Best way to connect 6ga wire to buss bar?

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Zero Cool said:
I was looking at some online and all i have seen are for stranded wire. i have 6awg SOLID wire!

Prolly the easiest is to go to Viking Electric or some other electric supplier in MPLS or STP (possibly Graybar or Anixter) and ask them. You can get Panduit compression lugs for 6AWG conductors, solid or stranded.
You can also get them from Burndy, CPI, Electric Motion Company, others......
 
Never use a crimp type lug connector on solid wire. Through expansion and contraction it can eventually loosen itself. In NYC we use three methods of connecting solid copper wire to busbar:

  1. Mechanical Screw-type Lug
    Brazing/Soldering
    CadWeld Fusion
    [/list=1]
    CadWelding (http://www.erico.com/products.asp?folderid=138) produces the best termination by fusing the copper surfaces together. It can also fuse copper to steel. We use a kit that has a mold and powder shots. It's quick and easy, and will not loosen or deteriorate.
 
wds said:
Never use a crimp type lug connector on solid wire. Through expansion and contraction it can eventually loosen itself. In NYC we use three methods of connecting solid copper wire to busbar:

  1. Mechanical Screw-type Lug
    Brazing/Soldering
    CadWeld Fusion
    [/list=1]
    CadWelding (http://www.erico.com/products.asp?folderid=138) produces the best termination by fusing the copper surfaces together. It can also fuse copper to steel. We use a kit that has a mold and powder shots. It's quick and easy, and will not loosen or deteriorate.



  1. Now there we go! that looks interesting!

    1- wouldnt the screw type lug eventually loosen as well due to thermal expansion and contraction???

    I like the cadwelding process. I will check out there page in deoth i need to bond some 6ga solid copper to some flat copper buss bars.


    Zc
 
The screw-type mechanical lug with solid wire can be maintenanced relatively easily, and there's not as much worry if using it for simple grounding purposes.

In your case, and as found in commercial transformers and motors, all solid wire is soldered or brazed. There is generally plenty of vibration and heat associated with this equipment and the internal connections survive pretty well. It would be an effective and inexpensive method to get a butane/mapp gas torch, some flux, and good solder. It should be fine.

I haven't used them, but I see that CadWeld also has a method to fuse wire with a removable lug. That might be ideal from a maintenance point of view.
 
For high current mechanical crimping with stranded cable is the most reliable. Now adding a brazing or soldering step after the crimp affects the mechanical joint in negative ways such as only to be able to rely on the last step as the final connection method negating the benefits of the crimp. Not doubley good but worse. Also soldering a wire wrap conn. is of the same effect. Not sure if crimping a 6 AWG solid wire is a good solution here so maybe brazing to a lug or directly would seem the most reliable way depending on his application/ current/ safety requirements.
 
Hi
Yikes 2x20lb/mono with Cu wire 7$/lb $280 for coils and double that for stereo for the wire alone.
Why?

Only 20A peak... you could probably get by with just soldering to your favorite lug of choice.:smash:
second thought...for the money you got in those babies go for brazed and then nickle plated w gold flash.
 
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