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Soldering iron. (Electrical work)

beags86

beags86

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Simple request but, what's a good soldering iron to get? I have a bargin bin special and it sucks.

Any other little tools that makes wiring stuff better?
 
beags86 said:
Simple request but, what's a good soldering iron to get? I have a bargin bin special and it sucks.

Any other little tools that makes wiring stuff better?
Click to expand...

weller for a iron

torches are fun

Klein for hand tools

I like the Ideal Stripmasters too

the resident electricians can chime in too @truck-oholic @onetonbb74
 
I love this soldering iron.
It's not necessary, but if doing small work a solder sucker can be handy too.
Klein does make the best wire strippers for sure.

And one of these stands is about the best $5 you can spend for soldering wires and such together.

IMG_20190408_174523250.jpg

Screenshot_20190408-174855.png
 
I got one of those little clamp things and a mini torch for shrink wrap. But I need to get organized. I am thinking about buying a little top box or some just for wiring. I know the pro shops use a cart. Anyone have a dedicated cart?
 
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I have a bedroom dresser (tall) that's full of wire and various audio/video cables. Need to go through it.....
 
I use a butane torch iron for soldering if no power is available...i have a craftsman box for home/auto wiring, all the good stuff is in the work truck...

15547650181004564671849166885084.jpg
 
All I have is a drawer in my tool box, pretty much just like the Craftsman pictured above
 
I got that from parts express a long time ago...seems good quality.
 
I need to get some sort of big crimper too. Usually I just take stuff to work and use theirs. Or borrow the tool. But having one would be mo betta
 
I use an electric one these days...there several thousand dollars so I dont recommend buying one.
 
@skunked nailed it and when you are doing 100s or 1000s of control wiring terminations like I have in the past those stripmasters or similar are the Bee's knees. I'd frequently use ferrules and ratcheting crimper but that doesn't have as much application in automotive wiring.

As far as soldering goes, a lot of people think that is the best connection and while it is a great electrical connection when done properly, it also weakens the conductor and makes it brittle which is a particular concern when subjected to vibration. As I understand, the aerospace industry does not use soldered connections for this very reason and God knows vehicles have enough vibrations of their own.
 
truck-oholic said:
@skunked nailed it and when you are doing 100s or 1000s of control wiring terminations like I have in the past those stripmasters or similar are the Bee's knees. I'd frequently use ferrules and ratcheting crimper but that doesn't have as much application in automotive wiring.

As far as soldering goes, a lot of people think that is the best connection and while it is a great electrical connection when done properly, it also weakens the conductor and makes it brittle which is a particular concern when subjected to vibration. As I understand, the aerospace industry does not use soldered connections for this very reason and God knows vehicles have enough vibrations of their own.
Click to expand...

Correct. NASA does this, then alittle solder over it All.

western-union-or-linemans-splice.jpg
 
I agree with not soldering on vibration applications. I learned this the hard way with rigid mount motorcycles. Draw back of course is space as it's hard to hide a bunch of shrink terms in a headlight bucket... Soldering is also not something I'm very good at but I did just pick up a butane iron that's pretty nice so far
 
I did that on 78 wires in the wheel well on a Dodge Stratus or intrepid, some chit. That's where I found out that stand came in handy for lol. My buddy tried driving home on a flat tire and the tire came apart, ripped the inner fender out, and then ripped the wire harness from the fuse box to the dash out :doah:. Took pieces of 2 junkyard harnesses, plus the original to make it work again


Edit, . The NASA style connection
 
SpeedlabDan said:
I agree with not soldering on vibration applications. I learned this the hard way with rigid mount motorcycles. Draw back of course is space as it's hard to hide a bunch of shrink terms in a headlight bucket... Soldering is also not something I'm very good at but I did just pick up a butane iron that's pretty nice so far
Click to expand...
I am not great at it and I kinda hate doing wiring work. So I thought I would see what other guys use to help themselves and hopefully I'll get better and maybe even like it.
 
beags86 said:
I am not great at it and I kinda hate doing wiring work. So I thought I would see what other guys use to help themselves and hopefully I'll get better and maybe even like it.
Click to expand...
Same here I'm good at making things work but I never like how my wiring looks when I'm done
 
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