tips/tricks to soldering bullet plugs?

On Sat, 01 Sep 2007 08:04:32 -0700, walter wrote in :

I have no advice specific to those plugs.

General soldering ideas:

-- clean things up first

-- heat the biggest piece until it is hot enough to melt the solder

-- don't let the pieces move while cooling

I usually get a drop of solder on my iron first. It seems to make the heat flow better to the plug or the wire than working with a dry solder tip.

You may need a system of clips to hold the plug and the wire in place. I've got a self-made "third hand" that helps a lot. It's just a small block of scrap wood with a a clothespin and two alligator clips attached to it. I have the feeling that someone may have given me a commercial third hand as well, but, if so, it has vanished.

The tradeoff with any system of gripping the wires and parts is that the holder will act as a heat sink and could slow the process of getting the piece or the wire hot enough to melt the solder.

Sometimes you need a bigger soldering iron. A very fine iron meant for working on circuit boards may not give enough heat for working on the bigger pieces.

Marty

thx...2nd try went alot better. biggest single factor: more patience!

On Sat, 01 Sep 2007 09:17:52 -0700, walter wrote in :

Way to go!

Marty

With these, one way is to fill the plug (cable end of course) with solder and keep it liquid. Then stuff the cable in, wait a moment until the solder "creeps up" the cable a little and then you can let it cool down. The creeping indicates that the wire got hot enough to actually bond with the solder.

Something to hold the plug helps too. I use a jewellers vise.

Jenni

I use an old 2x4 section full of holes

"Six_O'Clock_High"