[AT] Soldering battery cable

George Willer gwill at toast.net
Sat Oct 21 18:35:53 PDT 2006


Dean,

I have a method that works well for me, so I'll describe it so you can use
it too if you like.

I prepare the end of the cable by trimming the jacket back just the depth of
the socket and fluxing it with rosin (plumber's) paste.  Have a wet rag on
hand... you'll need it.  Clamp the lug upright in the vise and flux it up.
Heat the lug and melt solder in it till the socket is maybe half way full or
a little more.  Continue heating till the flux is smoking a bit.  Then
quickly insert the cable and immediately wrap the wet rag around it to keep
the heat from damaging the jacket.  The superheated solder will have
instantly tinned the cable and made a very good mechanical and electrical
joint, and the jacket will be intact right up to the fitting.

A lot of my tractors are equipped with cables made this way.

George Willer

> -----Original Message-----
> From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com [mailto:at-
> bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Dean Vinson
> Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2006 8:27 PM
> To: 'Antique tractor email discussion group'
> Subject: [AT] Soldering battery cable
> 
> I'm trying to make a new main battery cable for the M.  Got some 2/0
> copper
> cable and some heavy-duty lugs, which are tinned with something so they
> look
> kind of silvery rather than copper.  Can I solder these together?
> 
> I've got one end dry-fitted together, no flux, and tried to carefully heat
> it with a propane torch until it'd melt some standard rosin-core
> electrical
> solder.  Doesn't seem like the solder wants to flow, even into the copper
> strands, just beads up, so I'm afraid I'm making it too hot or I don't
> have
> the right materials or something.  Figured I'd better ask for advice
> before
> I screw this up.  Any help?  Should I use flux?  Take it to an electric
> shop?
> 
> Dean Vinson
> Dayton, Ohio
> www.vinsonfarm.net
> 
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> Remembering Our Friend Cecil Monson 11-4-2005
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