NEC on soldering wiring

Never measured the actual amperage in the tool, but yes it is 'considerable'. Think of your typical soldering 'gun' with a tip connected across the secondary of a significant step-down transformer. Remove the tip and put some large leads from the gun output to the forceps/pliers and you have the idea.

Now replace the gun with a small portable welder. Don't actually draw an arc, but that's the kind of current we're talking, perhaps 50 amps or so through the twisted joint of two #10 wires. Hot enough to solder in a few seconds. But yes, the 'jaws' of the tool get hot too, so it may be a lot of heat is in the small contact surface between tool's jaws and the work.

Well, that's your perogative. But the individual coils within most large motors (up to say about 100 hp) are connected this way. Been done like this for years. Process is a lineman type of twisted splice, solder, insulate, tie down, go on to next connection. The 'tie down' is important to prevent mechanical stress/vibration.

Not that I'm advocating tinning stranded wire under wire-nuts. It's my understanding that the soft solder alloy will 'creep' with time and loosen. When all else fails, RTFM, or in this case, "install in accordance with the manufacturer's directions".

daestrom

Reply to
daestrom
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Ever seen a 200w Weller gun?

Reply to
gfretwell

Properly made up in a wirenut it won't heat up at all. Bear in mind 14, 12 and 10 ga already have the 125% built into

240.4(D).
Reply to
gfretwell

On Wed, 27 Sep 2006 21:37:41 -0400 snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote: | On 27 Sep 2006 21:03:00 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@ipal.net wrote: | |>Just how hot will such a twisted and capped connection get with the 125% |>level of current flow? | | Properly made up in a wirenut it won't heat up at all. | Bear in mind 14, 12 and 10 ga already have the 125% built into | 240.4(D).

I'm not really concerned about the wire gauge specifically. What I am concerned about is the contact cross section, and how loose it will be in 20 years.

Reply to
phil-news-nospam

On Wed, 27 Sep 2006 21:35:35 -0400 snipped-for-privacy@aol.com wrote: | On 27 Sep 2006 21:03:00 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@ipal.net wrote: | |>An interesting concept. Just how many amps does it take to make a 10 AWG |>copper wire heat up to the point it can be soldered? T | | Ever seen a 200w Weller gun?

My father has a 225 watt one.

Reply to
phil-news-nospam

You seem to be describing a hand held "spot" welder. The "jaws" are the ONE TURN secondary of a transformer (like the old solder guns) and when where is sufficient pressure the primary circuit will draw 10 amps (@120). The "several amps" can be on the order of 50 to 100 amps.

Years ago we used them to weld thermocouples or put filaments onto headers. In these applications the "subject wire" had a much higher resistivity than the copper jaws.

That said, I surprised you can make effective welds on copper. I would think you would as likely weld the copper wire to the jaws! I guess the size of the jaws keep them from melting.

Reply to
John Gilmer

It is akin to a spot welder, but smaller. It doesn't melt the base material/copper like a welder does. It just heats it up enough to melt the solder you apply. The 'jaws' are much smaller about the size of small pliers. Because the current is lower and the temperature of the copper never approaches melting, it doesn't stick to the jaws at all.

Other than that, yes you have the idea. Heats up the wire nice and quick to make soldering the dozens of joints in a motor go fairly quickly (once you have them mechanically made up).

daestrom

Reply to
daestrom

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