Tinning cable ends for lug connections?

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Not sure if this is the right category for this question;Should Welding cable ends be tinned at the lugs or left bare? I just changed the electrode holder on my machine and the copper cables were all discolored and looked burnt. I wonder if Tinning would help here??Thermal Arc Fabricator 2101970 Lincoln RedfaceMiller 150 STLStill need a Syncrowave and a plasma and a milling machine and a lathe and a bigger shop and a....
Reply:I think you would destroy the insulation getting that big of cable to tin. Everybody I know just puts it in bare and cranks down on the allen nuts. I might have put a dab of die-electric grease on in the past."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:yep, Ive tinned with my tig.works good.I also tig tin the wire connections to the plugs in all of my 22V cords.Buy American, or don't whine when you end up on the bread line.
Reply:There always seems to be a little extra room between the cable and the inside of the lug any time I've performed this task, so I take a copper "penny", bend it a little in a vise so it fits inside the lug, under the set screw, and crank down the set screw onto the penny, which really spreads out the contact area of the set screw. Have never had a failure!
Reply:The only danger is if the tinning wicks too far up the wires,It can create a point of reduced flexibility and an increased chance of wires breaking inside the insulation.Lincoln SP-170 MigHypertherm powermax 45Lorch T220 AC/DC TigButters FM 215 synergic MigKemppi 180 adaptive mig RULES ARE FOR THE OBEDIENCE OF FOOLS AND THE  GUIDANCE OF WISE MEN.
Reply:Wicking and brittleness  was my experience when I tried it.  I posed this question a while ago.   DavidR did a thread about this on this forum.  Thread was concerning conductivity advantages of soldering vs clamp
Reply:Excellent, thanks everyone....Thermal Arc Fabricator 2101970 Lincoln RedfaceMiller 150 STLStill need a Syncrowave and a plasma and a milling machine and a lathe and a bigger shop and a....
Reply:Originally Posted by gordon stephensonThe only danger is if the tinning wicks too far up the wires,It can create a point of reduced flexibility and an increased chance of wires breaking inside the insulation.
Reply:Don't waste your time. I used to solder, or tin the welding lugs on  all my cables. Over time it creates a high resistance joint. I have now ended up cutting off every one of the joints I tinned due to failure. Just crimp them, or use the ball screws.
Reply:You should never tin stranded copper wire that is going into a clamp or setscrew etc.The solder is soft and will cold form over time and create a loose connection.Same reason they outlawed aluminum wire in houses.I know this from personal experience. I've replaced hundreds of burnt plugs and cords in our facility that had the wire tinned before installation.
Reply:At the electrode holder I coat the bare copper with silicon dielectric grease and screw down the ball clamp tight.  It may seem like this is counter-intuitive because "dielectric" means it does not conduct electricity, but the purpose of the grease is to seal the copper against atmospheric oxygen to provide a loinger trouble-free life.  The pressure from the ball clamp will be sufficient to make a good electrical connection.  I do the same with any fitting that has a ball clamp.  DO NOT TIN LARGE CABLE THAT IS TO BE SECURED WITH A BALL CLAMP CONNECTOR.    Tinning the end of the cable will create a large stiff lump that is not compatible with the ball clamp mechanism and you will not get a good low resistance electrical connection no matter how much torque you might apply to the ball screw.Similarly do not tin the end of a stranded wire that is to have a crimp style connector applied.  If you want to solder this joint apply flux to the wire before assembly then apply solder after crimping.  See next paragraph:If putting on crimped lugs for a stationary connection or the connection at the clamp, I first coat the bare stranded copper wire with rosin flux and drill a 1/8" hole in the face of the connector.  After crimping I heat the lug carefully over a small gas flame and feed a couple of inches of electronic solder into the hole.  I let this cool then slip a few inches of large diameter adhesive-lined heat shrink tubing over the connector and shrink it with a heat gun.  The solder assures an oxidation free electrical connection and the heat shrink tubing seals against moisture and water incursion while providing some flex buffer to reduce the trendency of the wires to start breaking at the back of the crimp connector, which they will want do wether it is soldered or not.- MondoMember, AWSLincoln ProMIG 140Lincoln AC TombstoneCraftsman Lathe 12 x 24 c1935Atlas MFC Horizontal MillCraftsman Commercial Lathe 12 x 36 c1970- - - I'll just keep on keepin' on.
Reply:if you want to protect from corrosion - use the grease . solder is not as conductive as copper , and willboil with large no's of amps . you don't want to soft solder  high current wires ( you can hard solder , braze , weld them) - tin/lead ~400 degree F . will melt and/or boil under load . hi-amp mechanical connectionslike nuts/bolts , clamps ,crimps, wire nuts - work just fine without solder.Miller S60 feederCobramatic push/pull feederMiller CP-252tsLincoln Tig250/Tig250Lincoln weldpak 100 -italianC-H 90A- italianHarris & Victor O\Afull manual & CNC machine shop
Reply:had the best results using a product made by thomas &betts called "kopper- Koat". designed to enhance conductivety and prevent corrosion in crimp type electrical connections. looks like a copper colored never-seize. works great- waterproof no noticeable heat at the connection. tom.
Reply:Originally Posted by tnmgcarbideif you want to protect from corrosion - use the grease . solder is not as conductive as copper , and willboil with large no's of amps . you don't want to soft solder  high current wires ( you can hard solder , braze , weld them) - tin/lead ~400 degree F . will melt and/or boil under load . hi-amp mechanical connectionslike nuts/bolts , clamps ,crimps, wire nuts - work just fine without solder.
Reply:your copper cable is turning black from the heat, I don't think you can stop that. Just cut a few inches off, strip the insulation and put it in the holder. In a few months depending on usage you'll probably need to do it again.If necessary just double over the cable to make a snugger fit. Don't overcomplicate things so much.
Reply:Here is a long thread about this very topic - including testing in detail:http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=28024Burt _____________________Miller Syncrowave 250Millermatic 211Miller 375 Plasma Cutter Hobart Handler 12010FtDrillBit.com
Reply:Something I can add is that methylene chloride-based solvents seem very effective in preparing dirty metal surfaces for sound electrical connections.  (Seem to leave behind very clean, and "dry" surfaces, with no conductive residue behind.)I'd recommend them for cleaning ground clamps and any other dirty other electrical connectors being serviced.DON'T, however, use it to prepare your work for welding (Chlornated substance = potential to degenerate into deadly phosgene gas). Attached Images
Reply:Originally Posted by jakeruSomething I can add is that methylene chloride-based solvents seem very effective in preparing dirty metal surfaces for sound electrical connections.  (Seem to leave behind very clean, and "dry" surfaces, with no conductive residue behind.)I'd recommend them for cleaning ground clamps and any other dirty other electrical connectors being serviced.DON'T, however, use it to prepare your work for welding (Chlornated substance = potential to degenerate into deadly phosgene gas).
Reply:I have an old electrode holder that was left in a shed when I bought my property. It gets the lead soldered into the end of the (insides). It is pretty old (bought the place 26 years ago, so its at least that old), Made by 'Craftsman'. I really like it as it is very compact. You screw the end into the handle after inserting rod into a hole in the end. They have the same type at LWS but it is about 2x bigger & 3x heavier. Dont use it much now that I have a wire-feeder & a tig machine, tho, -corne-
Reply:I think it was already said, tinning copper creates resistance. The copper pipe clamp sounds good.The only time I tin is when connecting a lug to a solid wire (crimp stranded) or for low voltage electronics like when fitting an AMPHENOL connector to wire. Tin the cups on the connector and wire but suck out the xcess tin in the cups before insalling the wire.
Reply:when i had resistance welding machines built,the various copper lugs were always silver plated to improve conductivity. it only required a few microns and the equipment was not expensive. still have one of the kits out in my garage.miller thunderbolt 250vlincoln square wave tig 175 prolincoln idealarc mig sp250everlast tig 210EXTeverlast power plasma 50chicago electric (hf) 130 tig/90 arcchicago electric 90 amp flux wire3 sets oxy/acet