Tom,

The best way to solder is the same way to get to Carnegie Hall: 
"Practice man, practice."

Try some practice runs on some scrap wire.    Heat the wire with the gun 
and give it a few seconds, then touch the solder to the wire and if it 
is hot enough, the solder will flow.  Don't overdo it, too much solder 
will make lumps and bumps that  might make it hard to insert into the 
center pin if  it  is a close tolerance to begin with.

Something else you can try:  Strip the coax maybe  an inch and a half 
longer than  you would normally do.   When you've pulled off the waste 
parts you will have  a much longer stripped center conductor.  You can 
grab this with your fingers and *gently* insert into the connector and 
feel for the hole of the center pin and slip it through. Slide the 
connector down all the way, check for shorts, then snip off the excess 
center conductor  protruding past the tip.    I've found this works 
pretty well for me.

Also,  when stripping the coax and pulling off the waste center 
insulation, be sure  the end of the stranded wire didn't try and unravel 
a bit  Snip off any  little  bits at the end if needed.  When
you think you have it ready to go, try inserting into  the other end of 
the center pin.  If it won't go in that way, figure out why before 
trying to insert the correct way.   This is also good to try if you 
solder the wire.   If it won't go in from the open end, it won't go in 
from inside the connector.

73, Steve KW3A

On 5/21/2013 10:34 PM, Tom Behler wrote:
> Hi, all.
>
> I'm making up some coax jumpers with some extra RG8X coax that I have, and
> the crimp-solder PL259 connectors I bought several years ago from Joel at
> The RF Connection.
>
> These connectors are the type that you thread the center conductor through
> the pin of the connector, and solder it to the connector tip.  You then
> crimp the shield to a small metal sleve that goes over the front portion of
> the connector body.
>
> The RB8X cable I'm working with has a multi-strand center conductor, and a
> few of the strands seem to want to bend in on themselves, and therefore
> touch the connector body.
>
> My thinking is that the way to avoid this issue would be to tin the center
> conductor strands prior to inserting them into the center of the connector
> and out the pin end.
>
> Does anyone have a relatively fool proof way to tin the multi-strand center
> conductor with solder and a soldering iron?
>
> Still in learning curve mode here, but one of my goals in life continues to
> be making successful PL259 coax connedctions independently, and I don't give
> up easily.
>
> Tom Behler: KB8TYJ
>
>
>