What's your go-to technique for soldering two wires together - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / repair

author: Fried Chicken
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2025, 10:29:25 pm
content: I mean back to basics I guess, but I've been doing this forever, and can't seem to figure out the perfect system for me;My technique: use the holder thingies to hold the two wires together, brush on some flux, and apply solder. Fiddle with the soldering iron until it looks neat. Then I'll put some heat shrink tubing over it, having forgotten to add the sleeve prior, and hey presto, result.Anyone have a more elegant method?

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2025, 10:57:01 pm
content: depends on the size of wire,but in general first i'll twist em together to get a good mechanical joint ,heat on bottom of wire solder to the top and run along the length of the joint

author: egenjohn
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 23, 2025, 11:29:26 pm
content: Bend hooks in the two wires so they hook together like a chain. Then solder. Maybe not the best electrical connection but it's easy to solder without them falling apart.

author: kite31
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2025, 11:55:23 pm
content: I try to maximise mechanical strength by twisting cores together then bending back, or interleaving strands. The first tends to produce a bulkier joint and the second is fragile before soldering but produces a good joint. For technique, on fine wires I use a spade bit on the iron to support the joint while heating it, pushing the solder down from the top. The other thing of course is to grip as closely as possible to the joint.I have thought about using solder paste and a blower but have not tried that yet. Anyone?

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 12:28:52 am
content: I made a video, this is my technique to solder two wires together with just your hands. No clamp or anything else needed.

author: Fried Chicken
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 12:42:38 am
content: Quote from: Psi on August 24, 2025, 12:28:52 amDon't lie; you're making it look easy.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 12:45:18 am
content: Unless you have some dexterity issues it should be pretty easy.If so just uses some independent clamps.I recommend 2 or 3 clamps each with their own base. This is so you can easily move one wire in X and Y by just moving its base without affecting the other wires/clamps.Getting wires in exactly the right position by trying to place the wire into a clamp is hard. However placing wires into a clamp in the general area and then moving the entire clamp to fine-tune the wire position is much easier.In your photo you have two clips but they come from the same base, so it makes it harder.You ideally want each clamp to be one bendable/positionable clip with a heavy weight at the bottom that you can move around.

author: abeyer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 01:11:34 am
content: I never would have thought to buy what's pretty mucha single purpose toolto do this... but got one as a give-away at a conference, and they're actually quite good at what they do.

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 01:22:02 am
content: cheapskates 3rd hand,screw a bulldog clip the front edge of yer bench.

author: shabaz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 02:01:27 am
content: Quote from: Psi on August 24, 2025, 12:28:52 amI like soldering SMD chip resistors and capacitors with a similar technique!

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 02:35:19 am
content: Quote from: shabaz on August 24, 2025, 02:01:27 amI should try that, i normally just add solder to one of the pads firstIf I'm doing a large board, but not large enough to use a stencil, I will go around first and solder one pad of all the 2 pad devices. Then go around soldering them all into place, and finally go around doing the other pads.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 04:36:30 am
content: I suppose it comes with experience but I've never had to think about this at all; and thinking about it, what I do depends on the exact circumstances, but I'll usually tin both ends first, then hold one wire with one hand, the iron with the other, and bring them in contact with the second wire simultaneously.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 05:27:56 am
content: Often I get away with either a lap joint where the wires are side by side for a short distance, where I tin them first and then add some flux, or I bend and hook them and then solder.For real mechanical strength, I will lay them out like a long lap joint, then then twist each end around the shank of the other back to a point between them, similar to a Fisherman's knot. It is probably easier to hook them and then do the same thing away from the joint.

author: watchmaker
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 11:18:43 am
content: Is the linesman splice no longer taught? Best way to join two wires prior to soldering that results in minimal increase on diameter.

author: BennoG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 11:43:04 am
content: Quote from: watchmaker on August 24, 2025, 11:18:43 amI found this method (did not know the name) on YouTube about a year ago and it is the way to solder 2 wires from that point on.Benno

author: bookaboo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 11:51:50 am
content: Quote from: Psi on August 24, 2025, 12:28:52 amYes I use a variation of this, I've no idea why people persist with elaborate crocodile clip "third hand" arrangements, two hands is plenty if you take the time to learn.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 12:09:09 pm
content: Quote from: bookaboo on August 24, 2025, 11:51:50 amI suspect the variation in dexterity of the population is a lot wider than people think.

author: bookaboo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 12:11:19 pm
content: Perhaps, and yes some may have legitimate reasons for needing a jig which is fair enough.But really its no more difficult than learning to use using chopsticks.

author: nfmax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 12:16:24 pm
content: Just wait until you get stricken with arthritis

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 12:17:15 pm
content: Quote from: bookaboo on August 24, 2025, 12:11:19 pmIt's independent control of individual fingers people sometimes find hard.And yes, as nfmax says, arthritis tooTo check dexterity hold your hands out flat, palms down, and try to move each finger by itself without moving any other fingers.Personally I can move my pinky finger independently very easily without affecting others at all, same with my index finger, which I think helps to give me two sets of fingers that are able to precisely do different things at the same time. I have pretty good independent control of the other 2 but no where near as good as index and pinky.

author: squadchannel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 12:31:13 pm
content: I always keep 15mm wide masking tape on my workbench. I fix something to the desk with masking tape and solder. That's all.also, keep 24mm wide tape for pcbs.but hassle, I always solder it while it's floating in the air.put in the shrink tube. okay, I didn't forget. soldering. Huh? already shrunk, can't cover it. again. that happens a lot.

author: bostonman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 12:55:25 pm
content: I started a similar topic some time ago and got some good feedback.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/manufacture/best-way-to-solder-two-wires-together/msg5631193/#msg5631193In my case, it's rare I have just two normal wires with adequate length to support them or not connected at one end. It's always a short wire that floats in air that decides to move because I disturbed something around it.

author: BILLPOD
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 01:44:31 pm
content: Quote from: nfmax on August 24, 2025, 12:16:24 pmAsNfmaxsays, but also neuropathy, makes the use of 'third hand' devices necessary.Old age sucks.

author: BILLPOD
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 01:50:39 pm
content: Quote from: BILLPOD on August 24, 2025, 01:44:31 pmOH, and my old friend 'Familial Tremor', makes ALL delicate movement a challange

author: Fried Chicken
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 03:31:02 pm
content: For really big cables you can use Wiping:I think it's mostly phased out, but iirc old American cities still do this (Chicago?)

author: Grandchuck
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 04:29:28 pm
content: Quote from: watchmaker on August 24, 2025, 11:18:43 amI think it is also called the Western Union splice.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 06:19:35 pm
content: Quote from: Psi on August 24, 2025, 12:09:09 pmYes, and in unpredictable or non-straightforward ways.I have generally very good dexterity and fine motor skills, but I REALLY struggle to fine-control twodifferentthings within the same hand.I have tried to do your method years ago after seeing BigClive do it in his videos, and it just does NOT come naturally to me.I also can’t imagine any way to apply it to splicingcables, where you have other conductors in the way, often with the fat cable pulling in some direction.I usually use a weight (like a small block of brass, or just the roll of solder) to hold down one wire off the edge of the bench.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 06:20:39 pm
content: Quote from: Grandchuck on August 24, 2025, 04:29:28 pmOr the “telegrapher’s twist”, as I learned in one of my childhood electricity/electronics books!

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 06:30:17 pm
content: I strip and tin both wires.Using my right hand, I hold one wire between my index finger and thumb and the other one between my middle finger and ring finger. I manipulate the wires using my fingers until they're parallel and solder them together holding the soldering iron with my left hand.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 06:52:07 pm
content: Quote from: Zero999 on August 24, 2025, 06:30:17 pmAre you left-handed?I’m right-handed and holding a soldering iron in my left hand gives me the heebie-jeebies, even though (based on using tweezers and such, or carefully positioning wire, etc) I probably have just as much dexterity in the left hand as the right…Also, do you really hold the one wire between the middle and ring fingers? I am trying this out, and it seems WAY harder than holding between the ring finger and pinky, since the middle finger wants to stay with the index finger. (On that vein, can you do the Vulcan “live long and prosper” finger split? I really struggle to do that.)

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 07:01:39 pm
content: Quote from: Psi on August 24, 2025, 12:17:15 pmInteresting test! I can do index, middle, and pinky quite well, but the ring fingers I pretty much cannot moveat allwithout moving the pinky, too.On the other hand, with palms up, I can easily control each finger individually when it comes to flexing it (bending it towards the heel of the thumb), which presumably explains why I have no trouble touch-typing using all ten fingers.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 24, 2025, 07:08:27 pm
content: Quote from: Fried Chicken on August 23, 2025, 10:29:25 pmYes: crimp splices! 😂They’re kinda ridiculously expensive for what they are, but man do they save time…(I only recently thought to see whether they make them for thin wires, and they do! They even make special ones with one side bigger than the other, for splicing a thin wire to thick one, or one thin wire to multiple thin ones.)Of course I still need to solder things, too, and how I do it depends on the situation. Usually I do a simple lap joint (no twisting or hooks, just the wires parallel.)I often use a weight to hold one wire either just hanging off the edge of the bench to tin it, or then to hold it close to the benchtop to solder the other wire to it. If there are other wires in the way (like in a cable), I may use actual helping hands to hold one.In any case, I keep it low, close to the benchtop so that my hands are resting on the bench. It is MUCH harder to do with your hands in mid-air.