How to Join by Soldering Wires

Soldering wires is done with a soldering iron or soldering gun.

Joining wires with solder is easy. Almost every electronic device in your home has some soldered wires in it. Soldering is done by heating a type of metal alloy, or "solder," with the tip of a hot soldering iron while also heating and holding two wires together. As the solder melts, it joins with the wires, fusing them with liquid metal. It cools and hardens almost instantly, bonding the wires together.

Things You'll Need

• Wire strippers
• Ashtray
• Soldering gun
• Solder

Instructions

1. Cut and strip back a half-inch of the plastic coating from the end of the wires using wire strippers.

2. Pinch the ends of the the wires together with your fingertips. Twist them around each other until they form a point together. Lay the wires down on the edge of an ashtray so that the ends are protruding out into the ashtray.

3. Turn on the soldering gun. Hold the tip of the gun against the twisted ends of the wires and pull the trigger on the gun. Hold the gun against the wires for one minute.

4. Pick up the solder with the other hand. Apply the end of the solder to the point where the gun and the wires are touching. As the solder melts, apply more solder until the ends of the wires are coated shiny with liquid solder. Some will drip off. That's to be expected.

5. Set the soldering gun down on its side, keeping the hot tip away from anything flammable. Wait one minute for the solder to dry. The wires are now soldered together.

Tips & Warnings

• soldering wires can also be done with a soldering iron. It is a pencil-like iron with a heated tip. When you plug it in, it gets hot by itself and stays hot. Use it exactly like a soldering gun.

• You can clamp the ends of the wires in a vise to hold them steady if you have a vise available.

References

• Arroncake: How to Solder