Master a perfect inline wire splice everytime

Step 7 Wrapping up

Solder the splice, but be warned once its soldered properly its quite a struggle to get it back apart, its actually easier to cut the splice out and start over, so make sure you have your heat shrink and whatever other accessories (ie parts to a fuse holder) in place before

Once you have done this a few times, it will become just as fast, as a simple pigtail

Your electronics enabled buddies will nod to you, and your other friends will be amazed at the clean nearly invisible splice, and how fast you managed to do it

Thanks for your time, and please if you have any questions or comments post them

-- Osgeld

Comments

[TANZMEISTER]

Great information in the instructable! It might be helpful to add any notes about the soldering itself. Is soldering this splice any different then any other splice? A link that might be helpful to add, http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-solder/ thanks for the great work!

[arcnemisis]

Personally the improvements that this can make in a install or project far outweigh the time consuming part. Sure the pigtail/wire nut/soldered/twisted joint is easy, but it looks bad. I have been doing these joints (WU and just inline wrap RCA) for years while others wimped out. I try to spread the word and show them. Good job showing others how to do it right and make some projects cleaner and less tape gooeyness to go around.

[rfxcasey]

Just wondering what is wrong with simple lap soldering? When don't right they are very strong and quick to produce.

[chndt2008]

good!

[richardcole]

nice trick and i think clean work is totally awesome... own heart satisfy when work to be done very well..

[rapidprototyping]

My friends used have me wire thier amp because i never burnt one up simply because i insulated the wires and sldered where necessary these joints as i like call them twist up like a boobie lets call them wire joints western u8nion is so yesterday and RCA what have they done for me lately

[Pyro667]

hey thanks for making me feel like an idiot, J/K...well a little, I much cleaner than my usual method Thanks

[urbanprimate]

This is great! I've done my share of electrical repairs over the years, and I've ALWAYS pigtailed. This seems like simple, common sense but it's hard to let go of habits. I did this once purely because I didn't have a wire nut and remember thinking how much more sense it made, but once properly supplied I went right back to pt without even thinking about it! Beats the hell out of those cheap inline "bullet" style connectors especially!

[sabr686]

Nice,thanks. I didn't know there was a name for this method. I just instinctively used this method to save on wire and tape!

[steviebob]

Useful tutorial. Thanks.

[idiotno1]

great tutorial. I learned something new. Thanks.

[osgeld]

welcome

[Flash635]

I usually untwist the two bare ends and stuff them into eachother then twist them, solder them then apply shrink. It makes the shrinked join less lumpy

[osgeld]

i have done that many times before too, usually on super (eg 10- guage stranded) wire For thin wire it can become very fiddly to do that , so i use this method hince this instructable

[JoeMutt]

As a retired electrician, 40 years of service, we called this an RCA splice. This type of splice is not legal to use, in the United States, on normal household wiring (110/220 volt) as per the National Electrical Code. It can be used on low tension wiring (alarm system, electronic projects, door bell wiring, etc.).

[osgeld]

good point out

[darkride]

The "official" name is a Western Union splice. They developed it in the old telegraph days since it was a good electrical and mechanic splice that held up well to the strain on the wires.

[osgeld]

I had mentioned the WU splice somewhere in the comments before, but it is different, a WU splice looks like this

"----|||x|||----"

and this is more of the shape of

"----xxxxxx----"

googling both inline and western union turned up both splices, but wu turns up the first splice more often

[frollard]

Yeah, western union is a cross with a tight (read: wraps touching another, like a hangman's noose) - this is just a really convenient twist :D

[osgeld]

exactly

[YScuba]

Cool. Very useful tutorial. (Now I've got to get some heat shrinkable insulation.)

[ecafsub]

wonderful!

I could have used this literally half an hour ago when I was splicing an alarm system leaf switch's wires back with the main ones coming out of the door frame. If only I'd checked my email first...

I'm not re-doing that work, but I'll certainly remember this from now on!

Embarrassing truth: I've been doing minor electrical/electronic work that requires this sort of job for *mrphgrmbldy* years, and I never knew about this technique.