How to properly solder a wire without a soldering iron: methods and preparation of the tool for work

Soldering wires together or soldering them to something is usually not difficult, especially if you use a soldering iron of the required power. But it so happens that there is a need to reliably connect the wire, and there is no soldering device at hand or access to electricity is difficult. Therefore, there is nothing left but to solder the wire without a soldering iron, especially since this can be done using various methods.

General information and preparation

Soldering is the process of joining two or more elements together under the action of a molten material that has a lower melting point than the parts to be joined. This material is called solder. It can be of different contents, for example, a tin-lead composition is used to create a permanent connection from copper-based elements, and for aluminum - from zinc and silicon.

A soldering iron is used as a tool. This device has a sting at the end, made of a material with high thermal conductivity. For operation, this tip is heated in various ways so that heat is transferred from it to the solder, bringing it to a molten state.

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To solder the wires with a soldering iron, in addition to it and solder, you will need a flux. It is most often a mixture of organic and inorganic origin and is used as a means for removing oxides from the surface. Thanks to its use, the surface tension is reduced and the quality of the soldering improves.

Preliminary operations

Before proceeding directly to soldering, the tool and the connected elements must be properly prepared. First of all, a soldering iron is being prepared. For this, he is serviced. The tinning process involves applying a small amount of solder to the tip of the tip. This process is carried out as follows:

1. If necessary, all dirt is removed from the cold soldering iron. For this, a special sponge or sandpaper is used.
2. The tool heats up and its tip is briefly dipped to a shallow depth in the flux.
3. As soon as the flux begins to evaporate from the surface of the tip, the solder is touched with it, trying to evenly cover the entire tip.
4. If necessary, the excess solder is carefully cleaned off on a wooden block.

It should be noted that recently the tip of soldering irons is covered with a non-combustible material. If oxides appear on it, a mechanical method of getting rid of them will not work. Therefore, for cleaning, the non-combustible tip heats up a little, and then with the help of a rag folded in several layers, it is wiped off with quick movements.

Similarly to a soldering iron, a wire or a soldering point is tinned before work. To tin the wire, the insulation is first removed from it, and if several wires are soldered to each other, they are first twisted.

Connection technique

After the parts to be connected are prepared, they proceed directly to the soldering. The tip is heated to a temperature that allows the solder to melt. For example, for a low-melting substance such as POS-61, this temperature is 190 ° C, and for the popular POS-40 - 235 ° C.

Despite the fact that soldering provides reliable electrical contact, its mechanical strength is low. Therefore, to create a good mechanical connection, pre-twist the wires. If the wire is soldered to a flat part, then they are tightly pressed together, for example, using pliers.

The soldering itself takes place as follows:

• they touch the solder with a sting, as a result of which its droplet goes to the tip of the soldering iron;
• the tip of the tip with solder is dipped in rosin for a second and immediately applied to the place of soldering;
• with sufficient heating of the soldering device, the solder begins to spread itself over the junction;
• after two to three seconds, the soldering iron is removed;
• complete solidification of the solder occurs after 10 seconds, during which it is impossible to move the soldering point.

In the case of large surfaces requiring connection, the operation is repeated several times. The quality of the connection primarily depends on the temperature of the tip. If it is not hot enough, the solder will turn into a slurry, which will begin to roll off the soldering iron. And if it is overheated, then dross will begin to appear on the surface. A sign of sufficient heating of the soldering iron will be boiling of the rosin with abundant steam when it comes into contact with the soldering device.

Soldering without tools

In fact, there are many ways to solder wires without using an electric soldering iron. The easiest way is when there is a soldering iron, but there is no way to connect it to electricity. Therefore, it is necessary to heat the sting on alternative sources, for example, on a gas burner or a street fire.

Even if you don't have a soldering iron, you can do it yourself. To do this, you need a copper rod with a diameter of at least 4 mm and a length of about 8 cm. One end of it is grinded in such a way that it resembles the tip of a flat screwdriver. The other end is inserted into a heat-insulating handle, for example made of a block of wood. Of course, soldering with such a device should be carried out near the heating source and you will need to observe the utmost care and caution during operation. Then it will not be difficult to solder the wire efficiently and correctly.

In addition to a homemade soldering device, you can use alternative methods:

• tinning method;
• soldering with foil.

These methods, of course, will be inferior in quality to soldering using a soldering device, but at the same time they are quite capable of providing solid and permanent contact.

Tinning method

The method consists in the fact that the solder is preliminarily cut into small chips. Then it is laid out on a metal surface. A tin lid or thick foil can be used as such a surface. Crumbled pieces of rosin are added to the shavings, and then the whole thing is mixed.

Once the composition is ready, the metal surface is heated by placing it over an open fire. This could be a candle flame, a gas burner, a campfire, or even a lighter. After the mixture has entered the liquid phase, the previously prepared ends of the wires or the completed twist are lowered into it. After a few seconds, the connection will be ready, it will only be necessary to isolate it.

Foil use

You can improve the quality of the wire connection using foil. For this, the prepared elements are served by the tinning method, after which they are twisted together. Once they are twisted, the intact insulation is wrapped in foil before joining. This prevents it from further deformation. The place of the twist is heated until the solder on it begins to melt. Due to its transition to a liquid state and subsequent cooling, a strong permanent connection is formed. Heating is carried out on any open fire in the same way as when tinning.

There is another way that allows you to quickly solder using foil, while tinning is optional. To do this, a narrow strip is made from it along the length of no more than a connection section. A gutter is made from this piece, into which a twist of wires is placed. The created gutter along its entire length is covered with a mixture of crushed solder and flux. The foil is then tightly wrapped around the contact and heated to the melting point of the tin.

Use pliers to secure the foil firmly.. After the connection has cooled, the foil is removed. If desired, the connection is processed with a file or emery paper to remove excess solder. The result is a neat and strong bond.

After the connection has cooled, it is imperative to insulate it. When working with wires, they usually wind up electrical tape with an overlap of about 1 cm on the insulation from one side and the other. If the connection is made for electrical wiring, it is recommended to additionally put on a heat-shrinkable tube on top of the electrical tape and warm it up.