About soldering

I saw a post that the person didnt know how to solder two wires. I just wanted to give a few details about soldering.<br />first its super easy!<br /><br />Take wires or part you need to solder and clean them off or strip back the cover on the wires.<br />So now you have stripped back or cleaned the parts you need to solder.<br /><br />Plug in your soldering iron and allow it to heat up.<br /><br /><br />For wires hold the stripped ends face to face and -----> <------- then over lap them.<br /><br />--------><br /><--------<br /><br />like so. Now give em a good twist. Take the parts or wire you want to solder and apply a small amount of flux. about a match head<br /><br />Grab the soldering iron and solder.<br />Unroll about 3 inches of solder. Take the iron and touch the tip to the end of the solder. If it melts then its ready to use....<br /><br />NOW take the iron tip and place under the solder a small drop of solder will melt off onto your iron. Take the drop to your wires and run it back and forth. Do you see how the solder will melt the flux and only sticks to the coper that has flux on it?. I would saw on a wire splice to use 3 drops of solder. I would use heat shrink to cover the splice<br /><br />Now before I get blasted by anyone. No this is not the Pro way to solder, this is the way for someone who has never done this to make a good repair.<br /><br /><br />remember, its takes about 10 mins for the iron to heat up, solder will only stick to metal with flux on it BUT solder will stick to skin..LOLOL...

Re: About soldering

Electrics topic.

Re: About soldering

Most solders have flux already in them now. Buy a butane iron, they heat up in 20 seconds and you don't have a power cord in your way.

Re: About soldering

There is a right way and a wrong way to do things. All the discussions about soldering versus crimping have emphasied the need to perform each technique properly. There is no "pro" way to solder. There is a proper way to solder and a wrong way to solder. If you are going to follow Justin's advice, say yourself the trouble and invest in the proper tools and crimp your connections.

Re: About soldering

This sounds liek what is called a "Cold Solder" since the wires themselves are cold. And a cold solder is a wrong solder. It creates a weak joint. I am sorry to say it Justin, btu L.I. is right, this is no "pro" way. You would be better off crimping, with better mechanical bonding, and equal corrosion opportunity.

Re: About soldering

Just for a quick comment.<br /><br />There are actually advanced classes on soldering and the various types of soldering. Do we need this level of expertise for our boats? Probably not.<br /><br />As mentioned, Rosin core (flux) solder is very commonly available (any Radio shack will have it). If you just drip the solder onto the wires, you get a cold solder and it WILL eventually just break off. <br /><br />The correct way to solder it to use the solder gun to heat the wires and then touch the solder to the wires (not the gun) and when they are hot enough to melt the solder, the solder and wire will bond nicely upon cooling.<br /><br />You will need to 'tin' the gun. First clean the tip and maybe even sand it some. Heat it up and then melt solder on the tip. Wipe the tip on a damp sponge (ideally with deionized water) and repeat a couple times until you have a nice shiny tip for about the first half inch. This improves heat flow from the gun to the wires<br /><br />PRactice this a few times in your basement and you will be a good

Re: About soldering

I didn't even see that part about dripping solder onto the wires, actually never even heard of that technique. I was taught to always heat the wire first and use it to melt the solder, doesn't make any sense to do it another way.