Solder longevity on nickel

Joined
Jun 25, 2013
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54
Hi all,

So Im upto soldering the wires onto my 18650 pack and im testing my solder. Using IPA cleaner and a flux pen.

Ive tested 60/40 and lead free Tin solder. I can peal the nickel back off the solder. As in picture

Obviously the nickel on the pack wont be able to peal backwards but im wondering on the reliability and longevity of the solder on the nickel? I was wondering weather to put the Kafuter 704 RTV glue over the top of the solder join to add mechanical grip before captain tape?
 

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Looks like your iron is not hot enough. I'd invest in a decent 80 W iron for that job.
 
I agree....iron not hot enough and a little extra mechanical bonding can be achieved if you sand the area your going to solder.

Tom
 
I been using a 100w one now and really trying to get heat in the nickel too by holding iron tip onto nickel and feeding solder in it in until flowing nice. Scoring the surface seems to make it stronger but i can still bend the nickel off the back of the solder but maybe I'm just asking too much
 
Generally, solder works great on nickel. Good long term.

You may need to use some flux and cleaning the nickel first helps. The mechanical strength of solder is less than nickel, so it will peel if you pull hard enough.
 
The solder does look like it hasn't wetted very well (it's standing tall in a blob). So if it was hot enough then it does suggest the surface of the nickel wasn't clean enough. You may need a stronger flux. Although you then have to consider residue causing corrosion.
 
Great thanks for the advice guys. I was messaged this video too,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR472ONL7JI&t=18s

And for left over flux residue the IPA cleaner will take it off.
 
Good question. How do you guys manage to solder nickel anyway? The oxide layer makes it quite tricky. I have a hot iron, yet it still balls crazy. Is it all about flux ? Those acid solutions are not really advisable on outdoor applications, even after neutralization / cleaning...
 
Are you sure you have nickel and not stainless steel? Nickel flows nicely with just a little flux. You can use rosin (non-acid) flux.
 
If the nickel gets above the melting point of the solder, it should flow nicely. You need to have good thermal contact between the tip of the iron and the nickel. I press the tip against the work and feed in a tiny bit of solder to act as a heat bridge until it heats enough to flow, then feed in more solder. You should be able to melt the solder a few mm away from the tip if the nickel is hot enough.

You can also get the iron too hot and it will burn off the flux before it has a chance to work.
 
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