http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=ex_7mTy0nsI Western Union Splice

The Western Union splice works best to splice together small, solid conductors. It is the most common type of wire splice. To make the Western Union splice, first remove about five inches of insulation from both wires and cross the exposed wires. Wrap one wire around the other five or six times, and then do the same with the other. Cut the excess wires off and pinch the ends down with pliers. Solder the joint together and wrap tape around it.

Tap Splice

A tap splice, also called a tap joint, is used to connect a conductor to a running wire. To make a tap splice, strip about 1 inches off the running wire. Take the connecting wire and wrap it once around the running wire. Now wrap the end of the wire through the loop you just made. Then wrap the connecting wire around the running wire about six times. Make sure the wire points away from the original turn. Solder the joint and wrap tape around it.

Fixture Splice

Fixture splices, or fixture joints, are used to connect wires of different sizes. This joint requires five inches of insulation stripped off the wire. Hold the wires together and then twist them a few times with a pair of pliers. Both wires must twist for the joint to be tight. Cut both ends of wire so that they are the same length, and then take the twisted joint and bend it so that it lines up with the wires. Take the cut ends and extend them perpendicular to the wire and the twisted portion. Wrap these two ends in the same direction as the twist. Solder the joint together and wrap tape around it.
Some common types of electrical splice: Rat-tail, Western Union, fixture, knotted tap, staggered splice. Some common types of electrical joint: Screw terminals, braided eyelets, crimps, sty-cons, plugs and sockets, insulated screw connectors, wire clip connectors (wire push-ins), twists inside wire nuts, plain wire soldered joints, soldered wire joints to posts and soldered legs for integrated circuits on printed circuit boards.

Wire Nuts

Most home electrical wiring requires the use of wire nuts for joining two or more wires. Wire nuts can join solid wires to solid wires, stranded wires to solid wires, or stranded wires to other stranded wires. Two or more solid wires join together by twisting the wires together, then a wire nut screws onto the bare copper ends. For solid-to-stranded or stranded-to-stranded wire splices, the two ends are held together, and a wire nut is placed over the ends and screwed onto them.

Pigtail

A pigtail splice uses wire nuts to connect one wire to several shorter wires that supply receptacles or switches in the same box. This splice is very similar to a standard splice, except the wires don't leave the wiring box. For example: Two switches in a box each require a hot wire. The electrician pigtails the incoming hot wire to two or more 8-inch long wires. Each wire then connects to a different switch.