Soldering heavy wire

No the spring loaded one above it - Ref: 070390 Sprung Loaded Crimping Tool - That one looks like mine but I bought it elsewhere - I have done quite a lot of terminals with it and it works very well indeed.
 
I would never solder a connector on 16mm a proper crimp with the correct tool is the way forward.
Why?
Because the solder wicks up the cable and where it stops reduces the flexibility of the cable leading to a breakage at that point from vibration.
Even on fixed industrial installations they use crimps ask yourself why.
 
Loddon said:
I would never solder a connector on 16mm a proper crimp with the correct tool is the way forward.
Why?
Because the solder wicks up the cable and where it stops reduces the flexibility of the cable leading to a breakage at that point from vibration.
Click to expand...
With any wire its important that is mecanically supported. The abrupt junction between the wire and the terminal in a crimped connection causes the same problem.
Loddon said:
Even on fixed industrial installations they use crimps ask yourself why.
Click to expand...
In a proffesional enviroment crimps are the best solution. With the correct equipment, standardised terminals and procedures a very high quality, reproducible joint can be achieved. Soldering is much slower and more expensive.

Well done amateur crimps are excellent as well, but measure the voltage the voltage drop over an older amateur crimp in large diameter wire and it is often poor.
 
noelex said:
Well done amateur crimps are excellent as well, but measure the voltage the voltage drop over an older amateur crimp in large diameter wire and it is often poor.
Click to expand...

With the new generation of ratchet crimp tools its very hard to do a bad crimp even the Chinese ones do a good job.
I suppose in my working life I have made thousands of crimp joints so its really second nature and adding adhesive shrink to give extra support is a must.
 
Loddon said:
With the new generation of ratchet crimp tools its very hard to do a bad crimp even the Chinese ones do a good job.
Click to expand...

People keep saying this, but I have a ratchet crimper (looks like http://s7g3.scene7.com/is/image/ae235/70036_P?$p$ though I don't know if it's the exact same one) and always seem to get rubbish results. I mostly avoid using it now, and do solder and heatshrink instead, but the crimping would be much quicker if only it worked. Dunno what the problem is - possibly duff crimps, but I've tried several batches.

Pete
 
Loddon said:
With the new generation of ratchet crimp tools its very hard to do a bad crimp even the Chinese ones do a good job.
......
Click to expand...

Sorry, but I have seen enough bad crimps to know that it comes easily to many people.
Most amateurs don't have the right tool for the crimp, or the right crimp for every size of cable.
Sometimes they bugger it up before getting that far, by nicking the cable when stripping the insulation.

Soldering can be done badly too, but in general, if I can't get the right crimps and crimp tool, I'm happier to depend on a soldered join than to compromise on the crimping.
Top tip for soldering, get some 'no clean' flux, preferably in 'marker pen' dispenser form.
Also use good quality low melt solder, not cheap lead free stuff.
For important high current stuff, where possible get the crimps put on by a skilled bloke working in a clean environment with good tools. It's worth paying for IMHO.
 
nigelmercier said:
One assumes you mean "Ref: TN76 Copper Tube Crimping Tool" not one of the cheap ones.
Click to expand...
Surely you mean one of these
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4164344-E...046?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3f26e78a2e and a damn sight cheaper than Furneaux Riddall - looks to be the same unit made in the same chinese factory - you just pay more for it through FR....

or one could go for this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/416372-Ma...305?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3f27572199

or slightly smaller capacity
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Manual-Hy...370?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3f26d1483a
 
nigelmercier said:
That is actually a nice looking tool...
Click to expand...

I have one. Done me a lovely set of battery cables when I re-wired Kindred Spirit, and will do me another set (and some windlass ones) on Ariam this winter. Thoroughly recommended.

(I have also used it in bodging mode to crimp talurit-style ferrules onto stainless wires. Certainly wouldn't trust it for rigging done that way, but ok for dinghy locks etc.)

Pete
 
Heat the terminal and not the cable, plus of course be careful a small gas bottle torch is what I use. I also put a piece of heatshrink sleeving on the cable, to put over the joint after soldering, to hide any slight melting. Sneeky!!
 
ccscott49 said:
Heat the terminal and not the cable, plus of course be careful a small gas bottle torch is what I use. I also put a piece of heatshrink sleeving on the cable, to put over the joint after soldering, to hide any slight melting. Sneeky!!
Click to expand...

We used a similar method for prototype power cables for fork trucks. The eyelet was held in a vice by blade, 4 lengths of multicore twisted together, heat up eyelet and fill with solder, take wire pre-stripped and plunge into molten solder, leave to cool.

Brian
 
Many thanks for all the usefull info. Was going to order the 80 quid crimper untill i saw the 30 quid hydraulic one on ebay. Many hanks!
 
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