Soldering copper to galvanized wire.

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Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

Anyone have any hints as to soldering 12 Ga stranded copper wire to galvanized "chicken wire". Google has not been my friend on this subject. All my attempts have resulted in a cold joint. I have sanded the wire without good results. Is there a magic flux that I need to use?

For those that care, I am mating a buried "chicken wire" ground plane to a 1/4 wave ground mounted vertical antenna. Well not to the antenna proper, but to an 8' copper ground rod. I used a physical connection with conductive "grease" on the rod side, but want to make a good connection between the ground plane and the 12 Ga wire. The outside temp is in the 40's F, which does not help things.

I know this is obscure, but I am getting a tad crabby over it.

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 8:54 pm

Wrap, crush, and tape?

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

That makes for a good physical connection, I need a good electrical connection.

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 9:03 pm

And I thought you were making an electric fence. How about those silicon gel imbedded wire nuts? Or just run a bunch of copper radials off the stick? And going with a 5/8 wave antenna?

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 9:03 pm

How about an indirect connetion using screw type plugs?

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 9:09 pm

Pastor Fank.. why do you need to electrify chicken wire? Shocked

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

@Joe and KD

I didn't have the space to run radials, I made a 20 by 40 ground plane with buried chicken wire. I have mostly sand here so I am attaching it to some 8' ground rods. Plus running radials seems like work. I am lazy The antenna is a R5 vertical (Cushcraft)

I would rather solder it rather than use physical connections with conductive grease, since the wire is so thin.

@419Weasal

I hate chickens. Laughing

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 9:22 pm

Pastor Frank wrote:

... a 20 by 40 ground plane with buried chicken wire. ... 8' ground rods. ... radials ... R5 vertical ...

To tell you the truth, I don't have the vaguest what you're talking about. Ham radio?

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

^^ Yes.

Edit: But I didn't want to get into all of that, I just need to know how to solder copper to galvanized wire. Wink

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 2628

^^
I hate chickens too
Especially those one on rotisseries

puke

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 9:28 pm

Pastor Frank wrote:

... I just need to know how to solder copper to galvanized wire.

Wrap, crush, and tape?

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

"Thats just KD being KD"

As a Sox fan you should get the reference...

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 10:35 pm

PF,

Have you tried "tinning" the galvanized wire and the copper wire, then soldering them together? The problem with soldering galvanized wire and copper wire is that their melting points differ.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 25 Oct 2007 Posts: 3

ask on qrz.com, full of hams there Wink

Rick

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 10:40 pm

I found this link. Could be useful.

http://www.tpub.com/neets/book4/12i.htm

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 26 Aug 2006 Posts: 577

@Pastor - can't be soldered

You can braze them but must remove the zinc galvanizing off the chicken wire to expose the steel.

Zinc makes nasty fumes. Be careful.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

@Weasel

Thats my F'ing problem. The solder wont stick to the galvanized wire.

@Overdrive.

I have been to QRZ.com and those people really annoy me. They are quite the condescending bunch from my experience. I would rather have KD or Don abuse me.

@Philo,

So a good physical connection with conductive grease is my best bet?

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 10:49 pm

^^^^^

Pastor Frank wrote:

... a good physical connection ... is my best bet?

kleindoofy wrote:

Wrap, crush, and tape?

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

^^^ Dang! Looks like that is the answer. Laughing

Game time in 1 hour!

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 11:11 pm

Funny how those radio operators can be so cliquish and special amongst themselves.
Well, I'm off before they show up.

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 11:18 pm

Only solution if you want to persevere with the soldering approach, clean all the galv/zinc coating off, as mentioned above, tin both ends of what you are joining, as mentioned above, concentrate most of the heat on the steel side of the joint, then flow some tinning solder or silfos across the joint.

btw, as also mentioned, galv/zinc coatings give off fumes that will kill you, do this in an open space, or better yet, get a lad to do it for you

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 25 Oct 2007 Posts: 3

hamsexy.com if your friend then, they do have radio discussions, and they dont like qrz.com Laughing

i used to like the radio, until the old men on the repeaters diddnt like my controversial personality* and opinion Cool

Rick

*controversial being far too young (16/17 yrs) for radio Sad

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2007 11:41 pm

My father had a similar idea years ago. What he did was to coil the galvanized wire around a steel screw and crimp it in place before brazing it and then came back with the copper wire and made a physical connection to it instead of the galvanized.

Posted: Sun Oct 28, 2007 12:02 am

My best guess and don't start laughing KD
Wrap, crush, acid and then silver-solder and tape

Should give a good connection for electrical currents

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 26 Aug 2006 Posts: 577

@Pastor

You can braze copper to steel - but not galvy. You can clean the galvy off with acid - h2so4 - if I remember right.

You can braze w/ mapp gas - but not propane - not hot enough.

Perhaps you can sink some ground rods athe ground plane corners and wrap te chicken wire to the rods - that should give you the connections you need....

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