Tinning stranded wires

[Ken Moon]

Does anybody here pre-tin their stranded wires?

When I hand-tin them, they get super-stiff and almost impossible to wrap around a turret.

Sometimes the strands, just past where they are tinned, don't stay nicely together.

So I don't tin the ends (I like to use 20-gauge stranded teflon wire for everything but heaters, where I use 18 gauge.)  I do use a drop of liquid flux on every connection, which helps a lot in getting the solder joint wetted throughout.

At work, we used anti-wicking tweezers like this:


...along with a solder pot like this:


and liquid flux. I put on the tweezers, dipped the end of the wire in  flux, then into the solder pot for about 1 second.

This does a wonderful job of putting a very small amount of solder evenly across the strands, and the tinned part is easy to bend.

Is it worth all that trouble for amp building?

[John]

This is how I do it, after reading how Sluckey does it  and trying it his way. (anytime he says something, pay attention) lol


Twist the strands, brush on a tiny bit of flux (I used to not do that), hold your iron at the end of the strands, and then touch it back of that with the solder. When wetted, pull away the solder and iron, and immediately flick the wire end with your finger (just like Dad would do to my ear when I, believe it or not, was  smartass) The wires will still not bend like solid core, but that flick really helps.


Speaking of flux, I routinely use it now even on brand new connections. It *seems to* help the joint heat faster and the solder looks shinier.

[Ken Moon]

I see.

It looks like the flick is the trick 

And yes, I do loves me some flux 

[Ed_Chambley]

I just buy this wire
http://www.apexjr.com/wire.html

Pre tinned, but I tin buss wire and misc stuff.  I use solid core wire and a teledyne heat stripper so I do not nick the wire, but the stranded is also pretinned.  I do the flick thing as well, but I often times find solder where I wish I hadn't.

[jjasilli]

When I hand-tin them, they get super-stiff and almost impossible to wrap around a turret.

I tin just the very tip of stranded wire, so the ends won't fray in use.  (Remember those TV commercials about the horrors of split-ends).  I don't use flux to tin, or the solder permeates the strands & makes them too stiff, as you say.


I twist the strands tight; set a hi temp for the iron; hold the iron parallel to the ground, and get a tiny ball of molten solder resting near the iron's tip.  Then touch just the very end of the wire to that.  That keeps the ends of the strands from separating, while leaving the rest of the bare wire flexible.  It's an extra step and a PIA, but when I get lazy I regret it. 

[Ken Moon]

Excellent advice - thanks, guys!

I'll have to try that Watts pre-tinned wire - I like to save the wire I cut off transformer leads, because they're pre-tinned, but the PVC insulation is easy tp melt.

Cheers!