Soldering question

m165

Senior member
Messages
161
Just wondering about soldering 2 or more wires to a lug on switch or on pots, is it better to twist all wire ends together , any advice welcome.
 

ibob74

Senior member
Messages
262
Twisting the wires together aids in attaching multiple wires to a single point, but will can make it difficult to modify at a later time, i.e., attempting to remove only one wire. If you are sure that your design won't be changing, twist 'em. Also, insert the wire and make a "U" bend through the hole in the lug so that the wire is firmly touching the lug. Use the solder to hold the wire in place.
 

m165

Senior member
Messages
161
Thanks for the tips. I see also some users recomending heat shrink the cables for added proctection, overkill maybe, but I guess it would also make it dificult to change or modify setup at later stage.
 

ibob74

Senior member
Messages
262
Heat shrink is good for bare wires. Also looks great when adding a "boot" to cover connections, adds another step though. Beware though, it can be used to hide poor solder jobs and makes it hard to visual inspect while troubleshooting problems.
 

m165

Senior member
Messages
161
The pickups I inetend to use have some bare wires coming from them, maybe should covers these and leave rest as they are,  should know a bit more when I get into it, I am sure I wont get it right on my first attempt, but no rush I have plenty of time, thanks again for your time and advice.
 

jackthehack

Senior member
Messages
5,630
The bare "wires" are just grounds, no need to wrap them they go to grounding point(s) anyway....
 

-CB-

Senior member
Messages
5,427
If I can, if there's room, I like to pass the end of the wire thru the lug and fold it back.  I do that for every wire, folding each back in a slightly different direction.  Seems to work.  Seems to be easy to service later.
 

m165

Senior member
Messages
161
Thanks for the advice, I have managed to solder it together and it appears to be working fine, for my first attempt I am happy with it but I think I will do better next time, I am sort of thinking about taking it all apart and starting from scratch again just to try tidy it all up (I think I need glasses),  but will leave it for a day or so.  :eek:ccasion14:
 
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