Help Soldering Coin Door Wiring

Commander Dave

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I am almost finished restoring my coin door on my Bosconian and ran into an issue trying to solder the wires back to the connectors. The wire will not wick the solder even with flux. The solder just rolls off of it and I put some pretty good heat on the wire. When looking at the wire I was thinking that it was just oxidized and cut it back a bit more but it looks the same. Now I'm thinking it something like aluminum. Anyone got advice for soldering these? I can put quick disconnects on a few but can't on a button and a switch. Thanks!
 

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Take a Scotchbrite pad to the bare wire to roughen it up. Then swab it with 99% Isopropyl alcohol. Now it should solder.
 
Take a Scotchbrite pad to the bare wire to roughen it up. Then swab it with 99% Isopropyl alcohol. Now it should solder.

I'll give it a shot but it is stranded so the Scotchbrite would only do the surface. Perhaps that's enough. Thanks for the tip.
 
it is stranded so the Scotchbrite would only do the surface

at some point, resistance goes up from the oxidation in the ability of the electrons to flow proper like

don't know when that continued condition might become dangerous over time
if one can't make a good solder connection then it's time for a newer wire

those guys were making wire as cheaply as possible. lasted a long time anyway
no telling what kind of ore they dumped into the crucible to melt into strands or whatever they do
 

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Take a Scotchbrite pad to the bare wire to roughen it up. Then swab it with 99% Isopropyl alcohol. Now it should solder.

This should finish out the thread. The wires were so heavy oxidized that Scotchbrite wouldn't take it off. I finally broke out some fine sandpaper and that did the trick. It was a bit time consuming but I did find copper underneath all the gray. Cleaned with alcohol and it soldered well. Thanks for the tip!
 
I found this, thought this should work:
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-perfectly-clean-wires-in-minutes/

Commander Dave:I had really high hopes for this one but it didn't seem to work on the wiring I have but I think it's on the right track. I'm going to keep experimenting and see what I come up with.

Turns out I was on the right track. Being the daredevil I am, I got some Muriatic acid and used it instead of vinegar and salt. Took about 5 minutes and while it didn't look all copper colored like when I sanded it, it took solder like a champ. Of course the caveat is that you better be sure to neutralize ALL of the acid with a baking soda solution and also handle the acid using appropriate safety. That stuff is strong and can cause havoc if spilled, inhaled, splashed, etc.
 
Most times you can cut the wire back about a quarter inch to get to some clean wire. Of course make sure you have enough extra length before you cut. This works most of the time but I have seen wire that is oxidized all the way through.
I keep some liquid flux around for this. A quick dip, add heat and it will usually solder.
 
Most times you can cut the wire back about a quarter inch to get to some clean wire. Of course make sure you have enough extra length before you cut. This works most of the time but I have seen wire that is oxidized all the way through.
I keep some liquid flux around for this. A quick dip, add heat and it will usually solder.

I usually have good luck just trimming it back myself but in this case it seemed to be oxidized no matter how far I (reasonably) cut back. In fact, I did have to splice in a wire that I had trimmed too far. The cabinet did have a little water damage near the front so perhaps a damp environment got to it. The reset of the cabinet wiring seems fine.

I finally finished up the coin door and it looks pretty good.
 

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