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Triumph TR6 - Soldering question

If I use the resin core solder I have on electrical connections in my tail lights, do I need to use a flux paste first? It isn't clear to me. When working with electronic equipment, I never used any kind of flux, but the tail light fix it site says to use the flux. Do I really need it? Thanks, John.

And Jim, it was 86 here today--no kind of weather for a goose.
JL Bryan

The flux is used to help the solder flow. For me I'd rather use resin. You can get liquid resin from an electronic supply store. Use a small brush to coat the area you want filled and then heat and apply your solder. Use the resin core with the liquid resin if that's what you have - no problem. Clean well afterwards with a brush and 99% isopropyl alcohol.
Flux paste is for plumbing. Resin is for electronics. Works for me. SC
Steve C. (member)

Goose? What goose?

I buy Steve's story if you wish to use anything but solder. The correct solder to use is RESIN CORE solder. The other type is ACID CORE which is used for plumbing and the like.

Send it up here, I'll solder it for you. It will only cost you two months of 80's. <G>

Jim
Jim Deatsch

Jim, I know to use resin core. The question is whether I should use flux first. By the way, someone had already soldered one of the tail light assemblies. But that is for a different thread. John.
JL Bryan

I've never used flux on electrical wiring soldering.
Not once.

Dan?

Jim
Jim Deatsch

Most solder you buy now for electrical has a resin core inside so it aids in the flow of solder...you heat the work not the solder and touch the solder to the work and not the solder tip. I only use flux when I do copper plumbing.
Charlie
Charlie Ballard

When you use flux, you are just getting a step ahead of the flux that's contained in the flux core solder. For most wiring, it is not needed, but what you are doing with Nelson's taillight fix is not wiring - you are soldering copper strips. Very similar, but a bit different. Here, getting a step ahead with the flux is beneficial.

Most wiring you will be doing is with clean wire - these copper strips are anything but clean. The added cleaning and surface preparation from an advance application of flux is a good thing.

"you heat the work not the solder and touch the solder to the work and not the solder tip"

Most instructions say to do this, but I would modify this a bit. Heat is the enemy when soldering wires, so you want to heat the joint as little as you can. You need to use a high wattage iron so the joint gets hot before the heat has time to travel up the wire and wick solder up into the wiring. It takes a small iron so long to get the joint hot that the heat has time to travel before the joint is hot enough.

Another tip I've developed to limit the heat transfer is to touch the solder to the juncture between the iron and the work, just long enough for a small blob of solder to form. This little blob aids in heat transfer from the iron to the work, reducing the time of heat application. Just a little blob, and then remove the solder. Watch this blob, and as soon as it begins to flow out, you will know the work is hot enough to solder, and you can then touch the solder to the work, and not the iron, as Charlie suggested. If the work is not hot enough to flow the solder, you will get a bad joint.
Dan Masters

"Mg chemicals" rosin flux for electronics any electrical supply house. Its a fluid and cheap. Not as corosive as the full acid hardware stuff. Q-tip dip and let a bit flow in the gap hit both sides and clean after as per Steve. It is still corosive.

Then use Dans trick if that dab of solder moves and flows flat to one side your OK. Its called tinning. Tin each side. Watch for small flow. Flat not a bead. Rather than trying to bring whole thing up to temp. Then just bridge the 2 with a bit of solder.

If you do not have a solder gun as shown in the article get it done or borrow one. Buy a new tip. Best is a cutting tip for this very thin. Gun costs more than the new sockets. None of the pencil type Weller and Ungars can sustain tip heat for this work other than the dual temp gun. I have a number and have tried all during many strange progects. Gun works. Preheat tip first before you apply. Will prevent overall heating of part.
Bill Brayford

This thread was discussed between 13/02/2004 and 15/02/2004

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