So, I stripped them down. I planned on coating them with solder and trimming them to fit, as you suggested. However, when the stranded wire came out of the insulation it was quite compactly twisted together. I was able to easily fit them onto the prong and screw it securely. I fit everything back into plug body, coated the entire mess with liquid insulation several times.

Thanks for the suggestions. They gave me hope as I bumbled my way to something which seems to have worked.

The wire is from my little RV. It’s onboard to handle up to a 50 amp service that is common to RV sites. However, I have an adapter which cuts it down from 50A to 30A.

Anyway, as I said, the “pins” come out of the plastic mount of the 50A plug. I can solder the wire to the pin, and then push it through and plug that in to an adapter and then into a 20A three-wire plug.

With a stand which could hold the wire and pin in the air I might be able to make it work. As it is, I don’t have a stand, but could get one.

I think I’ll try a $15 180 watt soldering gun from Harbor Freight along with a holder made for soldering and fly tying and try to pour enough calories into the connection fast enough to get a good joint. The “bigger hammer” idea.

Barring that, I really like the idea of soldering each wire into something which can be fitted into the connector. Genius.

Thanks again. Something will work.

I wouldn’t use a torch for electrical work. Too sloppy, too likely to burn the insulation off the wires for several inches, too likely to leave contaminants behind that will cause the joint to corrode. (Similarly, that “rosen” in the core of most solder, or that you brush on, will cause corrosion too; always use solvent to remove the crust after it cools.)

#8 is a pretty thick gauge, but I think it’s right on the edge of what a 100W gun can handle. The trick is the tip: The larger it is, the more heat it conducts to the wire. The default tip is usually just a loop of copper which radiates most of the heat into the air and concentrates only a little on the contact spot; see if the kit comes with larger tips, especially one with a chisel tip.

Time is also a factor. The longer you leave the iron on and in contact, the more heat will build up.

You want to solder the wire right into the contact, but maybe that’s aiming too high. Wire too big? Try soldering just the wire itself, to flow solder in among the strands, to make it solid. Then try filing it down until it fits into the connector, and screw it in as you’re supposed to. You’ll have few broken strands on the outside, but compensated for by filling in between the strands with solder.

None of that might work, of course. Just speculating. Good luck, bowser.