when you have electrical problems.
     
  20. Banditracer

    Banditracer Dogs - because people suck

    I find those fuckers constantly when I'm working on customer trailers. :mad:
     

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