Press the solder to the opposite side of the pipe. Ask at your local hardware store or look online to find one that suits your needs. This will let you more easily scrub away any impurities on the inside and outside of your pipes. If you plan on cutting and soldering a lot of pipes, you might benefit from a specialised pipe cleaner.This should be enough to strip away dirt and grime without damaging the pipes themselves. Use 120-grit sandpaper or grade 1 steel wool for cleaning your pipe fittings.If you're using a larger pipe fitting, you may need to clean more to ensure the point of overlap between the pipe and the fitting is prepared for soldering. You should only need to clean around 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) of the piping to give you room to solder easily.This will let your solder hold more tightly to the pipe and result in a more sturdy connection. Use sandpaper, steel wool, or anything else abrasive to clean away any grime or dirt from any areas of your pipes and fittings that need to be soldered. This is about holding the wires together more than it is intricately connecting them.Ĭlean the area that you'll be soldering. You should be twisting the two wires around each other, so that the wires cross and intertwine near the middle of the joint.You should only need to expose around 1 inch (2.5 cm) of each wire to wrap them together.Twist the wires together to keep them connected.

Unravel and spread apart the individual strands of each end of wire before pushing them together.

You can also mesh the two wires together to hold them together.

Make sure the tubing is as small as you can get it, to ensure it shrinks tightly to the wires.

If you want to apply heat-shrink tubing over your soldering, you should do so before twisting the wires together.

There should be no pointed ends, but a clear, intertwining pattern along your wires. Keep wrapping the wires together until the ends of each wire are pushed down into the other wire. Overlap your two wires to make a small cross symbol and begin twisting each together over and around the other wire.

Twist the exposed ends of your wires together. Keep practicing until you get a sense of the right way to work. If the solder doesn't melt when touched to pipes, you might not be using enough. If the flux you are working with begins smoldering and turns black, it's a sign you are using too much heat. Getting the perfect temperature with a blowtorch may take more practice than when working with a soldering iron.Wear protective, tinted glasses, fire-proof leather gloves and flame-retardant clothing for extra safety. Make sure you always light your blowtorch away from yourself and use proper safety precautions when working with it.For the best results, adjust the torch until you have a blue flame around 2 inches (5.1 cm) long, and hold the tip of the flame to the pipes. Use a propane torch or something similar when soldering with pipes. As pipes are much bigger and more solid than intricate wiring, a soldering iron may take a long time to heat a pipe up to the right temperature. If you are using leaded solder, make sure to wash your hands once you have finished working with it as the lead is toxic.These may oxidize slightly more, but as long as you are using soldering flux they should still hold strongly for a long time. Leaded solders that are solid all the way through and don't have a rosin core are also a solid choice.It will only be a small amount, so it shouldn't replace other flux, but it will increase the flux coating of your wires. This means that they are slightly hollow and will have a thin line of rosin flux running through the middle. Some leaded solders will come with a rosin core.It is more environmentally-friendly as it doesn't contain lead, but also will not hold quite as strong. Lead-free electrical solder will also work for small wiring projects.X Research source Here are a few key differences in types of solder that may come up: Ask at your local hardware or electronics store for leaded or electrical solder and you should have a small variety of types to choose from. Leaded solder will melt at a lower temperature than other types, which makes it better for delicate electrical wiring. Opt for leaded solder when working with electronics.

Rosin solder