> Actually, British Wire carries both solder bullets and crimp
> bullets. There is also a special crimper for those bullets
> so if you are going to do a lot of harness work investing in
> the crimper may be justified just in the time savings.
I've gotten them from TRF as well.
One thing that is easy to overlook, the bullets need to be a snug fit on the
bare wire before either soldering or crimping. But they come in sizes to
suit British wire. If you are using AWG wire, you may need to drill out a
smaller bullet to get a snug fit. They are soft and easy to drill, I've
been known to do it by clamping a bit in the bench vise and turning the
bullet on it with my fingers. But if you use a drill motor, I definitely
suggest holding the bullet with pliers or similar.
While we're on the topic, it's also important that the wire be clean. Not
usually an issue with new wire, just strip the insulation off and go. But
with old wire, it's common for the surface to be oxidized even under the
insulation. This is very typical:
https://i.imgur.com/AvD3f6e.jpg
(A bit of original harness from my previous 59 TR3A.)
Note the dark brown "old penny" color, which is copper oxide. Copper oxide
is a very poor conductor (technically classed as a semi-conductor) and will
also interfere with making a good solder joint.
To make a good joint, it needs to look like this:
https://i.imgur.com/7tJFS0J.jpg
The bright "new penny" color is bare copper.
-- Randall
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