[TowerTalk] Soldering Weathered Connections

[Fred Hopengarten]

From:
Fred Hopengarten  K1VR               781/259-0088
Six Willarch Road
Lincoln, MA 01773-5105
permanent e-mail address:  fhopengarten@mba1972.hbs.edu
if sending attachments:  k1vr@gis.net

On Sun, 24 Oct 1999 22:49:58 -0600 n4kg@juno.com writes:
>
>Anyone have a good technique for soldering new wires
>to old weathered connections?  

K1VR: Remember when you built your first Heathkit? The manual told you in
REALLY BIG LETTERS that you should not use soldering paste (flux). I
believe that the reason was that, if left alone, it has an acid or other
corrosive which would do bad things. I wish I knew more about why.

When I repair broken radials, or splice a Beverage, the tinned wire is
always oxidized.  In the past, I would scrape with a pen knife and buff
with a small "toothbrush" style wire brush. Or try to use emery cloth. It
was not a great solution. So I've gone chemical.

I went to Home Depot looking for soldering paste. The stuff they had
said:  NOT FOR ELECTRCIAL WORK. So I started mentioning my search for
electrical work soldering paste to every "hands on" person I know. As
most of my friends are effete intellectual snobs, this took a while.

Finally, I friend said:  You need NOKORODE brand soldering paste, and I
think I have a small tub I can give you. Which he did!  "Nokorode"  (the
trademark was registered in 1926) soldering paste is made by The M.W.
Dunton Co., of Providence, RI.  The label on my two ounce tin (which
should be good for 2000 radial splices, I estimate) reads:

"Put up with special reference to the needs of dynamo builders,
contractors, telephone makers, and the electrical trade in general. Works
freely on galvanized iron, lead, tinned steel, and other metals. Also
used extensively by plumbers and tin workers."

Here's how I use it. I dab on a very little bit.  Very little. Heat the
wire and it sizzles, melts, spreads down within the stranded wire. Add
solder. Magic.  Wipe off any residue, and your hands, with a fallen leaf
from the sugar maple tree overhead. (That's the leaf that looks like a
hockey team logo or a national flag, eh?)

I wish I knew where to buy Nokorode, but I don't . I'd try a plumber's
supply. But they'll take away my tin of Nokorode only when they unclamp
it from my cold tight hand, stiff from rigor mortis. -- Fred K1VR
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