Soldering electrics - tips and tools?

[muzikill]

I have a problem where the 10a fuse keeps blowing on the ignition circuit and one possible thing i want to single out equation is a alarm that has been fitted. This will mean taking off the heatshrink off the cables the curcuit taps into and checking the solder for possible cracks and breaks and re-soldering and heat shrinking them up.

Any guidance on doing this and what the best tools and parts i need to do this right would be appreciated.

[fizzwheel]

be clean. Any grease or dirt or muck is going to stop you getting a good joint with your solder.

I always use Flux paste rather than the solder that comes with flux in it as that IMHO seems to work better.

Tin the wires you are soldering together before you try and join them. i.e coat the bare wires with solder, and then hold them together and then apply heat and more solder and you should get a nice smooth join.

You want a decent soldering iron and a selection of tips. I often found it was better to hold the iron in a vice and then it was easier to have that as a fixed base to use to join my wires together, but you might not have that luxury if you are working on a bike.

You might find one of those gas powered irons might be easier to use than one that runs off the mains.

HTH

Agree with fizz.

Desoldering an in-line joint is just a case of heat it up and pull apart. Once apart, heat the soldered end, and use the tip of the iron to bend back the wire and release the wire like a wee catapult. The excess solder will fly off in to someone’s eye, and your wire will be nicely tinned ready for use.

The main trick to using the regular solder wire is not to hold the iron on for too long after adding your dod of solder. The other trick is not to use too much solder. Muck this up and you can splash on a bit of flux resin and apply heat again with the iron. Keep the iron on too long though and you’re back to square on, splashing on more flux.

First wipe the tip of the hot iron to remove the old solder. A wet sponge is ideal. Don't get carried away, a quick wipe will do.

"Tin" both wires to be soldered by adding a dod of fresh solder to you iron, and heating the wire in question. When doing this make sure the liquid solder is acting like a little heat conducting bridge between the iron tip and the wire. When you see the solder start to flow in to the wire add another small dod of solder, not to the iron, but to point on the wire where the liquid solder has taken, then quickly remove the iron.

If you have too much heat the flux burns off and the solder doesn't "flow" properly. This is when the solder doesn't want too leave your iron, in an almost sticky fashion.

As always it's all down to practice.

Use whatever cunning array of clamps and grips to hold your two wires together with an overlap, (both already tinned), and use the same technique as above, but try to apply heat to both wires at the same time.

If you muck up, or put too much solder on, you can use a "solder sooker" to remove excess solder and start again. Or just use my patentded solder catapult technique!

Recommend going to Maplins or the like and buying a a wee gadget to hold wires in place while you solder... don't know it's proper name, "solderers friend" maybe! It's basically a steel bar with a crock clip on either end and a heavy base to keep it steady

Good luck!

Do not put the soldering iron down on the floor then kick it so it rolls over & solders through it's own mains cable. This is a bad thing......You will feel like a tit.