what is the trick to soldering to old, blackened copper wiring?
Turbo Mini Forums

We've all seen this wiring, where the plastic insulation has got too hot, or has got moisture in it - or whatever! Fact is, you have a wire you need to solder to and it is black. Even if i try fanning the wire out, scraping it, re-fanning it, re-scraping it, etc - it just never solders well.

So, what are tips or tricks that I don't know?

After cleaning it as best you can mechanically. dip it in flux paste - the stuff used for soldering central heating piping.

Make sure it's the "active" flux - in the UK a lot of the fluxes are useless (and most of the solder is lead free), all to do with water quality after you've soldered your plumbing - but the ones called "active" still do a reasonable job on wiring as you describe.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

As Rod says: flux

There are a variety of electronic orientated fluxes out there as well as plumbing fluxes (which are slightly more common)

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/searchB...7763+4294953973

Don't ask me which flux to go for mind as it's been about 10 years since I worked in the labs and used this stuff.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/100-NEW-SNAPLOCK-SCO...A1%7C240%3A1318


LOL!

no longer a series, but still 1.3 turbo.

People people why make life hard for yourself, the easiest way bar far and this method removes the least amount of material possible.
DIP THE WIRE IN VINEGAR

Edited by Mr Joshua on 17th Apr, 2009.

Own the day

Vinegar... Hmmmmm.

just as a heads up - I would swap out the whole wire, but I can't get to it!

Hence I'm taking an easier approach.

I'm going to try vinegar immersion, and then adding flux.

I heard the vinegar thing just this morning for cleaning coroded things up, will be interested to hear how effective it is.

Very effective ....
i tell u what else is good .. a certain brand of fizzy drink that has stupid christmas commercials. We used to clean our lorry tailgates with it.

Team Racing

If something is worth doing, it's worth doing half of.

Ya must me stella last time I lowered a few stella It cleaned my tailgate right out an all ............

So where does the Fluxcapasitator come into the picture?

old crappy burnt out wiring i dont bother!!! just renew it all!!

Unfortunately any flux which can cope with that level of oxidation will eventually corrode right through the wire, unless it can immediately be thoroughly washed in hot water which tends to be difficult on a car. In any case capillary action will have drawn it well inside the sleeving, so it's only a matter of time.

Geoff

You have to remove the corrosion. Without doing that first, you will always get a cold soldering joint.

I've used a sand paper 'flap wheel' with great success. Just flatten out the wire strands and go at it with the sanding wheel.

This is the flap wheel I used... http://www.dremel.com/en-us/AttachmentsAnd...il.aspx?pid=503

61 Austin Seven; building a 1275 'over the clutch' turbo, R5 T2'd, custom intercooled, megajolt electrified, canyon carver

www.motorlust.com - The Online Magazine for Car Guys Like Us

Stella! A few cans...you can beat the shit out of the copper!

NO NO NO!!!

stella contains aluminium,lots of it, thats what make chaves go mental on it, the ally will react with the copper and detroy it, just like the memorys of beating the missus within an inch of her life!

do the coppers not get fed up of getting bet up by chaves ruining their wiring with steluminium?

what wrong with black coppers?

racialist!

"Turbo's make torque, and torque makes fun"

"did you know you can toast potato waffles?"