I already got one I didn't wanna wait for ebay shipping and the radio shack 40 watt should do just fine. If I find I need to solder more than once in 2weeks then I'll upgrade to the weller.
soldering iron
- Thread starter Bri7man
- Start date
Poodles;1446701 said:
I have seen the error of my ways.
Thanks man.
I'm going to continue using it though because it's working fine for me so far.
BUT, I'll keep that in mind for the next tip I get.
jetjock;1446595 said:People get good advice and still want to buy junk. Typical.
Btw 3p you might enjoy this
http://tinyurl.com/5sh7zs
Very cool! I love looking through old electronics catalogs. Never would have thought someone would have gone through all that!
I got a craftsman from sear's paid about 40$ for it and it works great you need to be sure to keep the tip clean , keep wiping it off on a wet paper towel while using it if the tip is black colored you wont be able to get the wire hot enough to absorb the solder.
I have the same harborfreight solder iron and I've been using it all weekend with no issues....seems to do the job just great and doesn't burn the insulation....I'm using very thin fluxcore solder also which I got from radioshack...
Best $6 solder iron I've ever purchased...At work I use the nice weller solder stations and they are nice but this cheapo HF iron is doing the job just great..
Best $6 solder iron I've ever purchased...At work I use the nice weller solder stations and they are nice but this cheapo HF iron is doing the job just great..
RiyadYar;1443195 said:
flux and a razor is your best friend for solder, that nasty crap that gets on the iron doesn't always come off with flux...should help a little with bubbling and thinner wire is always a great idea too.
Wow!!... I'm flattered this thread is still going..(as I come back for yet another wiring qq) I hope all this at least benefited others than just me.
Since I first posted this I bought some flux recently(yes haven't needed to solder for some time) and man is it AMAZING!! I dunno what kind I got but I got it at osh and right away the wires start bubbling and the solder melts like butter... Awesome!!
So this leads me to why I'm posting again and that is because I'm wondering what I can use to insulate wires off the harness. I use heat-shrink to cover the soldered area, and now looking for something I can use that's readily available at the store to cover the wire before the convoluted tubing.. So basically the 2nd layer... instead of just bare wire with only the convoluted tubing around it. I wanted to use the smooth plastic sleeves that was previously on it but they are all super brittle now and do more harm then good currently since they don't want to bend anymore..
I was thinking of maybe just using heat shrink w/o shrinking it as a sleeve in between but wondering what you guys use thats readily available at the store cause I'm assembling my motor tomorrow as times beat me again!
Since I first posted this I bought some flux recently(yes haven't needed to solder for some time) and man is it AMAZING!! I dunno what kind I got but I got it at osh and right away the wires start bubbling and the solder melts like butter... Awesome!!
So this leads me to why I'm posting again and that is because I'm wondering what I can use to insulate wires off the harness. I use heat-shrink to cover the soldered area, and now looking for something I can use that's readily available at the store to cover the wire before the convoluted tubing.. So basically the 2nd layer... instead of just bare wire with only the convoluted tubing around it. I wanted to use the smooth plastic sleeves that was previously on it but they are all super brittle now and do more harm then good currently since they don't want to bend anymore..
I was thinking of maybe just using heat shrink w/o shrinking it as a sleeve in between but wondering what you guys use thats readily available at the store cause I'm assembling my motor tomorrow as times beat me again!
Careful using OSH flux and solder, that stuff may be made for sweating copper pipes together and will corrode the crap out of your electrical wires or circuit board down the road.
The best solder to use for electrical wiring is a rosin core solder from an electrical supply store. Some fluxes are "no clean" meaning they can stay on after soldering without any long term impact. Many need to be cleaned afterward using flux cleaner.
Something like this is good http://www.zeph.com/solderwire.htm but I must say my last order with the Zephyrtronics company is not going well right now. Hopefully thet can get there usually good act back together.
If you buy plastic corrugated wire loom make sure it is the high temp stuff with the white stripe on it. The other stuff will not last long under the hood of a car.
The best solder to use for electrical wiring is a rosin core solder from an electrical supply store. Some fluxes are "no clean" meaning they can stay on after soldering without any long term impact. Many need to be cleaned afterward using flux cleaner.
Something like this is good http://www.zeph.com/solderwire.htm but I must say my last order with the Zephyrtronics company is not going well right now. Hopefully thet can get there usually good act back together.
If you buy plastic corrugated wire loom make sure it is the high temp stuff with the white stripe on it. The other stuff will not last long under the hood of a car.
3p141592654;1502890 said:
Yeah I wasn't too sure about it but there were only 2 and it says it "cleans and fluxes all metals except aluminum, magnesium, and SS" so I just picked it up. Will it do? Got pics of the flux and solder I'm using below.
I have a bunch of stock corrugated wire loom but I'm looking for something to insulate even before that, would un heat treated shrinkwrap work? I only cut a small piece and and heat shrink it on the exposed soldered bit.
Attachments
That's a zinc chloride based flux. Good for plumbing, but very aggressive. Oatey docs say DO NOT USE ON ELECTRICAL PARTS.
http://www.oatey.com/apps/catalog/instance_assets/assets/Submittal_Sheet/No. 5 Flux.pdf
http://www.oatey.com/apps/catalog/instance_assets/assets/Submittal_Sheet/No. 5 Flux.pdf
Oh crap I missed that somehow... Damn it i just finished my harness with it too.
It seems fine the flux cleaned the wires really well and the solder is nice and shiny, although the flux does heat the wires REEALLY quickly and starts to melt the wire if you hold it too long so maybe that's why.
I guess I'll order some of that solder with the flux in it you posted above for next time. :icon_bigg
btw should i get the NO-CLEAN 63Sn/37Pb SOLDER WIRE or ZERO-LEAD® SOLDER WIRE and which size would you recommend?
I can't seem to make any sense of it.
It seems fine the flux cleaned the wires really well and the solder is nice and shiny, although the flux does heat the wires REEALLY quickly and starts to melt the wire if you hold it too long so maybe that's why.
I guess I'll order some of that solder with the flux in it you posted above for next time. :icon_bigg
btw should i get the NO-CLEAN 63Sn/37Pb SOLDER WIRE or ZERO-LEAD® SOLDER WIRE and which size would you recommend?
I can't seem to make any sense of it.
The problem with your choice of flux is that over time it will eat away at your wires because it is acidic and during soldering forms ionic salts.
You will need to carefully clean all your prior work. Use something like this
http://ergotopposite.info/canfield-solder-magic-flux-remover.htm
For future work I would use the No-Clean 63Sn/37Pb solder wire. The supra was made before lead solder was eliminated, so a little more won't hurt.
You will need to carefully clean all your prior work. Use something like this
http://ergotopposite.info/canfield-solder-magic-flux-remover.htm
For future work I would use the No-Clean 63Sn/37Pb solder wire. The supra was made before lead solder was eliminated, so a little more won't hurt.
Oh man this is bad news.. I had it finished and all heat shrinked up. Took a good days worth too.. Damn.
I had sprayed each soldered section with crc electric cleaner after. Would I still need to go back and clean it with the flux remover?
I had sprayed each soldered section with crc electric cleaner after. Would I still need to go back and clean it with the flux remover?
If you think you cleaned it well, then I would leave it for now. In a year peel back the shrink wrap on one of them and see how its doing. If it still looks good then I wouldn't lose too much sleep over it. It's not flight hardware going into space so you can always redo it if things start failing.
Yeah I gave each solder a good shot of crc and a clean rag. I'm thinking it'l hold up but I'm also contemplating a new harness since all the wires were soo brittle.
Thanks for all the help! :icon_razz
Thanks for all the help! :icon_razz
