AudioCircle
Industry Circles => Triode Wire Labs => Topic started by: NoahH on 27 Mar 2022, 04:12 pm
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Hi!
I know Triode will do tube connectors and it got me thinking about something a little crazy, and thought I would ask it here.
Note this is not rhetorical - I suspect there are great reasons, and I just want to learn.
Why use solder to connect wires to terminations instead of liquid copper?
On can imagine with something like a spade lug, clamping the wire and lug in a fixture, then pouring molten copper of a small measured amount into the meeting point. Copper has a high melting point, but we'll within what a blowtorch can easily do in a small crucible.
I know that is a pain, but let's face it, audio is all about extremes.
The more extreme version is that one cpuld use a mold to fully cast the collector (the tube or spade lug) in place, and stick the wire in right after the casting pour.
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Once, many years ago when I was teaching high school chemistry, I used a high temperature oven to melt some bronze in a ceramic crucible to cast a small item. Probably no more than a few ounces, but then the crucible broke it immediately set the heat resistant lab table on fire... and copper melts about 250* higher than bronze.
I'd stay away from it.
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Hi!
I know Triode will do tube connectors and it got me thinking about something a little crazy, and thought I would ask it here.
Note this is not rhetorical - I suspect there are great reasons, and I just want to learn.
Why use solder to connect wires to terminations instead of liquid copper?
On can imagine with something like a spade lug, clamping the wire and lug in a fixture, then pouring molten copper of a small measured amount into the meeting point. Copper has a high melting point, but we'll within what a blowtorch can easily do in a small crucible.
I know that is a pain, but let's face it, audio is all about extremes.
The more extreme version is that one cpuld use a mold to fully cast the collector (the tube or spade lug) in place, and stick the wire in right after the casting pour.
The best connection is a cold weld. This uses pressure to raise local temperatures in the materials high enough to fuse the two metals. Using a good crisper like this:
https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/combination-cutting-tools/crimping-and-cutting-tool-non-insulated-terminals
Or, for the overzealous, this:
https://www.mcmaster.com/69555K63/
The method is to crimp very quickly with high force so that the internal connector and wire temperatures are high enough to fuse. This will produce a gas-tight connection that eliminates oxygen.
Using a high conductivity wire treatment like silver bearing paste, or better yet, graphene, will give a superior connection to solder. The clamping pressure will purge the connection and the conductive paste will increase over all connectivity and also exclude oxygen.
Face it: solder is metal glue, no matter what the alloy is.
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Once, many years ago when I was teaching high school chemistry, I used a high temperature oven to melt some bronze in a ceramic crucible to cast a small item. Probably no more than a few ounces, but then the crucible broke it immediately set the heat resistant lab table on fire... and copper melts about 250* higher than bronze.
I'd stay away from it.
Yes, very dangerous and for what reason? The use of high quality Quad Eutectic solder is the way to go! Originally developed & patented by Western Electric for superior sound quality reproduction...
The best connection is a cold weld. This uses pressure to raise local temperatures in the materials high enough to fuse the two metals. Using a good crisper like this:
https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/combination-cutting-tools/crimping-and-cutting-tool-non-insulated-terminals
Or, for the overzealous, this:
https://www.mcmaster.com/69555K63/
The method is to crimp very quickly with high force so that the internal connector and wire temperatures are high enough to fuse. This will produce a gas-tight connection that eliminates oxygen.
Using a high conductivity wire treatment like silver bearing paste, or better yet, graphene, will give a superior connection to solder. The clamping pressure will purge the connection and the conductive paste will increase over all connectivity and also exclude oxygen.
Face it: solder is metal glue, no matter what the alloy is.
Your Klein tool is a crimper, not a cold weld tool. Crimpers are relatively poor joining devices compared to to hydraulic crimpers, like the type Triode Wire Labs uses on speaker spade connections. This cold-fused / cold-welded technique provides the perfect bonded joint... see http://cardas.com/insights_cutting.php (http://cardas.com/insights_cutting.php)
My $0.02,
Pete
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Yes, very dangerous and for what reason? The use of high quality Quad Eutectic solder is the way to go! Originally developed & patented by Western Electric for superior sound quality reproduction...
Your Klein tool is a crimper, not a cold weld tool. Crimpers are relatively poor joining devices compared to to hydraulic crimpers, like the type Triode Wire Labs uses on speaker spade connections. This cold-fused / cold-welded technique provides the perfect bonded joint... see http://cardas.com/insights_cutting.php (http://cardas.com/insights_cutting.php)
My $0.02,
Pete
I would never use the Klein on a spade connector. It works well when used properly for lesser connections. I use a dead blow hammer to get those jobs done. I'm not personally a fan of spade connectors for speaker cables. My preference is tightly twisted, properly treated bare wire. Personal preference.