Do they make a tool for holding two wires together so that they can be soldered? Sometimes the wires are tinned so I cant splice them and solder them.

There is a tool called the " Helping Hand " this tool has a two aligator clips on swiveling ball joints.Also has a magnifer glass for delicate work atached. This is avalable from Radio Shack.

If I could remove the clips that might work. sometimes I am working in a chassis or under the dash of a car so a stand would not work.

In a case like this you can take a few inches of stiff wire (like coathanger wire) and adhesive-tape the two wires to it so that they overlap at their exposed areas. Then you can solder without having to hold the wires together by hand. You may need to kink a slight "V" in the holding wire at the joining point in order to avoid soldering it as well.

Just an observation: lap-soldering tinned wires is a poor practice since the mechanical strength of the joint is entirely in the solder. Better to strip back the wires, twist them together tightly, then solder. The real purpose of solder is to exclude air so that the electrical contact area won't oxidize.

:In a case like this you can take a few inches of stiff wire (like coathanger wire) and adhesive-tape the two wires to it so that they overlap at their exposed areas. Then you can solder without having to hold the wires together by hand. You may need to kink a slight "V" in the holding wire at the joining point in order to avoid soldering it as well.
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:Just an observation: lap-soldering tinned wires is a poor practice since the mechanical strength of the joint is entirely in the solder. Better to strip back the wires, twist them together tightly, then solder. The real purpose of solder is to exclude air so that the electrical contact area won't oxidize.

Slight disagreement, here.....sometimes, I will lap two wires together, but wrap them in a spiral with a single strand of hook up wire, then solder them, I usually insulate with a piece of heat shrink tubing. This works well when any other type of splice would take up too much room or look out of place, such as in a bundle of wires.
Lewis
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Many years ago used to be: clean wires, twist for good mechanical connection, solder and insulate...

Clifton

::In a case like this you can take a few inches of stiff wire (like coathanger wire) and adhesive-tape the two wires to it so that they overlap at their exposed areas. Then you can solder without having to hold the wires together by hand. You may need to kink a slight "V" in the holding wire at the joining point in order to avoid soldering it as well.
::
::Just an observation: lap-soldering tinned wires is a poor practice since the mechanical strength of the joint is entirely in the solder. Better to strip back the wires, twist them together tightly, then solder. The real purpose of solder is to exclude air so that the electrical contact area won't oxidize.
:
:
:Slight disagreement, here.....sometimes, I will lap two wires together, but wrap them in a spiral with a single strand of hook up wire, then solder them, I usually insulate with a piece of heat shrink tubing. This works well when any other type of splice would take up too much room or look out of place, such as in a bundle of wires.
:Lewis
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I button hook everything. Tiny hook on each end, hook together, crimp em, solder em.
I use alligator clips sometimes, and yes , I got the little gizmo stand with magnifier from Santa this Xmas, haven't used it yet. The clips can be removed.

:Many years ago used to be: clean wires, twist for good mechanical connection, solder and insulate...
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:Clifton
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:::In a case like this you can take a few inches of stiff wire (like coathanger wire) and adhesive-tape the two wires to it so that they overlap at their exposed areas. Then you can solder without having to hold the wires together by hand. You may need to kink a slight "V" in the holding wire at the joining point in order to avoid soldering it as well.
:::
:::Just an observation: lap-soldering tinned wires is a poor practice since the mechanical strength of the joint is entirely in the solder. Better to strip back the wires, twist them together tightly, then solder. The real purpose of solder is to exclude air so that the electrical contact area won't oxidize.
::
::
::Slight disagreement, here.....sometimes, I will lap two wires together, but wrap them in a spiral with a single strand of hook up wire, then solder them, I usually insulate with a piece of heat shrink tubing. This works well when any other type of splice would take up too much room or look out of place, such as in a bundle of wires.
::Lewis
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Gotta agree with Tom here - Western Union on the wires (a horizontal twist splice), solder and cover with heat shrink tubing (don't forget to slip heat shrink tubing on wire first). This gives a strong, bonded, low profile, insulated connection. --Dave

:Gotta agree with Tom here - Western Union on the wires (a horizontal twist splice), solder and cover with heat shrink tubing (don't forget to slip heat shrink tubing on wire first). This gives a strong, bonded, low profile, insulated connection. --Dave
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Great topic, when I was in military school in the late 1950's they taught us to make twisted bond, then solder. in the mid 1960's during he early space program, they sent all tech's back to learn how to re-solder, weight was an issue, and very little was needed. today, as I work on chassis, I use a combination of what works. J hooks sometimes, cleaning old solder off terminals and re-soldering sometimes, twisting together and soldering sometimes, and sometimes making little curlies from no 20 wire, and butting together in the curly and soldering. One time when I had an very thin coil wire that I had broken off, I was unable to solder same, and eventually used an 20 size butt to re-resolder to the connection. Whatever works my friend, and of course the level of restoration undertaken to be considered also.

::Gotta agree with Tom here - Western Union on the wires (a horizontal twist splice), solder and cover with heat shrink tubing (don't forget to slip heat shrink tubing on wire first). This gives a strong, bonded, low profile, insulated connection. --Dave
::
:Great topic, when I was in military school in the late 1950's they taught us to make twisted bond, then solder. in the mid 1960's during he early space program, they sent all tech's back to learn how to re-solder, weight was an issue, and very little was needed. today, as I work on chassis, I use a combination of what works. J hooks sometimes, cleaning old solder off terminals and re-soldering sometimes, twisting together and soldering sometimes, and sometimes making little curlies from no 20 wire, and butting together in the curly and soldering. One time when I had an very thin coil wire that I had broken off, I was unable to solder same, and eventually used an 20 size butt to re-resolder to the connection. Whatever works my friend, and of course the level of restoration undertaken to be considered also.

The most important thing in soldering is to leave the joint still until the solder is completely solid. You can make a "cold solder joint" by moving the wire, and have a heck of a lot of fun finding it later.
Lewis
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