any tips on soldering 1/0 power wire????

[mobeious]

do any of u guys got any tips on soldering 1/0 to ring terminals i dont think my iron is getting hot enough to tin the 1/0

[89grand]

You need a torch.

Why do you need to solder it, can you crimp it? Use a hammer if need be.

[a$$hole]

Same thing will happen to your electrical system , unless you get bigger heat to do a bigger job,[ it ain't happening].

[mobeious]

well iv seen all these people pooling solder on the end of the ring terminal wich bonds the wire to the terminal from all the solder soakin in the wire while ur pooling it... i might just smack it with a hammer i was just wanting a cleaner look

[89grand]

Originally Posted by mobeious

well iv seen all these people pooling solder on the end of the ring terminal wich bonds the wire to the terminal from all the solder soakin in the wire while ur pooling it... i might just smack it with a hammer i was just wanting a cleaner look

Soldering it is great, but like I said, you'll need a torch to do it.

Assuming you don't have one, a hammer will crimp it. It's not the prettiest method, but effective.

[60ndown]

ive done it, inset both ends into copper tube, hammer, torch, solder, tape.

[Sassmastersq]

best method I've seen:

Secure the wire into the terminal, vice grip tighly to crimp it enough to keep the wire onto the terminal, or hammer it just enough to keep things together.

put the wire in a vise, with about 6", including the terminal hanging DOWN.

Heat the end of the terminal (fork or ring part) ONLY, do not under any circumstances put heat directly onto the barrel part, ever, ever, and I know you're thinking of something now, and NO, not then either. gently heat the terminal, heat it up enough to melt solder on the outside of the barrel, the wire won't be hot enough yet to solder, but give it about 10 seconds, and heat the end again, repeat until the solder melts when you put it onto the strands... only apply solder to the strands, that way it will melt into the wire, and bond to the barrel part, keep going until the whole connector is filled, a little at a time... should take a quite a while if you're doing it properly.

if you rush, you will compromise the jacket of the wire and end up with problems later on.


best option: a proper crimping tool, faster, easier, and a better connection.

[t3sn4f2]

Buy an inexpensive crimping tool, crimp it on a vice with the tool, heat shrink it with a heavy walled adhesive lined heat shrink and you're set.

Easiest, fast, and cheapest way of doing it, and more importantly it's the proper way.

[capnxtreme]

Originally Posted by 89grand

a hammer will crimp it

*** NEGATIVE ***

Soldering is probably better than this.

Proper crimp is best.

[Timmah318]

I've always used a bench vice, then heat shrink. More accurate than a hammer, less hassle and neater than soldering

[89grand]

Originally Posted by capnxtreme

*** NEGATIVE ***

Soldering is probably better than this.

Proper crimp is best.

I didn't say a hammer was better, I said if he doesn't have a torch, that's his best choice (assuming he didn't have a proper crimping too either, and surely he doesn't), but it DOES work. Wires don't care about solder as long as they are connected. Usually when people ask a question like this, they need an immediate solution, so I offered one, but if the OP said "I have a few weeks to get the proper tools, what should I get" I wouldn't have said a hammer.

Soldering is nothing more than a means to electrically connect something, and provides a mechanical bond as well when there is no other way, like a circuit board, but twisting two wires together are just as electrically connected as two wires soldered together.

[PaulD]

be careful not to beat the barrel to tight onto the wire. The best way to tin the leads is a tinning pot.

[t3sn4f2]

Originally Posted by PaulD

be careful not to beat the barrel to tight onto the wire. The best way to tin the leads is a tinning pot.

Why waste a perfectly good pot on that, can't you just use solder which already comes with tin?

[89grand]

Originally Posted by t3sn4f2

Why waste a perfectly good pot on that, can't you just use solder which already comes with tin?

Yeah, that's the way most people tin wires. The OP must have a lower powered iron and can't get the 0 gauge hot enough to tin so I told him to use a hammer to crimp it.

If the OP had the proper crimping tool, a solder pot, a vice and everything else under the sun, like some people seem to assume (not you) I bet he wouldn't have even posted this question.

[bobditts]

the problem with soldering large wire is the amount of heat needed to solder the wire properly. The amount of heat needed is so great that it will melt most of your plastic wire sheathing within atleast 12" of the are being soldered. You can use a proper 1/0ga crimp to tow a vehicle with.

[89grand]

Originally Posted by bobditts

the problem with soldering large wire is the amount of heat needed to solder the wire properly. The amount of heat needed is so great that it will melt most of your plastic wire sheathing within atleast 12" of the are being soldered. You can use a proper 1/0ga crimp to tow a vehicle with.

I agree, that's why I said this, in my first post:

Originally Posted by 89grand

You need a torch.

Why do you need to solder it, can you crimp it? Use a hammer if need be.

[t3sn4f2]

Originally Posted by 89grand

Yeah, that's the way most people tin wires. The OP must have a lower powered iron and can't get the 0 gauge hot enough to tin so I told him to use a hammer to crimp it.

If the OP had the proper crimping tool, a solder pot, a vice and everything else under the sun, like some people seem to assume (not you) I bet he wouldn't have even posted this question.

I knew about the tinning pot thing I was just messing with him pretending to have read tin instead of tinning and then saying that why cut up a pot to get the tin when the solder already comes with it.

[capnxtreme]

Originally Posted by 89grand

I agree, that's why I said this, in my first post: "you can use a hammer if need be"

And I said you can't because THAT'S NOT A CRIMP.

I didn't put any words in your mouth, don't put them in mine. That is simply not a crimp, period.

If OP doesn't have the tools then he needs to get the tools, period.

[89grand]

Originally Posted by capnxtreme

And I said you can't because THAT'S NOT A CRIMP.

I didn't put any words in your mouth, don't put them in mine. That is simply not a crimp, period.

If OP doesn't have the tools then he needs to get the tools, period.

A hammer works, I've done it.

Electrically speaking, what's the difference?

[capnxtreme]

I bet you could pull it off with your hands.

You couldn't pull a crimp off with a tractor.

[bbfoto]

If you're using a crimpped connection/ring terminal, DO NOT SOLDER the connection. See below for specifics.

I personally like the StreetWires "Inter-Lok" Ring Terminals. You don't need a Crimp Tool or a Soldering Iron or Torch. Expensive but they are genius! Love these things!

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showd...number=263-638

If you want to use Crimped connections, you must have the proper tools. Here is one I have used with much success:

LENCO # 840 Hammer-On Welding Cable Lug Crimper

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hammer-On-Weldin...3911.m14.l1318

And here is some Reference material I've found on Crimp connections:

About the Crimp?? The heart of any good solderless terminal system lies in the crimp system used. This may sound simple, but to maintain electrical integrity, tensile strength and insulation properties, a sound crimping technique and system must be used. The first thing to consider is that a good crimp relies on the wire, the terminal, and the tool. If any of these items are out of the terminal manufacturer's specs, an unacceptable crimp may result. Crimp joints are tested by pulling. For example, A 10-gauge crimped connection should support a 150lb. pull.

The crimped interface between the wire and the terminal is considered a high-pressure, permanent connection. Again, each component of the crimp (wire, terminal and tool) contributes to the integrity and the performance of the connection. An integrated crimp 'system' helps a given terminal meet the stringent conditions of agency approval and requirements of UL, CSA and military specifications. Crimping technology is designed to produce numerous cold welds between the wire and wire barrel that renders a nearly invisible electrical connection. A cold weld site occurs when sufficient pressure is applied to two small, but distinct, metallic surfaces already in intimate contact. Without sufficient cold weld sites a condition known as "static heating" prevails. Static heating is a self-perpetuating phenomenon that occurs as follows:

Crimping takes advantage of work hardening the copper wire barrel to hold the wire in place. Mild heating of the crimp begins to stress-relieve the crimped area. When stresses are relieved, cold weld sites break. Broken cold weld sites increase the resistance between the wire and wire barrel. This, in turn, increases the temperature in the crimp area; further stress relieving the crimp. This scenario continues until the crimp area becomes overheated and may result in melted or burned insulation.

Why Crimp? Crimping can be used in the vast majority of terminal to wire applications. While other methods are considered strong mechanical connections with high-performance electrical properties, crimping provides strength under constant load in tension and severe vibration. Crimp connections tend not to crack or creep under sustained loads. Fatigue is not an issue. Since the mechanical performance of a crimp is robust and sound, the electrical properties are less likely to degrade. In short, static heating is avoided when good crimping practice is followed.

8. Soldering versus Crimped Connection Myths? "Soldering or Solder-Dipping Will Improve The Connection"

Crimps are designed to work without solder or solder-dipped wire. When solder is present in a crimp, the deformation properties change. When the deformation properties change, metal-flow, cleaning, welding and residual force also change and compromise the mechanical and electrical properties of the crimp. With diminished mechanical properties, the connection may not survive normal uses. Furthermore, as electrical performance diminishes, the perils of static heating arise. Additionally, in some cases, copper wire may becom