Thread: Check out my soldering

So I'm just practicing and learning so I can do my maf wiring, what do you guys think?

This is the first attempt standard twisting method, using fairly small (not sure size) soldering wire.



this attempt I used some thicker stuff but it didnt seem to melt fast enough. I just kinda shoved the wires into each other.



Back to the smaller wire, but this time I twisted the wires a little differently so it wasn't a big goober.



Heres all 3 together, I tried ripping them apart, but they're freaking solid.



Opinions/Suggestions? Remember this is my first few attempts at soldering.

takes practice but not bad for your first attempt. You will want to learn the western union technique.

https://www.google.com/search?q=western+union+solder+joint&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=716&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=FpgjUIfgNoWS9gSfxoHgCg&ved=0CGMQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=429

ah yes, good info! thanks man

and heat up the copper wire more, its not about melting the solder per say... when the copper wire is hot, the solder will melt and seep into the copper

and turn on the camera's macro... pix rnt good

ok, i wasn't sure how hot to let the wire get. thanks

Try it with the Solder flux. I never used it until this year and it works awesome. All you do is dab it on the wire before you would solder and it pulls all the solder into the wire itself then wipe off the residual after.

What I do is first putting just a little solder on the iron, just to transfer heat into the wire. When the wire is hot, apply solder and let it seep into the wire(s), like mentioned by blo0d.

for your practice runs you can tell how good you are getting when if you tug just a little on the wire it does not come loose or break free from the solder. The solder should make the wire act as 1 piece. If it falls apart, try again.

Also looks like you might be going a bit heavy on the solder. A good soldering shouldn't take much and by the end should be no thicker then the shielding.

Also the method talked about by cortrim1 is mainly used for solid core and not stranded.

Looks good lynch. That western union solder joint and some heatshrink would make for a clean job, anyone care to chime in?

I prefer to loop each side(bend it 180*), connect the loops and then twist the excess of each wire around itself because for me it seems to keep the wires in place better when working on them.

Out of necessity in tight areas I've also had to make my own tool to hold the wires and act as a backboard, a mouse trap with the trigger mechanism removed so it's just a spring loaded lever that can be used to hold the wires in place against the wood which provides a solid heat resistant surface in confined spaces.

keep in mind that any protruding sharp edges can puncture heat shrink or tape and cause a short so minimize them.