[Ruby351]

Joining two electrical wires together and it seems as though I have been doing it all wrong for the past 45 years or so, or rather let’s say there were better methods I could have used. I have some tips, tricks and ideas that could be of interest to other ‘novices’ like me, as I have I had my eyes opened to the world of splicing over this past week. It all started when I extended the flex to the battery charger of my Merc, which was too short to reach the outside waterproof box and be able to under the car and car cover for added protection. Now you may not find the subject quite as fascinating as I do, small minds and all that, but I have spent many happy hours checking out articles and YT videos on various devices on and around the subject. I have also made a number of purchases (well you know me), that will make my future endeavours on the joining of wires both easier, safer and more fun – whoopie!

The reason for this post is to share some of what I have learnt and give you a little food for thought, which I hope some members might find beneficial. But I hasten to add, it is very low key and not for those oh so knowledgeable ones on the forum, so for those please excuse my excitement over what you probably will find quite trivial.

Here we go then without further ado, and these are the things I have been looking at:

1) To splice electrical wires: joining together two (or more) wires so an electric current can pass through them

2) Butt Splice Crimp Connectors

3) Butt Splice Terminal End Crimp Connectors

4) Heat Shrink Wire Crimp Connectors

5) Solder Seal Heat Shrink Wire Butt Splice Connectors

6) Soldering a spliced wire joint

7) Care of and Tinning a Soldering Iron

8) Connectors & tools etc. some good some not so good?

NB: all examples will be given involving 2 wires to keep things simple.

1) To splice electrical wires: joining together two (or more) wires so an electric current can pass through them

You would not believe how many different ways there are on the internet of how to splice two wires together in the most basic sense, the way I used to do it was to twist them together lay them flat along the plastic sheath and cover individually with insulating tape and then go over the whole flex again covering all the wire(s) with yet more tape. Then of course when I heard of the Heat Shrink Tubing I would use this to cover the joint and then go over the lot again with insulation tape, especially if the wire was going outside/in conduit.

Apparently this is a very weak kind of splice and it can easily be pulled apart, just as well as far as I can remember, none of my splices would have been put under any kind of force to lead them to separate ... well, nothing stopped working as a result of a break in a connection anyway.

Here are just two basic methods of splicing both of which profess to give a strong joint aided by the use of heat shrink tubing.

Sensitive content, not recommended for those under 18

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2) Butt Splice Crimp Connectors

These connectors require the plastic coating to be removed to expose just enough wire to sit inside one half of the connector and butt up against the central barrier, and the same for the other wire the other side. Each wire is crimped firmly to make the connection and hold it in place, at this point it is NOT waterproof so adding heat shrink tubing will correct this by sealing in the spliced joint.

 

[Ruby351]

3) Butt Splice Terminal End Crimp Connectors
These butt splice crimp connectors also come in terminal end connectors of various shapes and sizes with the connection made in a similar way, by removing just enough plastic to expose sufficient wire to insert into the connector until it butts the end, crimp it to secure and if you want it to be stronger and waterproof finish the connection with heat shrink tubing.

View attachment 61552


4) Heat Shrink Wire Crimp Connectors
If you want things really easy you can buy all these butt splices and butt splice termina end connectors with heat shrink tubing all in one.

 

[Little George]

Interesting. Bought myself a crimping set when I had to wire up my campervan thought I'd do things properly. I used to be a twist and duck tape guy.

 

[Ruby351]

Interesting. Bought myself a crimping set when I had to wire up my campervan thought I'd do things properly. I used to be a twist and duck tape guy.

Hah, good to know I was not alone LG

I must say I have a special little set of pliers/crimpers for fishing and making rigs proper nifty they are too, just wish that one day we could go out and come back saying we had caught a fish - would be nice eh?

These are the ones I have and they do all sorts, great for crimps too - never thought about crimping an electric wire though

 

[Ruby351]

5) Solder Seal Heat Shrink Wire Butt Splice Connectors

The next stage up as far as I see things is the 'self-soldering' butt splice connector i.e. it is basically a heat shrink tube which has a central bead of solder and a further type has a ring of adhesive either side a bit further along the tubing. This type of splice is said to be waterproof and a much stronger type of connection.

The idea is you insert one bare wire in at each end and some say you sort of splurge the wires into each other, or another method is to place the connection over one wire, twist the two wires together, bring the connector over the spliced wires and place it centrally, then in both cases you are ready to heat up the unit. As you heat the connector the adhesive will melt, the shrink tubing will shrink and the solder bead will melt and flow between the wires: once cooled the job is done.

 

[Ruby351]

6) Soldering a spliced wire joint

The good old fashioned way to secure a sliced joint was to solder it, now I have had a soldering gun etc., for about 20 years and I have tried to use it a few times but talk about hopeless, so I have very quickly given up and put it back on the shelf. Having looked at YT videos on various techniques and equipment, I have bought myself some goodies and with renewed vigour and a bit more heart, I am going to have another go, just for the fun of it and with a bit more oomph too.

Tips to follow and lots more besides, but for now it's 5.15am and I'm off for some shut eye

 

[BOB.T]

Joining two electrical wires together and it seems as though I have been doing it all wrong for the past 45 years or so, or rather let’s say there were better methods I could have used. I have some tips, tricks and ideas that could be of interest to other ‘novices’ like me, as I have I had my eyes opened to the world of splicing over this past week. It all started when I extended the flex to the battery charger of my Merc, which was too short to reach the outside waterproof box and be able to under the car and car cover for added protection. Now you may not find the subject quite as fascinating as I do, small minds and all that, but I have spent many happy hours checking out articles and YT videos on various devices on and around the subject. I have also made a number of purchases (well you know me), that will make my future endeavours on the joining of wires both easier, safer and more fun – whoopie!

The reason for this post is to share some of what I have learnt and give you a little food for thought, which I hope some members might find beneficial. But I hasten to add, it is very low key and not for those oh so knowledgeable ones on the forum, so for those please excuse my excitement over what you probably will find quite trivial.

Here we go then without further ado, and these are the things I have been looking at:

1) To splice electrical wires: joining together two (or more) wires so an electric current can pass through them

2) Butt Splice Crimp Connectors

3) Butt Splice Terminal End Crimp Connectors

4) Heat Shrink Wire Crimp Connectors

5) Solder Seal Heat Shrink Wire Butt Splice Connectors

6) Soldering a spliced wire joint

7) Care of and Tinning a Solder Iron

8) Connectors & tools etc. some good some not so good?

NB: all examples will be given involving 2 wires to keep things simple.

View attachment 61541

1) To splice electrical wires: joining together two (or more) wires so an electric current can pass through them

You would not believe how many different ways there are on the internet of how to splice two wires together in the most basic sense, the way I used to do it was to twist them together lay them flat along the plastic sheath and cover individually with insulating tape and then go over the whole flex again covering all the wire(s) with yet more tape. Then of course when I heard of the Heat Shrink Tubing I would use this to cover the joint and then go over the lot again with insulation tape, especially if the wire was going outside/in conduit.

Apparently this is a very weak kind of splice and it can easily be pulled apart, just as well as far as I can remember, none of my splices would have been put under any kind of force to lead them to separate ... well, nothing stopped working as a result of a break in a connection anyway.

Here are just two basic methods of splicing both of which profess to give a strong joint aided by the use of heat shrink tubing.
View attachment 61544 View attachment 61540
View attachment 61545


2) Butt Splice Crimp Connectors

These connectors require the plastic coating to be removed to expose just enough wire to sit inside one half of the connector and butt up against the central barrier, and the same for the other wire the other side. Each wire is crimped firmly to make the connection and hold it in place, at this point it is NOT waterproof so adding heat shrink tubing will correct this by sealing in the spliced joint.
View attachment 61546

View attachment 61551

Great Post I have a pair of the yellow crimpers and they work very well 👍

 

[Mean Mr Mustard]

Calling Captain Crappycrimp...

 

[Ruby351]

Calling Captain Crappycrimp...

Fantastic!

 

[Ruby351]

Great Post I have a pair of the yellow crimpers and they work very well 👍

Thank you Bob and for your input

 

[BOB.T]

Thank you Bob and for your input

Your most welcome

 

[t0m4ever]

Potentially unrelated, but did anyone else ever get annoyed with Edd China poking some heat shrink with a soldering iron and calling that done?

 

[JimboV8]

Potentially unrelated, but did anyone else ever get annoyed with Edd China poking some heat shrink with a soldering iron and calling that done?

Wouldn’t let him anywhere near my electrics, that’s for sure.

 

[Ruby351]

On the face of it, soldering itself is basically pretty straight forward i.e. heat the wire place the solder on top, when the wire’s covered job done, but having said that, there is an awful lot more to it to get the job done well and done right.

Here are a few bits ‘n’ bobs on what I have come across from a number of articles I have read about:
a) Soldering Irons
b) Soldering Tips
c) Flux
d) Solder

a) Soldering Irons (SI)
There are various types of ‘soldering iron’ as are the methods for heating them up, and this is usually dependent on the projects they are being applied to e.g. laser, infrared and ones you are more likely to have come across being, induction, resistance and gas such as butane.

The heating up power source I will be focused on is electricity, which comes directly from the mains or from there and then via a soldering station.

There are a number of different types of electric soldering irons (SI):

• Plug in, switch the power on and the SI heats up and soon becomes hot and ready to solder. These basic SI tend to be the cheap but can still get the job done in many cases.
• Mini SI that have a USB connection
• Temperature adjustable devices that have buttons or a dial on the SI itself to regulate the temperature.
• SI guns have been said to be easier and more comfortable to use than the pen-type SI because of the handle and better grip, with this being less tiring with extended use. Some have a holder for the solder acting as a ‘feeder’ making the gun a one-handed tool. This device can also benefit from having higher maximum temperatures than a pen SI.
• Soldering stations, are where the temperature is controlled in a separate unit away from the SI which is connected to it via a cable.

 

[Ruby351]

b) Soldering Tips

SI tips are made primarily of copper because it is a great conductor of heat. However there has to be something to prevent this succumbing to being dissolved with the use of solder, so a thin layer of iron plating covers the copper tip.

SI tips come in many different shapes and sizes that suit different purposes and it seems like the most popular seem to be those listed below, with a bit of info as to their uses. Also, looking at several website, there seems to be quite a bit of discrepancy about the labelling of 2 of the tips i.e. chisel and bevel. Not that it matters, but it did get me a bit discombobulated trying to find out which was which, so for the sake of arguments, I have settled on the ones below … but don’t the messenger

Conical: good general-purpose shape that allows for access at all angles, larger sizes allow for faster/wider heating area and more solder to be applied in larger fixtures. Finer ‘needle point’ ones are good for more intricate work, but it is a smaller surface area by definition, meaning it’s harder to get the heat to the area sufficiently to melt the solder especially with larger pieces.

Chisel: comes in various sizes and this is a good general purpose shaped tip which has two flat surfaces covering a bigger surface than the conical shape and therefore has good heat transfer to the wire and onto the solder enabling the possibility of completing faster soldering connections.

However big is not always best, i.e. there is more heat generated onto a larger area and there is a risk of melting too much solder and/or it the solder flowing where you don’t want it to go. Furthermore, this said flow of solder cold well connect to another component and thus form a ‘solder bridge’, which you will then need to rectify with its removal by desoldering.

Bevel or Hoof: these tips have one side curved and the other bevelled flat, which is useful for loading solder on and adding to the work surface as well as dragging the solder over it.

NB: a lot of the information centres around electronics and components, so some of the examples and information relates to this, never the less, it does link in with electrics and wires, in my mind anyway.

 

[piman]

Hello Ruby,

you seem to be getting very deep into this subject?
Personally, the conical tip does all I need for the very limited soldering I do. Often it is for splicing wires but occasionally replacing a component on a PCB. One useful tool for that sort of work is a solder sucker when removing a component from a board. Essentially a spring loaded plunger in a holder that locks in place. Heat the solder till it melts with the end of the sucker adjacent to the soldering iron. Once molten press the release button and the solder is drawn into the tool A couple of goes is occasionaly required.

Sheet metal workers used to use soldering irons too, quite large with a hatchet form, heated on a gas ring. Usually two or more, one in service soldering a seam with the other being kept hot.

Alec

 

[Ruby351]

Hello Ruby,

you seem to be getting very deep into this subject?
Personally, the conical tip does all I need for the very limited soldering I do. Often it is for splicing wires but occasionally replacing a component on a PCB. One useful tool for that sort of work is a solder sucker when removing a component from a board. Essentially a spring loaded plunger in a holder that locks in place. Heat the solder till it melts with the end of the sucker adjacent to the soldering iron. Once molten press the release button and the solder is drawn into the tool A couple of goes is occasionaly required.

Sheet metal workers used to use soldering irons too, quite large with a hatchet form, heated on a gas ring. Usually two or more, one in service soldering a seam with the other being kept hot.

Alec

Hello Alec,

Thank you for that, and I think you could well be right about the conical tip, as once you have mastered using that one, certainly saves changing the tips around just for the sake of things.

Good point about the solder sucker too, I got one in the 'kit' I bought and must admit I had to read the instructions and go on line to find out what it was for, thought it might be for basting grouse Certainly a useful tool for de-soldering especially if you are into electronics and printed circuit boards (PCB), which is certainly not me by the way, as I didn't even know what PCB stood for until I checked, and it is all over the place in the articles I have been reading on soldering etc.

Something else people use to resolder is a braid and this seems to work very well too.

I have to say I am totally enthralled with the subject of soldering and what it entails, and I'm only scratching the surface for sure, certainly a far cry from the topics in discussion of late and useful to boot. I only plan using it for a few jobs around the house, but I did watch a mesmerising video the other day, of a gent tinning his red cardinal bird copper edged sun catcher, you never know, I could start up a cottage industry with my new toys

 

[piman]

Hello Ruby,

sorry about the PCB, I thought you'd mentioned one earlier?

Solder is a subject in itself, the vaying alloying ratios and their uses. You are probably aware that solder was used to 'wipe' the joints of lead water pipes. This is a high lead to tin ratio which gives it a broader plastic range, i.e. the range in which it is soft and workable, which is opposite to that used for general soldering. High voltage cables many years ago were lead sheathed so a similar technique was used when jointing such cables. Today, even for old lead cables resin jointing kits would be used. There are YouTube videos of high voltage cable jointing or splicing, surprisingly complex.
You probably know that Jaguars (and other cars of that era) used 'lead' as a body filler, this is actually solder as used in plumbing.


Alec

 

[S-Type Owner]

Stained glass windows next, Ruby...?

 

[Rigger 575]

I work with subsea robotics, and have done plenty of soldering.

Now and then we have to make up subsea cables or 'whips' as we call them.

We always solder the wires together, using a small blade type solder tip. We use Weller 51 soldering Station with variable heat control. Strip 5mm of insulation and tin the wires. Get your heatshrink over one of the cables to be joined. Splice the tinned wires together - if done right you only have a 5mm gap that cannot be pulled apart. Make sure you have no spikes of solder sticking out- cut or file off the spikes. Slide the heatshrink over and shrink over the joint.

If doing multiple joints on a multicore wire, stagger the splices to stop having a bulge where all the joints meet in the same place.

To waterproof, we slide a larger piece of heatshrink over the whole set of soldered joints, shrink one end, and pour in a two part compound that usually sets within an hour and be used down to 4000m within two.