Topic: Fixing hand controls?

[cleveland]

So I am stringing my drag bars with 34 year old wires, and can you believe one of the broke!  .......

Can this just be soldered back on?  The yellow wire to the part the screw driver is pointing at.





I have never used a soldering iron, but I figure any reason to buy a new tool is a good one.  If soldering is the correct solution, do I need to remove the old solder to insure the wire touched the plate?  Will soldering the wire to the old solder still allow the current to travel properly?

 

[mystic_1]

Sure, buy a $10 iron and solder that puppy back on. 

Clean up the end if the wire first, cut the wiring back to eliminate the frayed end, twist it together nice and neat, and trim back the insulation just a wee bit, say 1/4 inch of exposed wire.  then, to make the job easier, heat the end of the wire with the iron and then apply a drop of solder so that it coats the wire.  This is called 'tinning' and makes re-attaching easier.

Don't have to remove the old solder, the iron will re-melt it and it'll help reattach the new wire.  You'll need very little new solder.  Of course if you're really anal you could use solder braid or a solder sucker to melt and remove the old solder, remove the bit of broken wire, and resolder the wire in place.

Finally, whenever you're applying solder, don't touch the solder directly to the iron, heat the parts and then apply the solder to the parts.

mystic_1

[eldar]

one other thing to add. Do not move the wire till the solder sets, otherwise you will end up with whats called a "cold" joint.
The joint is not as good and is weaker.

[newcbguy]

soldiering old wire can be a bit challenging at times so be patient if it doesnt work at first. It may also help to re-strip the wire as said but also clean or sand the strands of wire with sandpaper or something to remove the oxidation so the soldier and flux can work.

[GraveRobber]

And remember to get solder for elecrtical applications (rosen core).

[hymodyne]

if you take your time, it can be done. I reattached one of my kill switch wires inside the pod.

hym

[WFO]

Also a Desoldering Iron is a good idea for a nice clean job http://www.radioshack.com/sm-45-watt-desoldering-iron--pi-2062731.html (just an example) but effective.

[bradweingartner]

I'd pass on the desoldering iron unless you plan on doing a lot. But I would invest in some flux. A good agressive flux will clean up the oxides and crap from the old wires and help things stick. Even if you use a flux core solder it still helps to use more!

[hopterfixer]

Whenever I solder these wires I dip the wire end in some flux and put at little on the switch joint in your case.  The flux really can make life easy. 

[WFO]

He mentioned about removing (old) solder is there a better way brad?

[mystic_1]

Heh, to add yet another tip, try not to glob on too much solder, that'll create a lump that may short against other things when you put it all back together.  It really takes only a little, especially if you prep well and tin the wire beforehand.

cheers
mystic_1



Edit: to remove solder one can use "solder wick" or "solder braid" which is a flat braided strip of copper wire, you place the strip over the old solder and then put the soldering iron on it to melt the solder which is then sucked up into the wick by capillary action.  This is fairly cheap and works tolerably well.

They also make "desoldering tools" which is essentially a spring-loaded syringe that sucks up molten solder after you've melted it with the iron.  This is more expensive but works very well.

Someone earlier mentioned a "desoldering iron" which is like the above but combined with a soldering iron.  Melt and suck up the solder with one hand.  This is the most expensive.

-m

[cleveland]

See, THAT'S what I love about this forum. 

Thanks guys!!!

[WFO]

Well explaining and using braid is easier said than done the original poster stated he was fairly new to soldering soooooo i though (desoldering) was basically self explanatory and 10 bucks isn't very expensive IMO and you have the tool for future use. 

[smccloud]

And remember to get solder for elecrtical applications (rosen core).

silver solder works too

[mystic_1]

Well explaining and using braid is easier said than done the original poster stated he was fairly new to soldering soooooo i though (desoldering) was basically self explanatory and 10 bucks isn't very expensive IMO and you have the tool for future use. 

That's my rationale as well, which may explain why I have so damn many tools lol!  I have my nice soldering iron, my cheap beater, my butane powered portable, my PCB soldering iron with the very fine tip, a couple of desoldering irons, multiple desoldering tools, etc.

I see that Radio Shack offers a desoldering iron for $10.99



and also a dual-wattage soldering iron for the same price



They're not Wellers but they'll certainly get the job done, at least a few times   Hard to go wrong at those prices.



By the by, I'm still working on a huge ass roll of solder I bought back in the 80's (can't have too much I say).  It's the old lead-based stuff.  Is the newer lead-free stuff as bad as I've heard?

mystic_1

[bradweingartner]

WFO: A better way than a desoldering iron, isn't really much of one! 

Just saying it's not going to be a commonly used tool probably. Though for 11 bucks it might be worth it!

I hardly ever use a desoldering iron. Or my solder sucker. Or Solder wick really. For a big, uncomplicated joint like found in the hand controls I Just heat it up and basically smack the blob off - 95% of the solder leaves this way. Always worked for me. Of course if  desoldering some fine pitch stuff, that changes the story considerably.

But Flux is a must. Tinning the wire as Hopterfixer mentioned also seriously helps.