solder stick

[tomturkey]

OK Guys and Gals, anyone have any experience with the solder stick wire connectors or something similar. I prefer not to make connections other than at the beginning and end, but we all know sometimes we must. I am not very good at making some of the crimp style connectors work. Thought maybe those advertised water proof heat shrink with solder inside to join the wires might be worth the investment. What do you think? I do not know the cost so if anyone has purchased, how much? thanks gobble

 

[stevieb49829]

Tom, I'm in the habit of soldering the spliced ends, after slipping a couple of pieces of shrink tube down the wire a ways. I found some of the shrink tube with melt glue adhesive inside, and it works really well to seal up the joint. Two layers are better than one. I cut the first layer to just cover the wire, and the second layer to overlap the ends of the splice. Don't remember what it cost, but it wasn't much. Steve

 

[tomturkey]

Stevie, I am not much good at soldering either, by the time the wire and solder are hot enough the insulation is melting a ways back from the joint. Maybe I am using the wrong solder, seems I've tried several. Thats why I ask about the solder stick, thought it might be the answer to my skill set lol. gobble

 

[TimV]

tomturkey: I bought a cheapie assortment off Amazon--link below--a while ago, but so far haven't been terribly impressed. Seems difficult to get the solder to melt fully without burning the rest of the connection. Might be just my experience, but suffice to say so far they haven't taken over my usual method of solder and heat shrink where possible, or good crimp connectors with a good crimper where it's difficult to solder, though I do like the crimp connectors with adhesive heat shrink already on them. Lots of trouble with crimp connectors can be traced to using one of the cheapie strip-and-crimp units--they often don't give a good crimp and allow the connections to come apart.
solder butt connectors

 

[fred kobs]

Make sure you are getting 60/40 rosin core and NOT 40/60...the 40/60 will not flow out for nothing. apply heat to the wire and it's a timing thing as when to add the very thinnest solder you can find. go thicker with experience and gauge of wire. you can always keep pushing a thin gauge of solder but too thick and then too much heat. you need a good-read hi amp-solder gun so it won't take but a few seconds for the whole procedure. I have been soldering for 40 years and the only time a pencil type has worked for me is on computer boards and the like. HTH fred p.S. make sure when you are done to pinch the solder shut and store it clean and dry.

 

[M-MAN]

Try coating the wire ends separately. Then put them together and heat with a dab of solder on your tip. I used to struggle repairing wires inside the big panel boxes at work until my brother in law showed me this trick. I never burned the connectors or wires after that. He picked it up repairing wiring in robots.

 

[MarkB_MI]

The Tyco splices that HD used to carry are excellent. Raychem is another very good brand.

 

[crsutton81]

I have used a lot of the heat shrink connectors with the solder in them and have gotten along well with them. They work best with a flameless heat gun,the kind similar to a hair dryer with interchangeable adapters.

 

[wp6529]

(quoted from post at 23:36:35 07/23/23) I have used a lot of the heat shrink connectors with the solder in them and have gotten along well with them. They work best with a flameless heat gun,the kind similar to a hair dryer with interchangeable adapters.

My experience as well, you definitely need to use a proper heat gun but they work well. They are particularly nice for fixing trailer wiring and replacing the horrid scotchlocks.

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I've never used a solder stick.

I'm old school and use real solder.

I repair a few extension cords by making the 3 splices about 2 inches apart. Use solder gun. My connections can't come apart when I pull on the cord.

I can't see the heat from a hair dryer melting solder. It might work. I won't use it. I'm old school.

 

[UncleTom]

Scotch locks should be illegal.

 

[TomA in CA]

I have serious doubts that you will as gget as good an electrical or mechanical connection with that low temperature solder. It is just the glue that holds it together.

 

[DoubleO7]

(reply to post at 19:39:53 07/23/23)

Good crimps....

Right or wrong, I always look inside the terminal to determine where the circle of metal comes together, if not a spade type which is easy to see.
Then align the male side of crimp anvil so it is pushing on that seam of terminal metal.
Then when squeezing the tool handles use both hands. And or put one handle against unmovable object and then putting all my weight against the other handle.

They do not come apart.

 

[T.R.K.]

If you are talking about those featured in Youtube, where there is a bit of solder in a clear tube and they just heat it a little and it melts, I am NO fan of them. One of our OEMs at the dealership uses them in their wiring harness and the solder joint tends to fail after a few hundred hours.

And its lots of fun looking for the break in the wire.

 

[Tony in SD]

<Scotch locks should be illegal. >
I have little doubt that there are multiple Scotch Locks on the internet path you are using right now. The 3M Scotch Locks, used probably are a lifetime connection. However like anything, poor craftsmanship will yield poor connections. I have personally and under my direct supervision have successfully used tens of thousands Scotch Locks on phone networks that have/had a 99.999 reliability rating.

As for the solder stick, I have no real experience with them and I have seen one ad for them and I am not inclined to use them.

 

[NDIHC]

The connectors I use are crimp, heat shrink and solder. They crimp like a regular butt connector but they also have a ring of solder in the middle. Heat with a butane torch or heavy duty heat gun 700 degrees+ and the solder flows into the wires and the heat shrink seals it all in. Kinda spendy connectors but good. Get them at napa but you have to find the counter person who knows what you want. That's the hardest part. Either those or just a solder joint and heat shrink. I use both.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Get a good set of crimp tools like the $29.99 Klein set with the red handles from home depot.

If you're using those cheap yellow handle crimpers with the three sizes of jaws and the strippers in the handle, it's no wonder you're having problems. The crimpers are just about useless.

 

[DaveBN]

If the wire insulation is melting before the solder flows you are using to small a soldering iron. More heat will get the joint hot before the wire gets hot far enough away to melt the insulation.
Dave

 

[J.Wondergem]

That's what I use. Seems to work good for me.

 

[jniolon]

gave them a cursory try.... the insulation/heatsink works fine the solder melts and blobs around the wire but it doesn't bond to the wire..."cold joint".

I'll stick with soldering iron, small or large depending on wire gauge and heat shrink tube and if you crimp get a good set of ratchet style crimpers that apply proper 'squeeze' to the connector