LED soldering help

[moderator007]

Glad you are having some luck now.
I usually sand mine once every 2 to 3 settings. If this was a soldering station i probably would not do it. But my soldering iron that i prefer is a cheap harborfrieght 30 watt. I will occasionally file the tip very fine if im doing smd soldering. I cant find a local soldering tips for what i pay for the whole soldering iron. Less than 4 bucks. One soldering iron will usually last me a year.

Once i have sand it or filed it. I plug it in and dip it in the flux for just a second. Once it starts sizzling on the tip, i wipe it off and stick it to the flux core solder wire. Some times it takes a minute to melt the solder. Then i get a very good tinned in tip. Seems if i leave the flux on the tip to long while its hot. That the tip gets dirty again before i get it tinned.
If the iron sets hot for a while just simply wipe it acroos a wet rag a few times. Then add solder to the tip before use. Only add enough solder to the tip to do the job. To much will just make a big messy glob.

 

[DonShock]

You might want to check out this thread on soldering from a while back, it's got a lot of good tips in it.

As for tinning, it needs to be much more frequent than many of the recommendations mentioned. Some of the techniques I was trained to follow in the Navy were needed when working on nuclear reactor control systems but are overkill for normal soldering. However, keeping your iron clean will do wonders no matter how little the job. A hot iron with a bare tip will develop an oxide layer in just a few seconds. If you are not immediately applying the iron tip to a solder joint, it needs to be covered in solder. The basic steps should be: wipe off old solder, put iron to joint being sure to touch both pieces, apply small bit of solder to form heat bridge between both parts and iron, pause to let parts heat up, add more solder to form joint, remove iron, apply solder to tip to cover and protect it, put iron back in holder. The whole procedure should only take 10-15 seconds. In most cases, if you have the iron on the parts for more than 7-10 seconds and the solder still isn't melting, you don't have a good heat bridge. Pull back, clean everything, and try again after letting the parts cool down.

Personally, I rarely use a wet sponge because I keep my tips coated from day one. I use dry paper towels to wipe off the prior protective layer of solder. If I do get a spot on the tip where solder won't stick, most times the fix is repeated tinning with flux cored solder and wiping it off until I get a nice even coat sticking to the tip. I probably use ten times more solder keeping my tips tinned than I ever actually apply to a joint.

 

[JacobJones]

Fed up with this tinning problem now. Mo matter what I do the solder just won't stick to the tip. I've sanded the tip, put flux on it, and still it won't stick. I think I'm going to sand off all the nickel coating because the solder still sticks well to the bit where I sanded right through to the copper. I've always had this problem with it, when I took it out the box new plugged it in, let it warm up for 5 minutes then tried to tin it the solder just fell off and the tip went black

 

[JamisonM]

Fed up with this tinning problem now. Mo matter what I do the solder just won't stick to the tip. I've sanded the tip, put flux on it, and still it won't stick. I think I'm going to sand off all the nickel coating because the solder still sticks well to the bit where I sanded right through to the copper. I've always had this problem with it, when I took it out the box new plugged it in, let it warm up for 5 minutes then tried to tin it the solder just fell off and the tip went black

What kind of iron is it? If you can, get yourself a couple of new tips. Don't wait for it to heat it. Stay with it and keep trying to melt solder onto it. It shouldn't take much more than a minute or two.

 

[JamisonM]

Sorry, double post.

 

[JacobJones]

It's a weller sp40 40 watt soldering iron. I won't bother getting new tips for it as I'm getting a new soldering iron anway. Just hope I don't get this problem on the new one

 

[bshanahan14rulz]

on the new one, tin it first thing, and do not sand it. Sanding is what you do if you have to solder something and the tip is ruined and you can't go out and buy another. A last resort. That tip you had earlier, though, sounded like it was pretty much toast. Also, keep avoiding the lead-free crap until you're more experienced.

Also, get yourself a sponge, wet it, and use that to clean off the excess solder from the tip. You will be cleaning the tip fairly frequently. I clean it every minute or so, and before every major connection or set of connections I make, i.e. right before soldering something.

 

[Quest4fire]

when I took it out the box new plugged it in, let it warm up for 5 minutes then tried to tin it the solder just fell off and the tip went black

Dip the tip of the iron in soldering paste right before you tin it. The tip should never be without solder. When you turn off your iron leave a generous blob of solder on the tip to protect it as it cools.

I think I'm going to sand off all the nickel coating because the solder still sticks well to the bit where I sanded right through to the copper.

Throw that tip in the garbage! It's toast.

I was using a sponge but it melted

Sounds like you are using a synthetic sponge. Use only natural sponges, preferably those intended for soldering. I don't use sponges anymore (Water + heat + air = oxidation, especially from an iron that's too hot) get a brass or copper scrubber.

The soldering iron is a 40 watt weller and the tip is nickel plated copper

I picked up a clone of a Hakko 936 soldering station and soldering has been a lot more fun. Multiple tips/styles of tips is the way to go. I've got 12 or 14 tips and have managed to keep from ruining any of them so far! My back-up iron is one of these that uses the same tips and has a temp control, all for under 15 bucks! Hang in there! After a little reading and practice you will be pleased with your soldering efforts.

 

[JacobJones]

Great day today. My new soldering iron arrived in the post. I plugged it in, touched the solder to the tip and within a minute it started melting and covered the tip nicely, then I wiped it off on a wet rag and the tip was clean and shiny. Then I soldered a couple of wires and was amazed at how quickly the solder melted with a properly tinned iron. Then I put more solder on the tip and unplugged it.

Looks like the problem was me leaving the other one on too long before trying to tin it. Thanks everybody

 

[EASTWOOD]

Congratulations on your new solder station. Mind if I ask what brand/model? I can tell you from experience that quality soldering equipment is only half the battle; practice and technique is the other half. Consider getting a scrap board from a tv, computer, etc. Remove and re-install components till you are happy with the results. This is how I learned and it is very beneficial as you don't have to worry about damage to the pcb.

I was very fortunate to be mentored by a gentleman who was Navy trained in electronics repair and had made a living for 50+ years in the field. I worked side-by-side with him for a few years and what I learned from him was amazing (Thank you Steve). If you know anyone who has soldered for a living, ask if they wouldn't mind giving you a demonstration. Advice on a forum is helpful, but hands-on instruction can't be beat.

If you find yourself using an iron with greater frequency, check into items such as Chem-Wik, different gauge solder, liquid flux with a brush applicator, flux remover pens, different size tips, etc. There are a lot of good products that can make the job easier.
In time, familiarize yourself with lead-free solder. It is not as easy to work with as lead solder but it is the wave of the future unfortunately. Tip: if you ever need to remove lead-free solder from a pad, infuse it with a dab of lead solder first. It will then be much easier to remove with solder wik or a desolder pump. Also take a look at the Weller Pyro Pen. It is a butane iron but it has many uses beyond being portable. The hot air nozzle can be used for heat shrink tubing and removing surface mounted components with ease.

Good luck and have fun with your new toy.

 

[JacobJones]

Oops, forgot to reply. My new soldering iron is a 40 watt one made by silverline, it's only a cheapo one but it's got an excellent 3 year gaurantee. So far it's working well for me and there are several different tips available for it at a low enough cost that I'm not scared of ruining them

I actually soldered the wires onto a driver and a bare Cree XRE a few days ago with it. Amazing considering i couldn't solder at all 3 weeks ago, and I've had no instruction other than from the Internet and cpf yet I still managed to do pretty good joints without melting anything expensive