OK Folks,

The title says it all really. I've got an old 100W electric fast heat iron that has been (ab)used for years to join just about anything to anything, but even it was struggling to make good joints on this job. In the end, I managed to get a charging lead made up, but only by cheating, and not using what I regard as good practice by pre tinning and loading the socket with solder, and then allowing it all to melt together, there just wasn't enough power in the iron to get it all hot enough. I don't want to be using this method on joints that will be going in the air, the risks are just too high!

Given the size cables we're using, and the risk of melting the body of the plug/socket if an open flame gas torch is used, leading to a bad connection risk, what size (wattage) iron are people using to get good connections that will be reliable on these heavy cables and heavy connectors.

Ideally 240V suitable for Europe, but if I have to, I can cope with 110v, as I have a site transformer for a large saw that can give me more than enough power for a soldering iron

Thanks

Steve

How clean are your tips? Using flux?

I can solder an XT60 without much effort using my 50 year old 100W gun as long as the tip is clean and tinned.

Same gun works well with EC5, 6.5mm bullets and 8g cable.

I need to go home and try the Metcal PS-800 on the big stuff..

I use a dual wattage Weller soldering gun on them. Piece of cake .
I use HIGH & it is a 3 second job to pre fill each hole. Need the right tool to do the job quick & right.

Always put a male & female plug together when soldering the pins...........Keeps them aligned when they cool.

Pre-tinning both the socket and the wire is a very good practice. Ihave an 80 watt iron that does the job nicely. Make sure your tip is screwed in firmly, you can lose a lot of heat if that's loose. Clean the tip, tin it also, and add a small dab of solder right to the point at which the tip touches the connector/wire. Some people call this a "solder pillow", it aids in the transfer of heat and allows the joint to heat up quicker. Once the joint is hot, allow it to melt the solder and feed it solder until it suits you. I have a pair of garder-type gloves I keep handy for soldering, if the wire gets too hot sometimes you'll move it before it is cool, the gloves allow me to hold the wire still without getting burned. And last tip, use a thin-gauge solder, Radio Shack sells a roll of .032 gauge solder, it melts much easier than the thicker gauge rolls, you'll be amazed at how much better your joints will come out using it.

Is this overkill?

That should certainly get hot enough...............