The Fordson Tractor Pages Forum

Just a silly question but Any tips lads on soldering. I have the soldering iron and the coil of solder.i think the flux is pre attached to the solder . I've got what I wanted soldered but it took a few attempts .
Paudie

Hi Paudie, pick the bones out of these tips 'n hints

For soft soldering make sure everything is clean, bare, oil free metal - scraping or emerying is best, I don't like using an acid flux like Bakers Fluid on wiring but its better than a poor joint, oh and wire brushing seems not to be so effective.

Clean the bit - a bit of wet & dry or file, Make sure the solder is clean (wire wool or scotchbrite until shiny) tin the bit with solder as it heats up, make sure its hot and big enough to heat the job, tin both the wire and say the terminal or whatever the job is with solder, (make sure the job is hot enough to melt the solder otherwise the joint may fail) let the iron reheat then heat both and fuse them together (adding solder with the third hand if needed) and don't let the wire move as it cools.

Finished joint should be a shiny mirror finish if it looks frosted or pasty re heat. Depends on the solder but I usually wipe excess flux off while hot.

This advice is for the 'old' lead/tin multicore (i.e. resin fluxed) solder. I will not use the leadfree for electrical jobs. I do not recommend using plumbers solders and particularly fluxes for electrical work as they can be prone to corrosion.

Heavy jobs like battery or starter heavy current cables / terminals need more heat than most electric irons can supply, I tend to use either a gas heated hatchet iron with a substantial copper bit (I have made both leaded windows and organ pipes so mine are a bit special ) however these days I tend to reach for one of the indispensible bits of my toolkit, my chefs blowtorch ! a small gas blowtorch sold for browning sugar on puddings which is ace for those small soldering and heating jobs too small to get the bottles out for - runs on gas lighter fuel and will even get 1/4" steel rod hot enough to silver solder if you are careful! I tend to use a high tin content tinmans solder and either resin or tallow as a flux, have to take care not to melt the insulation but no dry joints on my Major's HC wiring

Hope that's helpful

Health & Safety information for the young or inexperienced: Lead is a poison, burning flux and insulation can harm your lungs, flames are hot and can burn, molten stuff can spit and blind, flames can set fire to things, sharp things cut and stab, Lighter gas can blow you up, Chefs can chop vital bits off if you take their torches without permission, readers of Tractor & Machinery or the Fordson Tractor Pages can be easily mislead, AC electricity can kill, DC can burn, therefore remove watches, rings and all other valuables and send them c/o the Village Idiot, Bogside on Bure, along with any beer cider or spirits (which can reduce reaction times or cause dizziness)

Support all Rick says but after 40 years of soldering just a couple of points.

You may find that after a while a wire joint can break behind where it is soldered due to the acids in the solder flux. Do not use the same flux as you use with plumbers solder.

It can be quite difficult to solder heavy wires like battery cables and brush wires in dynamos and starters. It looks easy but it takes a lot of practise.

Machine Mart has a very nice gas powered solder iron like Rick's chefs torch and the kit contains solder and other bits rather than the accoutrements to make a crème brulee Also things could get a bit "flambeau" if the chef borrows your touch because his/hers is out of gas. I have been using the Machine Mart iron, in the field, repairing circuit boards, for the last ten years or so.

I don't risk borrowing the Chefs torch Brian, I have me own for safety

Over (praps not as many as yourself Brian) years of correcting others soldering problems, causes fall into two main categories

a) Might have worked if they'd cleaned it properly
b) Might have worked if they'd got enough heat into the joined or tinned the components first

Tips on soldering sheetwork will need someone else, I get by but am convinced that magic is involved somewhere

Agreed about the tin work, Rick; I prefer to oxy. braze -- even though overcoming warping can be a problem.
Tinning wires and connectors first is the way to go. Joining them first and then soldering imparts too much heat and softens the copper which will eventually allow a breakage as the wire vibrates and/or swings.
Many years ago I worked as an auto electrician for a trucking company. We used solid core solder wire and, in place of resin, dipped our wires and connectors in rust remover/neutralising fluid. When heat was applied the acid fluid turns into a powder which we brushed off with old tooth brushes. I've used this method for many years now; with no problems -- but I also tape up the joins as an added protection.

Pavel