Subject: Re: tying and soldering Posted by: Randy Shoquist on December 28, 2002 at 19:16:30: In Reply to: tying and soldering posted by dave farmer on December 28, 2002 at 14:47:45:

Message: >I am a wheel builder who feels the need to learn the art of tying and soldering spokes. Has anybody got any tips on where to start? What soldering iron i need, specs etc? >What wire to use. >What solder to use. >Cheers guys I've tied and soldered many wheels and have some good tips for you. Wire: 24 gauge tinned copper wire from an electronics store works well, but at a DT wheelbuilding seminar I found out about tinned iron wire (as Cyco mentions) which is available in 1 lb spools from bee-keeping supply stores. (1 lb will probably last several lifetimes. Hand it down to your protege when you retire.) Soldering iron: A 300w soldering gun will work, but I prefer an 80w soldering iron. It's lighter and easier to handle, and seems to transfer heat better. Soder & flux: This is key with stainless steel spokes, ordinary solders don't adhere well to SS. I've had good results with silver solder from Kester or Alpha Metals. This is not silver "solder" as used for frame building, but low-temp Sn-Ag or Sn-Pb-Ag soft solder. It has 2-4% silver. The solder comes with a tube of liquid flux which contains hydrochloric acid. (More on this later.) This solder is readily available at hardware stores. Tying: The classic way is to wrap each spoke pair individually, tucking the ends inside. Hard to describe, Schraner's book has a good illustration. I use a "quick'n'dirty" method that I think I picked up from Fred DeLong in Bicycling mag a long time ago. I tie the wire to a spoke about 1 or 2cm from a cross just to anchor it, then stretch it over to the next cross, wrap, stretch to the next cross, wrap, and so on all the way around one side of the wheel, then tie off the end the same way as at the start, to maintain tension in the wire. After soldering, the waste is clipped out. I wrap each cross with 5 turns for 16g spokes, 6 or 7 for 14g. Use as many turns as you think looks nice. If you transfer several feet of wire from the big spool to a small thread spool it's much easier to manipulate through the spokes. For cutting I use small "flush cut" diagonal cutting pliers as used for electonic work. For a neat appearance I wrap so that the transfer is made on the back side of the spokes, that makes the cut ends less visible. Also I progress around the wheel cw or ccw, whichever results in the turns staying tightly packed. This is hard to visualize from my description, but should become clear when you start doing it. This method may not satisfy purists, but it's quicker and easier than individual wrapping, and looks almost as good when done. And of course, once they're soldered they won't unwind. Soldering: Add one or two drops of flux to each joint. Be sure it flows through and wets the whole joint. Don't spill it, it's very corrosive. Place the iron against the wire contacting as much area as possible. Wait 2 or 3 seconds before applying the solder. The usual advice is to touch the solder to the joint, not the iron, but I find it helpful to touch the solder to the joint and the iron simultaneously just to get it started. Melt in just a little bit, then heat will transfer much faster. Heat for another second or two, then you can apply the solder to joint, away from the iron. After you've added enough solder, continue to heat for 1 to 3 seconds, until the solder flows through completely. Then move on to the next joint. It will take some practice to judge the correct amount of solder, you want to completely fill the joint and wet the spokes without getting a blob hanging off the underside. Hold the wheel any convenient way; in a truing stand, on the workbench, I mount the wheel in an axle vise and lean against it to steady it leaving both hands free, then turn it to the next position. I do this for both tying and soldering. About the flux: the fumes are nasty! Don't get your face above the joint when you apply heat, get to the side. A snoot-full of flux fumes can ruin your day. Clean up: You need to wash off the acid residue from the flux. I use an ordinary water bottle with a baking soda solution (one or two tablespoons to a bottle) to wash each joint. Follow up with plain water to wash off the solution. Sometimes there's a little bit brown crust which you can clean up with a fine brass brush. The solder should be nice and shiny, if it's dull you probably didn't use enough heat. I hope this is helpful. I'm glad to pass on what I've learned of this dying art. Thanks for the opportunity.