WHERE to buy flux for soldering wire

[jetjock]

Lmao. Not that this was ever about you but looking at my history you'll see I almost never post my "credentials". That I did in this case was no different than some others. And while you may not care who's right that doesn't apply to everyone. After all there are likely people here who want to do better than the crap-tastic work you just accomplished. Must be nice to know your reputation as a dreaded previous owner is coming along nicely. Finally, it's fine with me you ignore what I have to say forevermore. I'll be happy to do the same with you. Maybe let us know when you have some tech creds of your own but based on what you've written thus far I won't be holding my breath...

 

[Dirgle]

Lmao. Not that this was ever about you but looking at my history you'll see I almost never post my "credentials". That I did in this case was no different than some others. And while you may not care who's right that doesn't apply to everyone. After all there are likely people here who want to do better than the crap-tastic work you just accomplished. Must be nice to know your reputation as a dreaded previous owner is coming along nicely. Finally, it's fine with me you ignore what I have to say forevermore. I'll be happy to do the same with you. Maybe let us know when you have some tech creds of your own but based on what you've written thus far I won't be holding my breath...

To be honest it shocked the shit out of me that you even posted them at all. After all the iterations of this site I can't remember having seen them before. I knew you were an engineer in a previous life but never knew what kind.

 

[suprarx7nut]

your level of arrogance is only second to your ego, the fact that you believe your age and experience makes your more knowledgeable in such an absolute way that you feel the need to post your credentials just to feel important and prove you are right is a sad thing. my age an experience have absolutely nothing to do with my preference for doing things. you like crimping and thats fine by me. circuit boards never crimp does this mean its an inferior piece of technology and it is flawed? well by your definition yes. ever thought car makers crimp because it is easier? quicker? more cost effective than training someone how to solder? i dont know the answers however i know that using electric tape to wrap a crimped wire in an engine bay that gets considerably hot is not such a good idea and yet auto maker do it, so it has to be right? (notice how i dont care to specify how hot the engine bay gets? this is because all engine bays heat up differently so no need to specify) that logic is flawed my friend.

this thread (as someone stated) was not to start a whats best discussion but more a where can i get what i want discussion. at the end of the day, it is preference so stop trying to impose your preferences on everyone simply because your so arrogant you believe that only your way is the right way.

i wont even bother to reply to any more posts you make about this topic because your opinion is just that and it is irrelevant to the original question. maybe you should consider learning how to read better before you continue to provide uneeded/unwanted information. i appreciate you all for your input but i am already done with what i was trying to do (i could care less whose right)

MODS PLEASE CLOSE THIS

Ouch. Do you know what engineering is? This stuff is not "preference", but rather science. Temperature matters in an engine if solder is used. Many low lead solders have low melting points which may be reached near a turbo.

My my...

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[Poodles]

your level of arrogance is only second to your ego, the fact that you believe your age and experience makes your more knowledgeable in such an absolute way that you feel the need to post your credentials just to feel important and prove you are right is a sad thing.

Experience = knowledge. Posting credentials was just to show where he's coming from.

my age an experience have absolutely nothing to do with my preference for doing things. you like crimping and thats fine by me. circuit boards never crimp does this mean its an inferior piece of technology and it is flawed?

It's not a "preferance," especially when you're asking about flux, which isn't needed for wires if you're using the proper solder. Also, because of the construction of a circuit board, crimps aren't usually possible, but yes they are used when possible (notable use is for some high powered LED's).

well by your definition yes. ever thought car makers crimp because it is easier? quicker? more cost effective than training someone how to solder? i dont know the answers however i know that using electric tape to wrap a crimped wire in an engine bay that gets considerably hot is not such a good idea and yet auto maker do it, so it has to be right? (notice how i dont care to specify how hot the engine bay gets? this is because all engine bays heat up differently so no need to specify) that logic is flawed my friend.

Soldering wires is extremely easy if you use a solder dish to dip in, so it's not that it's easier to crimp in an automotice application. Proper crimp is at least a double crimp, and often tripping crimp (crimp to the metal wire, 1 or 2 crimps to the insulation). This gives strain relief to the wiring, making a better connection in a vibration rich environment. Soldered joints don't have that, and will in fact break right beside the solder joint because of it. Electrical tape has it's applications, and it's used correctly in automotive uses (and it's not the cheap crap you pick up from wal-mart...)

this thread (as someone stated) was not to start a whats best discussion but more a where can i get what i want discussion. at the end of the day, it is preference so stop trying to impose your preferences on everyone simply because your so arrogant you believe that only your way is the right way.

It's not preferance, it's the right or wrong way. Though in fact the right way would be to completely replace the wire instead of splicing it. The original question you posted has already been answered, you don't need flux if you're using quality solder (circuit boards are different, it's harder to break through the oxidization many times, plus a good sticky flux makes placing SMD components easier).

i wont even bother to reply to any more posts you make about this topic because your opinion is just that and it is irrelevant to the original question. maybe you should consider learning how to read better before you continue to provide uneeded/unwanted information. i appreciate you all for your input but i am already done with what i was trying to do (i could care less whose right)

MODS PLEASE CLOSE THIS

If we always gave only the information people wanted, we'd have even more blown up cars around here, also, it's not your call on when to close the thread as it's not yours

 

[jetjock]

Meh, what are ya gonna do. The topic was more about harnessing than anything else and for that crimping is best. As I said it's not as if this stuff hasn't already been studied in depth. Because, you know, after all this time they're still trying to figure it out while everyone from aerospace and automotive engineers to the homebuilt aircraft crowd wait to see what works and what doesn't. Crack me up...

Dirgle: I did automation, robotics, process control, that sort of stuff mainly in the industrial and semiconductor sectors. Design, fabrication, programming, maintenance, etc. I still do occasional consulting for controls, high vacuum, and certain forms of plasma equipment. And I've been soldering far longer than I've been crimping. Since I was around 12

 

[3p141592654]

Reliability is a tricky subject, and even the big guys get it wrong sometimes. If your interested search for Northrop Grumman HBT and NRO satellites. Also, the ROHS compliant electronics in a lot of recent cars have been failing at egregious rates.

I can vouch for JJ's recommendation to use gas tight crimps in a harsh environment like an engine bay (note he is not suggesting to use the $5 crimp kit from Harbor Freight, or the IDC T's that that the aftermarket alarm/audio crowd likes to use).

The main problem with solder is that it can corrodes quickly under the right environmental conditions and fail. The selection of flux is also critical, and can also lead to early failure. Ever wonder why smart phones have water detectors hidden inside? Well, because when you get your pcb wet, it fails quickly, and is not covered by warranty. Ever seen water in your engine bay? I have. Ever see water-tight heat shrink? I haven't. Good questions to ask yourself.

 

[Poodles]

I've seen water tight heat-shrink. It's lined in adhesive.

Circuit boards are often potted to protect them from water as well (especially in automotive applications). Water damage to circuit boards isn't usually just the solder joints though, if it gets to the actual copper of the board, it will eat the hell out of it.

 

[3p141592654]

Copper and copper alloys are more noble than lead/tin solders, so from a galvanic corrosion point of view, the lead would be expected to corrode away. Copper is susceptible to acids though, and if potential differences exist between traces, generally true on circuit boards, all sorts of electromigration is possible. Not sure if your potting comment is directed towards his harness splice, seems a bit apples and oranges, no?

 

[Poodles]

Yeah, not directed towards his harness splice

Copper seems to get destroyed first in my experience simply because it's thinner. I used to refurbish cell phones, and the water damage ones were always fun...

 

[suprarx7nut]

I have some waterproof heat shrink in my garage right now. Cool stuff. Regular looking outer layer and an oozing center that fills all gaps within the heat shrink and created a nice weathertight seal. I used it once or twice on my main harness crimps for added protection and holding force.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[stolensupra]

I just want to take the opportunity to thank Jetjock for sharing his vast knowledge base with us again. You know he doesn't have to do that for us, he chooses to. JJ I've learned so much from you over the last couple years; please keep it coming despite those whom are unable to accept constructive criticism.

 

[kneedragger85]

I'm late to the party but surprised no one even spoke of the chemistry of soldering. Crimps are more effective long term than solder. Flux is very important and the comment about good solder not needing flux is because the "good" solder already has flux. Ever heard of a meniscus test? It's where progressively harsher fluxes (acids) are added to a wire then dipped into flux free solder until it chemically bonds to the copper wire. The flux removes the oxygen molecules from the atoms of the wire and the solder creates an intermetallic bond with the wire atoms. In the case of copper wire with tin solder, it forms a bronze intermetallic layer. This new layer not only has a higher resistance but is brittle compared to the solder around the joint and over time the intermetallic layer chemically keeps growing which makes the entire joint weaker. Stronger fluxes are needed for materials like aluminum and steel because the oxidation bonds are stronger.

 

[jetjock]

^ Thank you. At least someone gets it. And thank you also to stolensupra. I do what I can although these days it's getting tougher to justify, what with 12 year olds apparently buying these cars. That said I'll admit I can be a little rough on certain types of posters at times. Gettin' old I guess...