glasgow Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 trying to solder some wiring crimp terminals... No luck, the solder keep forming small "globules"... Doing all the basic of heating the iron, keep the tip clean but not working. ☹️ is it my skills or the solder I (Sn 99.3%, Cu 0.7%) is not the right one for the job I am doing... 🤔 Thank you in advance Ahmed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_h Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Sounds like its not all at the same temp. Heat the cable and then add solder so it melts in to the cable. This 'tins' the cable ready. Do same for crimp. Then heat crimp, add cable so they all melt together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlesElliott Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Isn't the problem that you should be crimping them and not soldering them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keybaud Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 If they are crimp terminals, they shouldn't need soldering at all, as they are designed to 'crimp' on to the wire. The reason it may not be working is that the item you are soldering needs to be hot enough to melt the solder, you shouldn't be applying molten solder as if it were glue. This can be caused by using an iron that is too low power, so it doesn't heat the item up fast enough. Low power irons are fine for circuit board components, but not so good with larger diameter cables found on cars. It is still possible to use a low power iron, but because you have to apply the heat to the affected area for longer, you will also transfer a lot of heat down the wire etc. This is bad, because the solder will flow down the wire and a soldered wire becomes brittle and may crack under vibration. This is why crimps and not solder are normally used. Edited by - keybaud on 1 Jun 2013 12:11:48 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 Thank you all for the detailed reply... I think the iron doesn't heat the area enough, (despite it is 40W).... I am trying to apply solder after i crimped the terminal... I always just crimp the terminal with no soldering, however, after i saw this video at Car Builder solution website, I thought I would better add solder on top of the crimp... the link is below, see at minute 3 thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team SLR No.77 Posted June 1, 2013 Leadership Team Share Posted June 1, 2013 And the key information in the video is in the narrative .... ... and feed the solder into the job, not the iron Stu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elan_fan Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Don't solder any joint after crimping as the join will be brittle. Soldering is unnecessary if the crimp is the right size and crimped well Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 and feed the solder into the job, not the iron Did that, but i don't think the "job" is hot enough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billyboanerges Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Ahmed, Have you quoted the tin/copper proportions correctly? At the ratio you quote I'm surprised it melts! Normal electrical solder is tin/lead 60/40, or, leadless. Also, are you using flux? Tin/lead solder is the easiest to work with. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vine Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Are you using a tinning compound to clean and tin the tip of the iron? You could also consider using a tiny smear of flux on the wire itself to help the molten solder flow and adhere. Alternatively, you could use a solder with a flux (resin) core. (Personally, I wouldn't bother to solder a crimped joint, provided it's made using the correct crimping tool.) JV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Fox Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 What are the crimps made of? Aluminium is difficult to get solder to take to, brass ones would be easy. As others have said, why bother? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 Just checked the proportion... Yes, the ratio i quoted is right, it is lead free... Not using flux and not using tinning compound.... some crimps were aluminium and others were brass Also, embarrassed to say i am not using the correct crimping tool, just a narrow tip pliers 😳 Anyway, I will just do without the solder this time (as i have always done), Thanks anyway to everybody Edited by - Glasgow on 1 Jun 2013 14:30:52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted June 1, 2013 Member Share Posted June 1, 2013 Treat yourself to a crimping tool. £5.99 at Halfords before discount, £4.99 at Screwfix. Because you're worth it. :-) Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 Will start saving or may be ask SWMBO for a birthday gift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vine Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Quoting Jonathan Kay: Treat yourself to a crimping tool. £5.99 at Halfords before discount, £4.99 at Screwfix. Because you're worth it. :-) JonathanAgree with that. But be aware that not all crimping tools are the same. For example, if the crimps/connectors in question are Econoseal, you'll need this. JV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 Quoting John Vine: But be aware that not all crimping tools are the same. That is the problem... I have this one http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5349/8912828943_ba4e3d2356_c.jpg which is useless and ended up just using it as a wire stripper and use pliers for crimping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Area Representative Richard Price Posted June 1, 2013 Area Representative Share Posted June 1, 2013 Quoting Glasgow: That is the problem... I have this one http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5349/8912828943_ba4e3d2356_c.jpg which is useless and ended up just using it as a wire stripper and use pliers for crimping That's because that crimping tool is for insulated lugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 That's correct but even for the insulated crimps I still give final "crunch" with the pliers after i use this rubbish tool as i feel this gives better result... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Vine Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 Well, that one should work OK for insulated terminals like these (where all you have to do is crush the connector onto the wire. But if you're trying to crimp terminals like these (which require the tabs to be folded over and squeezed back into the wire), you'll need a tool with specially shaped jaws. What type of terminal are you trying to crimp? JV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grim Reaper Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 The quoted melting point for your solder is 227C, 60/40 solder is only 186C. Get a better iron, and use flux if the solder is fluxless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverSedlacek Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Components designed to be soldered are made of metal alloys that 'wets' and form a proper solder joint. You can't just solder any bits of metal you like as the metal chemistry isn't necessarily correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiderlane Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 Treat yourself to one of these http://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-35574-Ratchet-Action-Terminal-Crimping/dp/B0001K9TGA or similar and you'll never look back. Perfect crimps every time. Cheers Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackb_ms Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Some of you will be horrified, however I've used a blow torch to heat a crimp and then the cable and solder the 2 together. Worked a treat. It was for jump leads so cable was very big Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molecular--Bob Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I have many crimp tools, but this one here gets the most use as it is "OK" for most jobs that are not of the ecu/mini-timer type. It doesn't have a quality feel, but gets the job done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keybaud Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Quoting jackb_ms: Some of you will be horrified, however I've used a blow torch to heat a crimp and then the cable and solder the 2 together. Worked a treat. It was for jump leads so cable was very big Jack Personally, the last thing I'd want to do to jump leads is solder them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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