Silver Solder Wiring PLEASE HELP SOON!

[RebelDogg 10+ year member]

I'm doing my "Big Three" today and am having a hell of time putting these ring terminals on this 1/0. I'm resisting the urge to grab my maul and beat them on.

Anyway, I've never soldered before in my life. Here are some pics of the first and shortest piece (bat neg to chassis) I know it looks like crap, but I'm wondering if it's going to be okay.

The joint seems strong (I can't pull it apart) but my problem is this: The wire jacket was melting while I heated up the ring terminal (MAPP torch.) So I cut another piece and stripped the jacket off completely, then silver soldered the terms on.

Now I want to put the jacket back on, heat shrink the whole thing, then later on I'll put it all in some wire loom.

But the braids are not as tight as they should be. The jacket will not close completely around the wire. I can just heat shrink over the split jacket no problem, but I'm wondering if the braids being not super tight will cause a problem?

Also, as you may see in the pics, the wire was tinned but after heating has gone multi colored. Will this be a problem? I'd really like to continue soldering the rest of my connections, but if I'm just wasting wire/terminals I'm going to go get my hammer and smash 'em and be done with it.

Please help! I've only got the weekend to do this and I have so much else on my plate it's not funny.

Edit: The first pic has the jacket on, it's kind of too dark to see that it's split open and not closing tight...

Click to read more...

 

[GearGuy2001 10+ year member]

erm usually you use a high powered soldering gun not a MAPP torch??

MAPP is for copper pipe as far as I know

 

[RebelDogg 10+ year member]

All I had... plus it's what the guy in the shop recommended. Not Mapp, but a torch. All I had was a Mapp torch.

But that's neither here nor there... I just want to know if what I have in those pics is going to be okay?

I do have a big soldering IRON, not gun. I just figured it would take forever to heat the term and wire with that.

 

[GearGuy2001 10+ year member]

Yeah I dont see any problems if you put the jacket back on heatshrink then maybe electrical tape and eventually wire loom

 

[mavster 10+ year member]

f' that...I just use a hammer and crimp it down...

works like a charm...

 

[RebelDogg 10+ year member]

I am so tempted to beat them on... but I'm trying not to take the easy way out. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif It's supposed to be a project and I'll be much prouder of a sloppy ugly PITA solder job than a quick easy, somewhat prettier smash job.

Okay, so the loose braids and discoloration is okay? Then I'll go ahead with the rest of my wires.

Thanks. Hey... it stopped raining. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[gotparts90 10+ year member]

http://www.toolup.com/greenlee/ek124011.html thats what i use. but to solder them the old way i would do it is flux the end of the wire then terminal butt up in the vise to hold it. Fill the butt 1/2 with molten solder terminal toasty hot them insert wire heat terminal and wire until solder creeps up wire. I like mapp just keep it moving but most of my soldering like that is OXY Acet. even faster then you can braze it thats even better

 

[RebelDogg 10+ year member]

^That's the way I should have done it, with the terminal in the vice. But I'd never soldered before and was afraid that the solder would run out of the little hole in the top of the terminal. It's a tiny hole, not the big hole I've seen on some terminals. Ah, well. It's done now. Now I'm just wondering if I "cold soldered" any of them. Don't know how to tell... but they're not coming apart and my volt meter went from ~13v up to ~13.5-14v. So I guess I did something right.

 

[Denhsturrr 10+ year member]

i was going to buy some wire to do a big 3 today

whats the difference if i get the knu conceptz wire with 90% aluminum and 10% copper or if i get a 100% copper wire?

 

[Denhsturrr 10+ year member]

and whats the best brand 0 gauge amp kit yall recommend?

 

[Got_Bass89 10+ year member]

What I did was tinned the wire good put it in the terminal smashed it nice and tight then heated it up and soildered any gaps i saw. Strong as an ox... Then just heat shrink it or put a rubber boot on or just electrical tape.. Whatever you got... Good luck hope that helps