Those are quick connect solderless male spade connectors. You would use crimp on female spade connectors to attach to it. That's what we would call a Chickety China part, as most subminiature switch parts would also have the holes to give you a direct solder option. You can wrap the wire tightly and solder if you wish.

No wire terminals necessary just solder the wire leads to the switch terminals. Holes are not needed to make a strong solder joint.

To make life easier "tin" the terminals and wires before soldering them together. Use your iron to heat the switch terminals and melt a small bead of solder onto each. You will want to leave a small bulge of solder, not a massive blob. Next heat the wire ends and allow a small amount of solder to melt and wick into the wire to "tin" them. To attach, press the the wire against the terminal, use the iron to heat and melt them together, hold/cool and your done. A good solder joint done this way will Probably be stronger than the wire itself.

Does it work? That's a super long time to be heating things. Something doesn't sound right to me. What are you using to heat things up? A candle? JK but those are REALLY long times to solder.

A good tip I got from a friend is to use a pair of hemostats. Flow some solder onto the lug and wire, then clamp together with the hemostat and apply the iron. You will feel the hemostat compress, then you know you got a good connection.

you need to pick up one of these

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Get 60/40 lead solder and a good butane soldering iron, should only take a minute or two. You really have to crank up the heat on switch and coil soldering.

It gets easier the next time you do it (and you will have to do it again)

Ah, I have to disagree with you in part... A basic principle of good soldering practice is that a strong mechanical joint should be fashioned before soldering. This is especially important on any connection that may be stressed, including vibration - such that is found in a pinball machine. A reliable mechanical connection is obtained by wrapping the wire around a terminal before an reliable electrical connection is made by proper soldering. This will also prevent a disturbance fracture (this is a poor bond resulting from the connection being disturbed before fully cooling). This is one problem where later down the road you could find the wire hanging off the switch of your machine with a chunk of solder attached to it. It's just *better* policy to make a good mechanical connection before soldering.

+1. This is how I do it. Needle nose pliers help.

This is 100% true, but I have to admit I've bent the rules a few times, in those hard to reach places, where you just can't get a wire to stay by itself, and you don't want to remove the whole assembly or pf to get to it...

+1 on those mechanical hands, and hemostats for under the pf!

This is one of those situations where a good quality switch with holes in the lugs is well worth the small cost premium, because as wayout440 suggests, a solid mechanical connection before the solder flows produces a longer-lasting bond under vibration. But when that's not available, hemostats FTW!

Jeekayjay, great job. None of us were born knowing how to solder. You never forget your first time. Keep growing and learning!

And some flux applied to the lugs before tinning will help to get the solder to stick as well. Just make sure you clean off the residue with some isopropyl alcohol when you are done soldering.

Sure, you don't have to - but it can help. Flux does several things...it acts as a wetting and flowing agent, and a cleaner to remove the oxides of copper that form at soldering temperature. Sure there is flux (rosin) in the solder to help it flow, but if you add some to the parts it will aid the process. I also add liquid flux to desoldering braid and the part I am desoldering when using it, it makes removing solder with braid much more effective.