There is no need to buy large or small copper battery cable lugs (2 GA / 4 GA) for ridiculous sums of money, when you can make them at a fraction of the cost…
Video Rating: 4 / 5
Explore Battery Terminals and Lugs and how to correctly crimp them.
Dec
16
Make Copper 12V Battery Cable Lugs For Pennies!
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jim davidson says:
December 16, 2014 at 12:20 pm (UTC 0)
Silver soldering the connection is fine. When you blew into the connector
you introduced moisture and spit into the connector, not good. Touching the
copper wire after sanding introduced your oily acidic fingerprints which
will corrode over time. Shoot some non chlorinated brake cleaner or window
cleaner for the final clean. Must remove all the remaining flux which will
corrode later. Best to wear white cotton gloves when you terminate cables.
TheSweetPerry says:
December 16, 2014 at 12:20 pm (UTC 0)
I apply the solder to the cable end first. Then heat the lug with a
soldering iron. Let some solder melt inside the heated lug and then insert
the cable end into it. Perfect soldering. But you need a slightly larger
diameter copper lug for that.
Jerry Collins says:
December 16, 2014 at 12:41 pm (UTC 0)
Great Idea…….I drilled all the holes first, at regular intervals, cut
them off with a chop saw, (slowly) then put them in my reloading press to
flatten them, dropped the whole stack in my brass cleaner, then deburred
them with my case trimmer. I’m gonna buy different size copper tubing, and
make me a lifetime supply of them. You saved me hundreds of dollars,
because I’m always working on stuff like that.
Nathaniel Nifong says:
December 16, 2014 at 12:51 pm (UTC 0)
I thought I was going to see some pennies melting.
Kevin Romas says:
December 16, 2014 at 1:50 pm (UTC 0)
Cool thanks brother=)
Thomas Pate says:
December 16, 2014 at 2:17 pm (UTC 0)
Great idea and thanks for the video.
Dummy Box says:
December 16, 2014 at 2:41 pm (UTC 0)
This is original. you just saved me some money. and will make me look good
showing some one else.
Thank You.. Denver, Colorado 80211
Mikej1592 says:
December 16, 2014 at 3:04 pm (UTC 0)
If you are wearing headphones, please for the love of hearing turn down
your volume just about the 3:28 mark when he blows the sanding dust out of
the end…. seriously. Great tip though, I will remember this next time I
need to make a clean end terminal.
intheshitter says:
December 16, 2014 at 3:20 pm (UTC 0)
My friend, this is a great video. I never would have thought about making
them out of copper tubing. Had no idea how they were even made tbo. Im
always buying these bloody things. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. This
is what youtube should all be about.
radiofun232 says:
December 16, 2014 at 3:52 pm (UTC 0)
Very good and informative. I always make these lugs myself, though I never
worked with copper pipe, I have worked with copper plate. I do the
soldering with a 100 Watt soldering iron with a massive copper tip and
resin-core solder for electronics (1 mm diameter). The 100 Watt soldering
iron method also works very well, also with this type of thick cable, works
good to approx 7-8 mm cable. Heat the lug with the iron during approx. 30
sec-1 min, and the solder is sucked in when it melts. It is very good that
you show the importance of thorough cleaning.Liked!
bg147 says:
December 16, 2014 at 3:59 pm (UTC 0)
How cool was that!… and I could have used this knowledge when I
fabricated a bunch of ground straps for my truck. I wonder if it is
possible to omit the shrink wrap, I only have smaller gauge wrap.
triplepelotudo says:
December 16, 2014 at 4:29 pm (UTC 0)
6ft of copper tube like that is about $20.00 at home depot.
graeme leigh says:
December 16, 2014 at 5:19 pm (UTC 0)
Why is it pronounced “sodder” when it is spelt “solder” – what happened to
the “L”?
Jose Francisco Medeiros says:
December 16, 2014 at 5:21 pm (UTC 0)
Excellent tip, I also like the tip on adding sealant to the lug and wire
before heat shrinking the tubing. One video I saw many years back was to
fill the lug with heated solder while it is on a vice using a propane torch
before inserting the copper cable.
Lynx Star Automotive says:
December 16, 2014 at 6:06 pm (UTC 0)
This is genius but I have one concern: would the tip (head) of the
connector be sealed off from moisture? I feel hammering the tube together
does not create a solid seal from the outside elements…
Randerz Anderson says:
December 16, 2014 at 6:52 pm (UTC 0)
I have done this for years. It works fine. If you spit in it and did not
get it sterile it still works just fine. It is kind of time consuming.
wackoguywatch says:
December 16, 2014 at 7:48 pm (UTC 0)
I wanna make 1/0 aka 0 gauge battery terminals but i dont want the crimp to
look sloppy..i want a nice looking hex crimp like the color coded power
lugs look like when they are crimped. So what diameter pipe would be good
on zero gauge wire? Im using a 15 inch handle hex crimper by
greenlee,,,thanks in advance….
mminc81 says:
December 16, 2014 at 8:18 pm (UTC 0)
Why do you advise against using flux that has acid ?
Eric Brunhammer says:
December 16, 2014 at 9:04 pm (UTC 0)
Shows how much money you can save, if you’re willing to put in a little
work.
NewHampshire Jack says:
December 16, 2014 at 10:03 pm (UTC 0)
A BIG thank you for this information. Since moving to the Philippines, we
appreciate the corner hardware stores back home more than ever. We hear the
dreaded words “out of stock” all to often in the Phils. One rule is NEVER
begin a project until you have ALL the parts in hand, parts on order may
never come in. No copper tubing here but I am thinking my air-con guy will
be able to obtain the refrigeration tubing you recommend for me. Now, if I
can find the heat shrink tubing and the adhesive or a good substitute????
PLAY TIME says:
December 16, 2014 at 11:01 pm (UTC 0)
Nice video this will come in handy. Thank You
1mediaguy says:
December 16, 2014 at 11:52 pm (UTC 0)
For ease of drilling the hole, you may want to drill the hole & shape the
end BEFORE cutting the connector to length. That way you have the entire
length of tubing to hold onto.
Jeff Baker says:
December 17, 2014 at 12:42 am (UTC 0)
The best way i found is to use resin core solder.
Put your fitting upright in the vise and fill it with the solder then put
in your cable and add some more heat,then you know all your wires are
completely covered sealed in solder.
xanataph says:
December 17, 2014 at 1:15 am (UTC 0)
Well that’s a big thumbs up…! I will have to try this next time I need a
lug. I usually go to electrician’s supply stores to get mine. They’re
pretty cheap that way. Not as cheap as making your own like this ov course,
but far more realistically priced than buying them from an auto parts store
or something! The only issue is they are rated in millimetres for the
electrical industry in New Zealand, but most cabling I tend to use is in
AWG so a bit ov conversion needed.
consaka1 says:
December 17, 2014 at 1:37 am (UTC 0)
Out in the professional Telecom field we used a number of different
calibrated crimpers. Just crimping a connector is asking for trouble.
Soldering is good but impractically slow out in the field. So the proper
procedure for crimping is to use no-ox first and then crimp with calibrated
crimper. The no-ox keeps the air out so the connection doesn’t deteriorate
and the calibrated crimpers practically weld the joint together.
Personally I like a good solder joint as I cant afford the fancy crimpers.
jim davidson says:
December 17, 2014 at 2:24 am (UTC 0)
Silver soldering the connection is fine. When you blew into the connector
you introduced moisture and spit into the connector, not good. Touching the
copper wire after sanding introduced your oily acidic fingerprints which
will corrode over time. Shoot some non chlorinated brake cleaner or window
cleaner for the final clean. Must remove all the remaining flux which will
corrode later. Best to wear white cotton gloves when you terminate cables.
TheSweetPerry says:
December 17, 2014 at 3:00 am (UTC 0)
I apply the solder to the cable end first. Then heat the lug with a
soldering iron. Let some solder melt inside the heated lug and then insert
the cable end into it. Perfect soldering. But you need a slightly larger
diameter copper lug for that.
Jerry Collins says:
December 17, 2014 at 3:27 am (UTC 0)
Great Idea…….I drilled all the holes first, at regular intervals, cut
them off with a chop saw, (slowly) then put them in my reloading press to
flatten them, dropped the whole stack in my brass cleaner, then deburred
them with my case trimmer. I’m gonna buy different size copper tubing, and
make me a lifetime supply of them. You saved me hundreds of dollars,
because I’m always working on stuff like that.
Nathaniel Nifong says:
December 17, 2014 at 4:19 am (UTC 0)
I thought I was going to see some pennies melting.
Kevin Romas says:
December 17, 2014 at 4:40 am (UTC 0)
Cool thanks brother=)
Thomas Pate says:
December 17, 2014 at 5:25 am (UTC 0)
Great idea and thanks for the video.
Dummy Box says:
December 17, 2014 at 5:34 am (UTC 0)
This is original. you just saved me some money. and will make me look good
showing some one else.
Thank You.. Denver, Colorado 80211
Mikej1592 says:
December 17, 2014 at 6:13 am (UTC 0)
If you are wearing headphones, please for the love of hearing turn down
your volume just about the 3:28 mark when he blows the sanding dust out of
the end…. seriously. Great tip though, I will remember this next time I
need to make a clean end terminal.
intheshitter says:
December 17, 2014 at 6:44 am (UTC 0)
My friend, this is a great video. I never would have thought about making
them out of copper tubing. Had no idea how they were even made tbo. Im
always buying these bloody things. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. This
is what youtube should all be about.
radiofun232 says:
December 17, 2014 at 7:40 am (UTC 0)
Very good and informative. I always make these lugs myself, though I never
worked with copper pipe, I have worked with copper plate. I do the
soldering with a 100 Watt soldering iron with a massive copper tip and
resin-core solder for electronics (1 mm diameter). The 100 Watt soldering
iron method also works very well, also with this type of thick cable, works
good to approx 7-8 mm cable. Heat the lug with the iron during approx. 30
sec-1 min, and the solder is sucked in when it melts. It is very good that
you show the importance of thorough cleaning.Liked!
bg147 says:
December 17, 2014 at 8:35 am (UTC 0)
How cool was that!… and I could have used this knowledge when I
fabricated a bunch of ground straps for my truck. I wonder if it is
possible to omit the shrink wrap, I only have smaller gauge wrap.
triplepelotudo says:
December 17, 2014 at 9:29 am (UTC 0)
6ft of copper tube like that is about $20.00 at home depot.
graeme leigh says:
December 17, 2014 at 9:44 am (UTC 0)
Why is it pronounced “sodder” when it is spelt “solder” – what happened to
the “L”?
Jose Francisco Medeiros says:
December 17, 2014 at 10:08 am (UTC 0)
Excellent tip, I also like the tip on adding sealant to the lug and wire
before heat shrinking the tubing. One video I saw many years back was to
fill the lug with heated solder while it is on a vice using a propane torch
before inserting the copper cable.
Lynx Star Automotive says:
December 17, 2014 at 10:44 am (UTC 0)
This is genius but I have one concern: would the tip (head) of the
connector be sealed off from moisture? I feel hammering the tube together
does not create a solid seal from the outside elements…
Randerz Anderson says:
December 17, 2014 at 11:06 am (UTC 0)
I have done this for years. It works fine. If you spit in it and did not
get it sterile it still works just fine. It is kind of time consuming.
wackoguywatch says:
December 17, 2014 at 11:56 am (UTC 0)
I wanna make 1/0 aka 0 gauge battery terminals but i dont want the crimp to
look sloppy..i want a nice looking hex crimp like the color coded power
lugs look like when they are crimped. So what diameter pipe would be good
on zero gauge wire? Im using a 15 inch handle hex crimper by
greenlee,,,thanks in advance….
mminc81 says:
December 17, 2014 at 12:28 pm (UTC 0)
Why do you advise against using flux that has acid ?
Eric Brunhammer says:
December 17, 2014 at 12:42 pm (UTC 0)
Shows how much money you can save, if you’re willing to put in a little
work.
NewHampshire Jack says:
December 17, 2014 at 12:44 pm (UTC 0)
A BIG thank you for this information. Since moving to the Philippines, we
appreciate the corner hardware stores back home more than ever. We hear the
dreaded words “out of stock” all to often in the Phils. One rule is NEVER
begin a project until you have ALL the parts in hand, parts on order may
never come in. No copper tubing here but I am thinking my air-con guy will
be able to obtain the refrigeration tubing you recommend for me. Now, if I
can find the heat shrink tubing and the adhesive or a good substitute????
PLAY TIME says:
December 17, 2014 at 1:21 pm (UTC 0)
Nice video this will come in handy. Thank You
1mediaguy says:
December 17, 2014 at 2:08 pm (UTC 0)
For ease of drilling the hole, you may want to drill the hole & shape the
end BEFORE cutting the connector to length. That way you have the entire
length of tubing to hold onto.
Jeff Baker says:
December 17, 2014 at 2:37 pm (UTC 0)
The best way i found is to use resin core solder.
Put your fitting upright in the vise and fill it with the solder then put
in your cable and add some more heat,then you know all your wires are
completely covered sealed in solder.
xanataph says:
December 17, 2014 at 2:46 pm (UTC 0)
Well that’s a big thumbs up…! I will have to try this next time I need a
lug. I usually go to electrician’s supply stores to get mine. They’re
pretty cheap that way. Not as cheap as making your own like this ov course,
but far more realistically priced than buying them from an auto parts store
or something! The only issue is they are rated in millimetres for the
electrical industry in New Zealand, but most cabling I tend to use is in
AWG so a bit ov conversion needed.
consaka1 says:
December 17, 2014 at 3:21 pm (UTC 0)
Out in the professional Telecom field we used a number of different
calibrated crimpers. Just crimping a connector is asking for trouble.
Soldering is good but impractically slow out in the field. So the proper
procedure for crimping is to use no-ox first and then crimp with calibrated
crimper. The no-ox keeps the air out so the connection doesn’t deteriorate
and the calibrated crimpers practically weld the joint together.
Personally I like a good solder joint as I cant afford the fancy crimpers.