In the next tutorial it would be best to do some soldering in order to have a good outcome.
Although you can achieve the results without soldering, the joins will be better and you can get a much more professional finish.
We are going to be doing a simple join in two pieces of wire that will end up looking like this.
Index
Step 1 – Get the right tools
Step 2 – Strip the insulation off the wire
Step 3 – Twist the strands
Step 4 – Set up your soldering iron
Step 5 – Tin the wire
Step 6 – Remember your heat shrink
Step 7 – Join the wires
Step 8 – Apply the heat shrink
Tools Required
Soldering Iron
Solder
Side Cutters
Heat Shrink
Parts List
2 pieces of wire to join
Step 1 – Get the right tools
Having the right tools will greatly help your soldering ability. The absolute minimum necessary here is a soldering iron, solder and some side cutters.
They type of soldering iron can be varied, from the cheap plug in electric model that I have here to a butane gas portable iron, or even a professional soldering station. Whatever the iron type, the procedure is always the same.
Step 2 – Strip the insulation off the wire
In order to solder the two wires together, you need access to the strands of wire. To do this strip the insulation off the end of both pieces to be joined. There are fancy tools to achieve this, I couldnt find mine, but you simply use some side cutters. With pressure on the wire, but not enough to cut it, pull the wire through the cutters to strip the insulation. You hold the cutters as though you are going to cut off about 1cm from the end of the wire, and pull the cutters away from their position.
You are left with a section of bare wire.
Step 3 – Twist the strands
No image for this step, but it looks just like the one above.
Grab the wire between thumb and forefinger and twist the individual strands into one piece.
Do this for both pieces of wire.
Step 4 – Set up your soldering iron
Get your soldering iron ready by plugging it in and wait for it to get up to temperature.
When this is done, you want to make sire that the tip is ready to use and tinned.
It might be handy to have a small piece of wet sponge that you can wipe the end of the iron on. usually you can just keep the sponge in a small dish or saucer with a little water then draw the iron over the top of the sponge for a quick clean.
You should see a tip like this.
Step 5 – Tin the wire
The easiest way to solder joins is to ensure that both piece to join have been tinned, which is applying a small amount of solder to each work piece.
Lay the wire on to the soldering iron tip until it gets hot, then touch some solder to the bare wire. This ensures a good contact between the solder and wire as the wire is hot enough.
Do this to both pieces.
NOTE: If you are soldering something that is sensitive to heat, ensure that you dot over heat it, by either using a heat sink on that device, or just using the minimum time needed to melt the solder.
Step 6 – Remember your heat shrink
When you are joining wire or assembling components, you dont want the bare wire from your joins to ome into contact with other wire or components otherwise you are likely to short something out or destroy it.
To overcome this, we use heat shrink. It is a plastic like insulator that shrinks to about half its size when heat is applied.
Cut a piece of heat shrink that is big enough to cover your join and is of a size that will shrink down enough to stay in place when shrunk. Forgetting to put the heat shrink in place BEFORE you make the join will mean a frustrating chore of undoing the join to put the heat shrink in place.
Step 7 – Join the wires
Hold the two wires to be joined in close proximity in the same location that they will be when joined, and apply a fast, light touch of the soldering iron until the solder on both wires have melted and flowed into one piece.
Hold the work steady after you withdraw the soldering iron for the solder to set.
Step 8 – Apply the heat shrink
Slide the heat shrink into place and shrink it with the soldering iron.
Your soldering job is now complete.
These techniques apply for any job really, and are well worth learning and practicing to get proficient at.
