Tired of replacing Common Twist and Lap splices all the time?

I’m Deion Beardemphl, a student of Robotics and Electronic Systems, and I’m going to show how to do a proper Hook splice for stronger repairs that provide more longevity. The drawback of this technique is that it requires a bit more wire, but I have found that the resulting splice lasts much longer and holds up to more strain than other techniques.

Supplies

The materials required to perform this task are as follows;

safety goggles, two wires (the sum of which is greater than the required length), a wire stripper, 2” of heat shrink, heat source, solder, soldering iron, soldering flux liquid, a solder wick, and a heat resistant work surface. Access to a 120V power supply (common wall outlet) is also required.

Step 1: Wire Preparation

The combined length of the two wires is required to be the total distance from one contact to the other, but remember to leave some slack. Long wires can be managed; short wires are useless. About 1.5 inches of both wires will be used for the splice, so add another 3 inches. To begin put on the safety goggles. Take both wires and place them on the heat resistant work surface. Strip 1.5 inches of insulation off of the ends to be connected. Pinch the exposed threads of each separate wire then twist and pull so the threads are tightly wound together and strait. Slide the heat shrink over either wire being careful not to bend any threads. It doesn’t matter which wire as long as it can be kept a few inches away from the splice while it is being soldered.

Step 2: Interlinking the Wires

Keeping the threads bound together, bend both of the stripped wires at the halfway point of the exposed wire 180 degrees, in the shape of a fishing hook. Hook them together. Hold the point where the wires are connected with one hand. One wire at a time, twist the loose end around the exposed conductor of its own wire. When this is done the result is two interlocked loops of exposed wire. Coat the exposed wire with flux.

Step 3: Soldering

Turn the soldering iron on to 480 degrees F and wait a moment. When the iron finishes heating tin the tip, any tip will work but wider ones with more surface area work better. Lay the wires on the work surface in a straight line and press the tip of the soldering iron lightly against the middle point of the splice where the two wires meet. Slowly feed the end of the solder into the wire until all the exposed wire is saturated. Be careful not to add too much, the individual threads should still be visible. If there is too much solder on any portion of the splice place the wick over it and press the iron into it to remove excess solder.

Step 4: Insulating

Now that the wires are fused, slide the heat shrink from earlier over the exposed wire. Turn on the heat source and wait a moment for it to heat up. Hold it about 2 inches away from the heat shrink and wave it back and forth applying heat to the heat shrink until it is tightly wrapped around the splice.