Re-Joining Loom
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Tourer
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 498
Likes: 25
From: Hampshire, UK
Re-Joining Loom
Morning all,
So I am in the process of a wire tuck and riser change on my '01 Sportster Custom and I am just trying to get some advice on the best way to join the loom where I've cut out the connectors? I want it to be as low profile as poss - is soldering a good way to go, I read some stories that it can break down over time..?
Also, whats the best way to join the wires to solder them?
So I am in the process of a wire tuck and riser change on my '01 Sportster Custom and I am just trying to get some advice on the best way to join the loom where I've cut out the connectors? I want it to be as low profile as poss - is soldering a good way to go, I read some stories that it can break down over time..?
Also, whats the best way to join the wires to solder them?
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,267
Likes: 1
From: Redcar Cleveland England
Hello there
I think some wiil say good and some will say bad things about soldering. If it is done to a good standard i think its a great job. The first time i seen it was in the VW car crowd.
Cut a clean end on both bits of cable and bear 20mm of copper from both joining ends, slide on 40/50 mm of heat shrink and move it down away from the joint, take the two cables to be jointed and twist them together as thoughit is one piece of continuous length of cable then solder and 20mm area so that it is completely tinned.After it has cooled slide the heat shrink over the joint and shrink to fit.
As you can see i would be no good at making work shop manuals but do you get the general idea.
Hope this helps.
I think some wiil say good and some will say bad things about soldering. If it is done to a good standard i think its a great job. The first time i seen it was in the VW car crowd.
Cut a clean end on both bits of cable and bear 20mm of copper from both joining ends, slide on 40/50 mm of heat shrink and move it down away from the joint, take the two cables to be jointed and twist them together as thoughit is one piece of continuous length of cable then solder and 20mm area so that it is completely tinned.After it has cooled slide the heat shrink over the joint and shrink to fit.
As you can see i would be no good at making work shop manuals but do you get the general idea.
Hope this helps.
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 1,371
Likes: 46
From: In the foothills of southwestern NC - US of A
When I splice wires I like to strip the insulation off each wire end about 1.0" [depends on the gauge wire; longer for heavier wire], then slip on an appropriate length [that will cover at least 1/2" past where each wires original insulation will be after the splice] of good two layer shrink tubing over one of the wire ends and out of the way. I then fan the multistrand wire out slightly, thinning their cross section [this helps keep the final joint diameter close to or the same as the original wire after they've been twisted together]. I then cross the bare wires at 45° so they intersect each other in the middle of their length, then twist both in opposite directions outward evenly. With a little trial and error one can twist these wires together so the ends stop at the wire insulation without trimming. And if there is some extra wire, don't trim it off with cutters, just pull the joint apart slowly until they align. The real art of the joint is to make it as smooth as possible without increasing the finished size of the twisted joint, so when you solder and shrink tube there's no bulges that could easily make contact with nearby wires which may cause problems down the road if these wires are in a high vibration area.
In regards to solders, yes, there are certain solders that can be problematic at certain times, ie., ones that contain "acid" based fluxes. Though these types are great for joining metals where the finished products can be safely cleaned with water or other solutions after the work is completed, they would be bad ju-ju for undertaking electronic work [if the acid flux that precipitates out while soldering is allowed to stay on the surrounding area it will dissolve components and cause failures], in which case "rosin" based flux's are used. And as such in this case I would recommend a rosin based solder.
=8^)
In regards to solders, yes, there are certain solders that can be problematic at certain times, ie., ones that contain "acid" based fluxes. Though these types are great for joining metals where the finished products can be safely cleaned with water or other solutions after the work is completed, they would be bad ju-ju for undertaking electronic work [if the acid flux that precipitates out while soldering is allowed to stay on the surrounding area it will dissolve components and cause failures], in which case "rosin" based flux's are used. And as such in this case I would recommend a rosin based solder.
=8^)
Last edited by DrewBone; Feb 9, 2013 at 07:21 AM. Reason: Mayk correkshuns
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