# I'd like to solder *videos added*



## TigerhawkT3

I soldered a wire end to a ring terminal at Modamag's house at a recent CPF BBQ. That was my first and only experience in soldering, but I'd like to change that.

I want to do simple electrical things, not fine electronics.

:help: a solder noob.

EDIT: See post #49 for link.


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## DonShock

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Sorry for the slow response. But as you can see, it took a while.

Soldering is very simple. There isn't a lot of actual "skill" required. The keys to doing a good job are cleanliness, the right amount of heat, and patience. And although more expensive tools can make the job more convenient and versatile, they are not required. I recently burnt out my mid-grade iron and am currently using $9 Radio Shack irons until I buy a new one.

One of the most important things is to always keep the tip of your iron "tinned". That means to always keep a coating of solder over the working point of the tip. The reason is that due to the high heat, the metal of the tip will "oxidize" (rust) very quickly and this oxide layer will prevent solder from sticking well. And the oxide can flake off and ruin your solder joint on your part too. I probably use five times more solder tinning my tip than I use to actually make connections. My technique is to take the iron out of the stand, use a bunched up paper towel to brush the old solder off the tip, solder the joint I am working on, apply new solder to the tip until it is covered, and then put the iron back in the holder. The only time you should have little or no solder on the tip is for the few seconds you are actually applying the iron the joint.

Also on the subject of cleanliness is the use of flux. Flux is a cleaning agent, usually found in paste or liquid form. You apply it to the parts you want to join and when you apply the heat at the start of soldering it cleans the joint. Additional flux is not always needed. There is actually a small bit of flux in the center of most types of solder (rosin core is the usual term for this). If the parts are new and clean or have just been desoldered, you usually don’t need extra flux. However, some people always use flux. It seems to be a personal preference kind of thing and you’ll have to experiment with what works for you.

The second big concern is heat. You need to have enough, but not too much. The first thing to do is have a properly sized iron and tip. For small electronics work, you want a low wattage iron and a small tip. For soldering to larger pieces, like those Mag bulb posts, you want a high wattage iron and a large tip. The RS irons I am currently using are 25W and 40W with cone tips, but I am planning to get a single iron with adjustable power and interchangeable tips. You need to let the irons get to full temp before trying to use them. The idea is to apply the iron, form your joint in a few seconds, and pull the iron away before the heat can damage your electronics, melt plastic parts, etc. The thumb rule I learned in the Navy was not to apply the iron for more than 5-10 seconds: 5 seconds for small electronics, 10 seconds for larger jobs. I actually count under my breath on every joint I do. This is also where the patience comes in. The temptation is just to hold the iron on the part until the solder melts or flows where you want it. If you don’t form the joint in 5-10 seconds, you either don’t have enough heat from your iron, you aren’t transferring it to the parts well, or your parts aren’t clean.

Ideally, you want your iron tip to bridge between the two parts you are trying to join and heat them both up simultaneously. This will insure a good bond between the parts and the solder. I tend to apply the tip so it touches both parts, put a tiny dab of solder to the joint to help form a “heat bridge” between the parts and the iron, pause to let the parts heat up, and then apply more solder to form the actual joint. If you can’t get the joint to form properly in a few seconds: remove the iron, let the parts cool down, and then try again. This is also where different size and shape tips can be very handy. You want to get the most contact area between the tip of the iron and the parts so that the heat transfers quickly to bring the joint area up to temperature before the heat can be drawn away from the joint and maybe cause damage. You can also use small metal clips to slow down the transfer of heat to the adjacent part. But I normally just use the counting method and have never fried a part. The only time I use the clips is to sometimes prevent the solder from wicking up under the wire insulation if I know there will be a lot of wire movement.

Sometimes, when you have a very smooth surface like those Mag bulb posts, it helps to file the area first with a Dremel or hand file. This gives you nice fresh clean metal to solder to and makes it less likely that the solder will just sit on the surface without actually bonding. Another way to help form the bond is to “tin” the two parts separately first and then join them. What this means is to put a thin coat of solder on the two parts individually. Then you can join them together by using the iron to remelt the solder, adding a little more to form the joint, without having to worry about if it will stick to the parts. This is a really handy method where positioning is difficult.

Some things to watch out for:
“Dead” solder – This is where you have overheated the solder and it won’t for a good bond anymore. The solder won’t look shiny anymore and it will very dull in appearance. In extreme cases, it will also look lumpy because you have moved the dead solder around and it doesn’t even want to stick to itself. If this happens you need to remove all the dead solder and redo the joint.
“Cold” solder joint – This is where you have too little heat to form a good joint. It can form at the joint between the solder and the part when first forming a joint or within the solder “blob” itself when trying to remelt solder. If everything is not up to temperature, as the solder cools and solidifies, it actually pulls away from cold part and forms a tiny fracture in the solder. This can cause a mechanical failure of the joint later but it can also form a high resistance connection which can cause electrical failure. Reheating the joint fully will usually fix this.
“Fractured” solder joint – This is where the parts are moved as the solder is cooling and forms a fracture inside the solder as discussed above. Reheating the joint fully will usually fix this.

A good solder joint will be shiny and smooth in appearance.
It should flow all the way to the edges of any solder pads.
It should form a slightly concave bridge between the parts.

“The bigger the blob, the better the job” is WRONG!

For desoldering, there are a couple solutions. Sometimes, like I mentioned earlier for the iron tip, you can just brush off the molten solder with a paper towel or cloth. Obviously, this will fling molten solder around so protect yourself and your work surface. I used to just use more paper towels (No, it never set them on fire) but lately I have been using some silicone baking sheets from Wal-Mart. These will even stand direct contact from the iron for short periods. A second method to remove large amounts of solder is to suck up the molten solder using a solder bulb that you squeeze with your hand or a spring loaded “Solda-pult”. Personally, I use a soldapult since you just push the button when you’re ready and it sucks up the solder instantly. The hand bulbs are cheaper but I find them harder to use. (Hint: coat the inside parts of the soldapult with Vaseline prior to use and after cleaning to prevent solder from sticking. If you coat it, cleaning just involves a quick wipe down with a paper towel.) A variation on this theme is a desoldering iron that combines the iron and the bulb in one tool. But I find the tips on these to be too big for most uses. The final method is (de)soldering wick. It is a braided copper tape that will suck up even the tiniest amounts of solder. The best method is to put the wick over the solder, then put the iron on the wick. When the solder melts, you’ll see it get sucked up into the wick. It helps to loosen up the wick a little by pushing it back along its length to loosen up the weave. The wick comes in different sizes to fit the size of the job. Larger sizes even have a little powdered flux in the middle to help draw the solder into the wick.

I hope this is all understandable and I think I have covered all the basics. However, the best way is to just practice on some scrap wire, terminals, and other parts like you have already done. Let me know if you have any further questions.


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## Ken 222

*Re: I'd like to solder*

DonShock, 
Thanks for taking the time to write that reply. :thumbsup: 

Ken


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## eebowler

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Wow Don. That was great! 

With respect to desoldering, sometimes when you have to remove 'old' solder or if the solder is too little bit to be sucked up completely, I add fresh solder to the joint to make a bigger blob which melts easier and then suck that up.

Most surfaces that are tarnished I sand, scrape or file before soldering. It makes the process much easier. With respect to connection wire, all wire is made of copper. There are however some which are silver coated and these are SUPERB since solder sticks to the silver so much easier than copper.

I'd also like to add that you should avoid as much as possible breathing in the fumes from the soldering iron. http://www.sentryair.com/solder fume.htm


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## tino_ale

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Excellent writeup! This should be held somewhere as sticky!



DonShock said:


> “Dead” solder – This is where you have overheated the solder and it won’t for a good bond anymore. The solder won’t look shiny anymore and it will very dull in appearance. In extreme cases, it will also look lumpy because you have moved the dead solder around and it doesn’t even want to stick to itself. If this happens you need to remove all the dead solder and redo the joint.


I wonder if what you call "dead solder" isn't just solder which has no flux no more, because it has been heated for too long/too hard. Applying additionnal flux and reflow the solder usually brings back the solder to a normal state and shiny appearance.

This is just my experience, but me may not talk of the same problem... It's true I am usually fast, so this thing hasn't happenned to me for a long time :huh: 

Personnally, I would advise a newbie to do some training without additionnal flux on crap for a while, and then only, start to use flux. Between flux and no flux, I find that it is like day and night. Using flux is MUCH more forgiving, and a non-experienced newbie might take some bad habits if he uses flux from first day. If you learn how to solder without flux first, the day you will use some, you'll get perfect solders even in tricky situations. For normal solders, you might not even find it necessary to use it.


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## DonShock

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Truely "Dead" solder is caused by overheating the solder itself, not just burning off all the flux. When the flux burns off, it can leave behind a coating which will give the solder a dull appearance. But if you clean off the residue with alcohol, you will find the solder underneath is still good. It's hard to try to describe the difference, but slightly overheated solder or solder with flux residue will just be a little hazy, as if the shine was still there under the surface. Dead solder sill be very dull with no hint of a shine at all. If you have a dead solder joint, the last thing you want to do is add more solder due to the risk of creating a fault inside the solder joint. It is much better to take the time and redo the joint.

Another thing to mention is cleaning up after using flux. Ideally, you should use alcohol to clean the joints after soldering to remove any left over flux residue. This is especially true with "acid core" fluxes. Although the acid core flux helps with cleaning it can cause corrosion if left on the parts after soldering. Personally, in normal soldering practice, I usually don't bother to clean most solder joints since I use rosin cored solder and rarely use additional flux. Unless I see a bunch of flux residue that looks like it might be bridging the gap to other connections, I just skip this step.

Most of this stuff is what I learned during a six week Navy course that taught you the repair techniques to be used when working on the control circuits for the nuclear reactors on ships. Naturally, the standards for this purpose were very high and are somewhat of an overkill for normal soldering purposes. That's why I don't follow all the rules anymore myself, like cleaning the new solder with alchol prior to use to remove dirt and oxidation. I sure don't inspect every joint with a magnifying glass like they did in the school. But the basic techniques that I mentioned above are the ones that I do use in daily soldering tasks and the "faults" mentioned are the ones that can occur during normal soldering. If they do occur, they can cause problems that will cause a gross failure, not just prevent the joint from being "nuclear grade".


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## jch79

*Re: I'd like to solder*

DonShock - AWESOME writeups! :thumbsup:

Question: if I want to practice soldering before I actually assemble my first LE, what material should I practice with?

john


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## DonShock

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Just get some stranded wire and some uninsulated terminals. You can practice on the end of the wire, cut off what you just soldered, and hve a fresh piece to try again. Then you can just solder 2 wires together to practice that. The terminals will let you practice soldering wires to other components. And trying to cover the flat areas of the terminal with solder will be similar to covering solder pads on circuit boards, only bigger. If you want to practice with actual circuit boards, you can get these boards from Radio Shack pretty cheap and practice soldering wires to circuit boards. RS also usually has cheap bags of parts you can practice with, but component leads aren't really any different than wires.


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## greenLED

*Re: I'd like to solder*

DonShock!! :bow: Excellent posts, thanks a _bunch _for sharing.

My soldering got (marginally) better after I Googled for "soldering tips" (or something like that, and consistently using flux in everything I do. Nevertheless, I've still been having problems. I thought it had something to do with the cheapy iron I have, but I think your reference to the oxide layer on the tip provides a much better explanation. That and patience... I can't tell you guys how many times I've messed up a mod for not being patient enough. ...I get carried away. 

I'm definitely adding this to my favorites. :twothumbs


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## DonShock

*Re: I'd like to solder*

If your tip is messed up you can usually restore it without too much trouble. Just use sandpaper or a file to get back down to bare metal. Then plug it in and get a coat of solder on it before it can oxidize again. If you keep it tinned after that you should have no further problems.


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## Anglepoise

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Don,
Super write up. Good stuff there.

I am like greenLED and keep a bottle of flux nearby that helps allot. 

One problem I had that took a while to figure out. I have a small 35 watt
pencil style iron and its cradle is a round spring tube. Well whenever I put the iron in the holder, the tip would rest against the metal spring and suck out the heat. Then I would go to use it and it was not hot enough. Took a while before I realized what was going on.


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## tino_ale

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Very interresting. Then I haven't experienced dead solder, but only burnt out flux. I guess it's a good news  


DonShock said:


> Truely "Dead" solder is caused by overheating the solder itself, not just burning off all the flux. When the flux burns off, it can leave behind a coating which will give the solder a dull appearance. But if you clean off the residue with alcohol, you will find the solder underneath is still good. It's hard to try to describe the difference, but slightly overheated solder or solder with flux residue will just be a little hazy, as if the shine was still there under the surface. Dead solder sill be very dull with no hint of a shine at all. If you have a dead solder joint, the last thing you want to do is add more solder due to the risk of creating a fault inside the solder joint. It is much better to take the time and redo the joint.


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## greenLED

*Re: I'd like to solder*



DonShock said:


> If your tip is messed up you can usually restore it without too much trouble. Just use sandpaper or a file to get back down to bare metal. Then plug it in and get a coat of solder on it before it can oxidize again. If you keep it tinned after that you should have no further problems.


:thanks: Don! I'll definitely have to try that.


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## eebowler

*Re: I'd like to solder*

DonShock/ALL, I bought my iron (tech?)about 3 years ago and its tip came silver coated. I'd assume that that is the norm these days. The silver tip doesn't oxidize and there is no need to sand or scrape the tip ever. Melting the solder is always easy.  If the coating is damaged for whatever reason, just buy a new tip. They cost me at most $3 US to replace. If buying a new iron, look for one that comes with a silver coated tip.


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## London Lad

*Re: I'd like to solder*

What an excellent write up by Don!

I was always taught that to (soft) solder you heat the two parts to be joined to the melting point of the solder and then apply the solder to the joint.

As in all things 'cleanliness is next to godliness'


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## TigerhawkT3

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Awesome info.

How about what to buy, and where to buy it from?


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## London Lad

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Metcal from ebay, you wont regret it


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## TigerhawkT3

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Which Metcal products in particular would you suggest?


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## DonShock

*Re: I'd like to solder*

One place I stumbled upon that seems to carry decent stuff is Action Electronics. I am going to be ordering a variable temp iron and assorted tips from there later this week.

I like the adjustable heat soldering stations as opposed to the fixed temp irons since you can dial the heat up or down to suit the job. And the interchangable tips let you do a better job on small circuit boards and such by switching to a smaller tip. But then on bigger jobs, you can step up to a large tip which won't cool down as much when you apply it to the work and can transfer a lot of heat quickly. Tip style seems to be a personal preference thing. I know a lot of people like the conical shaped tips. But personally, I like the screwdriver style tips that have their ends beveled flat on both sides. I find I can get better heat transfer by getting the entire flat part in contact with the work. The rounded edge of the cone tip doesn't seem to transfer heat well until you get the solder to bridge the gap between the tip and the work. The one advantage I see to the cone tips is a somewhat adjustable tip size can be had by moving the contact point a little further up or down on the cone. But in practice, I much prefer the screwdriver tips. At a minimum, you should have a small and a large tip, but the more closely you can match the tip size to the job, the easier you will find it to get a good joint. If you go with a fixed power iron, I like to use a 15-25 watt for small work on circuit boards and about a 40 watt for larger work such as large guage wires and terminals.

Solder mix and size is another personal choice. Since most of the work I do is electronics, I stick with relatively small diameter rosin core 60/40 solder. Currently I use .032 diameter solder. It's small enough that I don't overfeed on small jobs and not so small that it is hard to feed enough on larger jobs. A disadvantage to smaller solder is that there is very little flux in the center and external flux is almost always needed. Larger solder can be difficult to control the amount and it can be hard to get it into the small areas on some jobs. Another solder mix that is available is 63/37 which has the advantage of going from melted to solid very quickly as it cools down. This can help prevent fractured joints. However, I find it more difficult to work with and haven't used it except in my Navy work where it was sometimes required. There is also silver solder which melts at a higher temp and is harder when cooled. However, I have never used it so I can't speak to it's usability from experience.

At a minimum, all you really need is an iron, a roll of solder, and a solder bulb for desoldering. For making the job better and easier, I like a variable heat soldering station, multiple tips, desoldering wick, and external flux on occasion. To go whole hog, you can get digital soldering stations with temperature displays, dozens of tip sizes, desoldering irons with vacuum pumps, and just about any solder mix/size combo you want.


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## gadget_lover

*Re: I'd like to solder*

I worked at a job iwith the Telphone Company where I soldered wires all day every day. Most of what Don says is spot on.

The only part that was understated is this; for a proper joint the parts you are soldering have to be at the melting temperature of the solder. To ensure this is the case, you never touch solder to the iron's tip, but touch it instead to the wire you are soldering. If ithe part is clean and hot enough to melt the solder you are very likely to get a good joint.

A cold solder joint comes from disturbing the solder while it's cooling, causing it to crystalize as it solidifies. This causes the dull finish talked about above. A cold joint will not adhere well, and in some cases will conduct intermittantly or not at all. A cold joint can almost always be fixed by reheating the joint and letting it cool properly. A good 30-50% of the "broken" electronic devices I've fixed had a simple cold solder joint.

To that I should add that the wire should always be wrapped around the part it's soldered to, twisted to the other wire or bent after going through a hole. The solder joint should not be counted on to support the connection.



Soldering is easy and inexpensive. Practice for 1/2 an hour and you'll be quite capable. 

Daniel


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## JimmyM

*Re: I'd like to solder*

WOW! I was hoping I could add some wisdom here. How wrong I was. DonShock is exactly on. I became an adherant, pun intendend, to using flux. I used plumbing flux to solder to Maglite steel springs with RatShack silver solder. It worked awesome1 You could see the fluxed joint wetted with the solder as soon as I touched the solder to the hot/fluxed steel. I like to flat grind the each end of the spring then tin the surfaces while applying the "tail spring fix". I'm ordering some proper electronics flux and tiny swabs from Digikey along with some other things.

I use a 20W iron for small stuff, a Butane powered iron, 80-100W, for midsize and slightly larger stuff, and a tiny butane pencil torch for Mag springs.
I want to get a new iron with interchangeable tips for different small stuff.


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## TigerhawkT3

*Re: I'd like to solder*

I'm considering a unit like the Weller WLC100. It's 5-40W adjustable.

One Linky
Another Linky


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## turbodog

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Concerning tips...

I've got a weller 60w unit that I've had for just under 20 years. It's still on the original tip. I hardly ever have to clean or mess with the tip. It's nickel plated and has not pitted at all, and there have been many times I forget and leave it plugged in for 3-4 days at a time.


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## DonShock

*Re: I'd like to solder*



TigerhawkT3 said:


> I'm considering a unit like the Weller WLC100....


That's the one I just ordered along with the 1/2/4/6/8 tips. Since the 3 comes with the iron, that gives me the full range of tip sizes. Another recommendation: you might want to think about picking up some teflon insulated wire. It won't melt from the heat of the soldering iron. This can be really important like when you are soldering wires to an emitter sitting on a metal heatsink. There is very little clearance between the heatsink and the emitter lead and you don't want the insulation melting and shorting to the heatsink as you solder the end of the wire to the emitter.


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## London Lad

*Re: I'd like to solder*



TigerhawkT3 said:


> Which Metcal products in particular would you suggest?



Hi TigerhawkT3,

Any Metcal !

I have used many, many soldering irons and systems both professionally and personally over the last 30 years + and IMHO none come near to the metal system.

You can now pick these up from Ebay quite reasonably and as the only parts that are prone to wear out are in the tip you don't have to worry too much about how they were used previously.

Have a read up on the Metcal site, these irons are unique, they heat up in seconds and self adjust to the thermal load that you apply them to. You can change tip size and have the new tip hot and ready to solder in 6 seconds!!

Up until I sold it 2 years ago I owned the majority of an electronics repair company, we ran about 30 soldering stations and although Metcal was the most expensive brand in the UK, I never ever had one fail!

Really try and get a demo if you can, they really are worth the effort.

I have just checked the US ebay site and you have some really great bargains there on new and used Metcal.

Kind regards

Graham


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## TigerhawkT3

*Re: I'd like to solder*

On the actual solder wire:

I found 60/40 rosin core, but it's 60% tin and 40% lead. Should I look for lead-free solder? What are good places to get it from?

A pound for $13


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## DonShock

*Re: I'd like to solder*

The only time you need to use lead-free solder is when you are soldering plumbing fixtures. Over long periods, the lead will leach into the water in the pipes. Then when you ingest the water over extended periods, it can pose a health hazard. For electric solder work, lead based solder is fine.


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## London Lad

*Re: I'd like to solder*

I don't know about in the US but any products sold in the EU now have to use lead free solder.

Is horrible stuff, hard to work with because both good and bad joints look dull.


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## chesterqw

*Re: I'd like to solder*

if you want solder that is easier to melt, you will use solder with lead in them.

if not, use lead free solder. have been using lead 'paid' solder and find them nice.

get a nice soldering iron that has a body with a high melting point.

my soldering iron's melted!!! if not for gloves...phew.


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## TigerhawkT3

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Any brick-and-mortar stores that carry some good solder? Knowledgeable employees would be nice.


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## LuxLuthor

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Great topic and posts. I just got a Hakko 936-12 station ($75) with some tips, and some Kester 66/44 .031 diameter solder (made in Mexico - LOL!)....and really love using it.

These are some other nice resources on soldering:

http://www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk/solderfaq.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldering
http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/solder.htm


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## TigerhawkT3

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Well, I just bought an iron and some solder yesterday.

The iron is the Weller WLC100 already mentioned, and the solder is Kester 60/40 1/16" (0.063"), in a 1lb. spool.

Should I get one of those "helping hands" things, with the clips and magnifier?


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## TigerhawkT3

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Well, I did some more soldering! 

I did it at a friend's house, so I used the small butane iron given to me by said friend instead of the WLC100 that came in recently. The WCL100 is a bit big to tote around.

The butane iron was easy to use and heated up real fast. It was nice to work with. I didn't remember to use a sponge, though. How important is a sponge? Will the tip get messed up without one?


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## London Lad

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Its not so much the tip getting messed up it just makes things easier.

The sponge should be just damp, too wet and it takes too much heat out the iron, and the wipe will remove any old flux, dirty solder or crud so you have a clean tip which will improve the heat transmission to the work and also tin easier.

Happy new year


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## 65535

*Re: I'd like to solder*

That reminds me I need a new sponge and I need to hunt for the tips in my garage were ever they are. I use this iron with a fairly large tip. I think i have a etD an etA and a etC tip (et(letter)) my personal solder preference is either a silver solder rosin core i don't know the mix or a 60/40 rosin core.


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## greenLED

*Re: I'd like to solder*



TigerhawkT3 said:


> Should I get one of those "helping hands" things, with the clips and magnifier?


I have one of those and it does help (plus, the clips provide some heatsinking, I'd like to believe). The magnifier can get in the way, though, so I don't use it much. Before having the helping hands, I just used "blue tack" to keep parts steady.


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## TigerhawkT3

*Re: I'd like to solder*



greenLED said:


> I have one of those and it does help (plus, the clips provide some heatsinking, I'd like to believe). The magnifier can get in the way, though, so I don't use it much. Before having the helping hands, I just used "blue tack" to keep parts steady.


Cool - I guess I'll be making a trip to Fry's! :thumbsup:

My friend (the one who soldered with me) actually WAS the "helping hands" a coupe days ago, so he'll be relieved to be rid of that task. "Okay, try to solder quickly, because the heat will go up the wires and into my fingertips, all right?" :laughing:


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## greenLED

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Have you guys used/recommend using tip tinner/cleaner paste? I saw it the other day at Rat Shack and was wondering if it'd be useful at all. 

I'm starting to think the liquid flux I have is what's accelerating the oxidation on my soldering iron. It does make soldering a lot easier, but I know it leaves some residue (I have to scrape it off), and I'm wondering if that residue is overaccumulating on my soldering tip and burning off/oxidizing or something. I can't seem to be able to clean it off after a while.

:thanks:


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## DonShock

*Re: I'd like to solder*

I have a little tin of the Kester Tip Tinner. I have used it and I don't see as it really does anything. Maybe it cleans the tip a little; but as far as I can see, the amount of tinning it leaves on the tip is neglidgible. I still prefer to tin the tip manually with regular solder.


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## Illum

*Re: I'd like to solder*



greenLED said:


> Have you guys used/recommend using tip tinner/cleaner paste? I saw it the other day at Rat Shack and was wondering if it'd be useful at all.



I have some of that...solder tip cleaner, supposely you dip the head in while its hot, and it boils off while cleaning and retinning the surface...but some reason on my iron it leaves residue [browish] under the tin, so I had to scrape it off and try again...that did it, but apparently doesnt "clean' very well...

any idea where I can buy a bar of tin and just do it and apply it manually?

I use the Weller 8200PKS [100 watt low, 140 watt high] for substantial soldering, but mostly uses my Weller SP40LK [40 watt regulated] for most applications...I guess its not hot enough for the retinning agent


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## 65535

*Re: I'd like to solder*

IMHO the best way to tin a tip is get a small glazed ceramic pot with a little ball of solder maybe about 1/2" ball and just put yoru tip in it hot and add some flux produces a beautiful tin new looking.


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## Illum

*Re: I'd like to solder*



65535 said:


> IMHO the best way to tin a tip is get a small glazed ceramic pot with a little ball of solder maybe about 1/2" ball and just put yoru tip in it hot and add some flux produces a beautiful tin new looking.



mmm, sure I'll try that :thanks:


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## wquiles

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Great post Don :goodjob: 

Will


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## TigerhawkT3

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Well, I've done quite a bit of soldering! I've soldered wires together for little projects like a Nite-Ize LED closet light, buzzers, and air horns. More recently, I've gotten little kits for electronic gadgets like a variable voltage regulater, audio level meter, light activated circuit, and other whatnot. I have some more of these things on the way, so when they arrive, I'll try to take a few pictures or videos of the process. Thanks so much, everyone, for all your help! :bow:


----------



## bombelman

*Re: I'd like to solder*

just found this, nice !!


----------



## Scott Packard

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Just thinking - don't get too solder-happy. I noticed you said you soldered to a ring terminal in the first post.
I know solder can really bring down the electrical resistance of a joint, but it's not meant to be a structural material. If a terminal is a solderless crimp then you should think twice before flowing solder into it. For instance, if a short circuit happens, will it heat up, melt the solder, and help cause a fire?
For low-voltage applications it can be permissible to both crimp and solder, but you have to think about any high current applications. Anything above 50 volts and you should follow the NEC.
(I used to solder things I shouldn't have, and I had a friend who wouldn't solder when he should have.)


----------



## jimjones3630

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Great topic, thanks to all for I to would like to solder. Jim


----------



## jimjones3630

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Picked up a Metcal PS2e-01 on Ebay for about $60, new tip for $9 and what a difference from a 40 watt hand held for $10. 

It was probable good experience starting off with the hand held, the Metcal has temp sensor smart heat, supplying just the right about of heat as sensed at the tip. It really is fun to use.


----------



## TigerhawkT3

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Hi everyone! I've been doing some filming, and I'm in the process of uploading a three-part (five-part, technically) video series about soldering. I've already posted a thread about it over at FNF: http://flashlightnews.net/forum/index.php?topic=184.0

I'll post the video links, script, and other info to that thread, and I look forward to seeing your thoughts and comments there.

Happy soldering!


----------



## Jumpmaster

*Re: I'd like to solder*

Fry's carries good solder...it comes in a small plastic tube. Get rosin-core, btw...

JM-99


----------



## TigerhawkT3

Yep, got the 1lb spool at Fry's and the 2.5oz at RS. It's all rosin core, as I suggest in the videos. I just posted the links to the videos in the FNF thread a minute ago, so feel free to head on over and check it out.


----------



## LuxLuthor

*Re: I'd like to solder*



TigerhawkT3 said:


> Hi everyone! I've been doing some filming, and I'm in the process of uploading a three-part (five-part, technically) video series about soldering. I've already posted a thread about it over at FNF: http://flashlightnews.net/forum/index.php?topic=184.0
> 
> I'll post the video links, script, and other info to that thread, and I look forward to seeing your thoughts and comments there.
> 
> Happy soldering!



WoW! That was so sweet seeing it demonstrated with short but sweet videos, and all the narration. There were a bunch of things I was not doing all that well, and you just helped give me a lot more certainty and confidence. 

I posted a few questions at that other forum that I wondered about. I have this new Hakko 936-12 station but have not used it that much yet...but gonna do some soldering tomorrow after watching your videos...got me excited to do a bunch of things now. Thanks again for doing this.


----------



## 65535

I'll throw in a few tips, make sure your tip has some excess solder on it, molten solder will allow the heat to flow into the components better than the mildly tinned tip, so when you place your tip on the piece add a little bit of solder to heat it up faster. And do not solder plastic crimp fittings, I noticed you soldered that spade plug in your video, it was meant as a crimp only device and I would not recommend soldering those pieces due to the extra fumes created, both rosin fumes and plastic fumes are carcinogens.

If you can get a wall wort 12vDC 500mA transformer and get a couple of high flow computer fans, zip tie or glue them together and them make great small exhasut fans, but make a base for them, they tend to fall over.

And always use the biggest tip you can, they make for faster joints and less possiblity for thermal stress induced damage, especially if you are soldering rechargable cells together.

Hope this helps.


----------



## Dances with Flashlight

For months I've been stumbling around CPF... and then, suddenly JACKPOT, an early Christmas present. This thread is amazing! Thanks especially to DonShock.


----------



## Groundhog66

Great stuff here..:thumbsup:..thanks to all who provided all the info. 


Tim


----------



## VidPro

*Re: I'd like to solder*



Scott Packard said:


> If a terminal is a solderless crimp then you should think twice before flowing solder into it. For instance, if a short circuit happens, will it heat up, melt the solder, and help cause a fire?
> For low-voltage applications it can be permissible to both crimp and solder, but you have to think about any high current applications. Anything above 50 volts and you should follow the NEC.
> (I* used to solder things I shouldn't have, and I had a friend who wouldn't solder when he should have*.)


 
I solder them dang crimps when they told people not to  , just because the dang crimps never connect to enough of the wire, I have had more frilling problems with unsoldered crimps overheating because of reduced contact with the wire, specially braided wire. A BAD crimp can even cause a hot "strand" of braid to exit the insulator by melting of the insulator. Ex: starter motor wires, UPS wires , gell cell spade connects, all low voltage high amp.

and you cant re-crimp a bad crimp and fix it. me crimp hater , but mostly because of inept crimpers (of course) . mabey i should use less solder when "fixing" crimps so any possible flow doesnt Depart the location. its just that even before a short i have seen crimped wires go red due to bad crimping, and after soldering they could handle a lot more juice. heat at the crimp point due to poor contact cant be good either, that will lead to eventual breakdown and Arcing , yea thats it arcing, and heating. <-- must find some reason to hate crimps.

just comes down to which is worse , heating at the crappy crimp connection point or dripping conductor, surely there is a balance to be had here?

is THAT the problem? that dripping conductors (solder) could land in places that would be far worse short than the inital short?
so
could you say that in places where dripping solder would never land on something that would cause a short it wouldnt be an issue?

say like fixing a crimp item that there is only 2 total connections far apart, and no other conductors, as opposed to inside an electrical box with wires everywhere? would that be ok? also it is usually in low voltage apps.

i didnt even know we aint supposed to solder crimps, but then they crimp my style:mecry:, i like the spade connectors though  

crimps also get Looser when the wire going to them is moved around , solder stops the movements , the dang things just come apart over time if there is movement or you move the wires and all. argggg


----------



## Mash

*Re: I'd like to solder*

I remember seeing a soldering tips page, which of course I cant find now, which had a section at the end describing symptoms and their cause.
Things such as if your solder ends up pointy, its because of eg too little/too much heat. And some other ones.
Anyone have any ideas which page, or can kindly list them here?


----------



## Black Rose

Is there an ideal solder diameter to use for electronics and flashlight mods?

The local place has 0.05" and 0.62" 60/40 solder.


----------



## Black Rose

I did a mod to a lantern today with my 16+ year old no-name 35 watt soldering. There was a bit of "smoke" coming from the element area after I plugged it in  and it really didn't seem to work that well. The metal parts on it were also badly discoloured after I was done, so I think I'm going to retire that iron.

After that experience, I read DonShock's excellent summary on page 1 of this thread again. Since I am only doing small electronics work for now, I picked up a 25 watt Weller soldering iron kit with interchangeable tips.


----------



## cyberspyder

Black Rose said:


> I did a mod to a lantern today with my 16+ year old no-name 35 watt soldering. There was a bit of "smoke" coming from the element area after I plugged it in  and it really didn't seem to work that well. The metal parts on it were also badly discoloured after I was done, so I think I'm going to retire that iron.
> 
> After that experience, I read DonShock's excellent summary on page 1 of this thread again. Since I am only doing small electronics work for now, I picked up a 25 watt Weller soldering iron kit with interchangeable tips.



It's normal...the metal is discoloring from the heat.


----------



## Black Rose

What's the best way to clean up solder iron tips?

I've really made a mess of two of my tips, not to mention the items I was trying to solder :sigh:


----------



## cyberspyder

Black Rose said:


> What's the best way to clean up solder iron tips?
> 
> I've really made a mess of two of my tips, not to mention the items I was trying to solder :sigh:



Pics please. If it's not too bad, heat up the iron and get some brass wool and scrub the tip with it. If that doesn't help, get all the solder off the tip and take some 120 grit sandpaper and sand it down until you see copper. Retin the tip and it should work.

Brendan


----------



## gadget_lover

Black Rose said:


> What's the best way to clean up solder iron tips?
> 
> I've really made a mess of two of my tips, not to mention the items I was trying to solder :sigh:



It really depends on the tip.

Some tips are bare copper, others are copper core with a coating. I used to work at a place where the irons had tips with a coper core, iron cladding where you soldered and ceramic sprayed on the rest of the tip to avoid shorting adjacent terminals.

The iron will resist being eaten away by the flux.

Most common way to clean the tip is on a moist sponge. In a pinch I've used moist folded paper towels in a bowl. Heat to normal temperature, add a blob of solder to the tip then wipe off on the sponge.

Daniel


----------



## Black Rose

cyberspyder said:


> Pics please. If it's not too bad, heat up the iron and get some brass wool and scrub the tip with it. If that doesn't help, get all the solder off the tip and take some 120 grit sandpaper and sand it down until you see copper. Retin the tip and it should work.
> 
> Brendan


I'll get some pics of them tomorrow.

The tip of the cone shaped one is black from the solder on it. The chisel tipped one is not as bad, but it's also black.

They are solid copper, nickel plated Weller tips and have only been used a couple of times. 

I'll see if I can track down some brass wool. Active Electronics has a couple of tip cleaners available that use brass shavings.


----------



## Black Rose

I picked up a tin tip cleaner today that utilizes brass shavings. Worked like a charm....the tips are nice and clean again.

I should've bought one of those to start with


----------



## koala

Hey those brass wool are helpful for removing stubborn flux stains but I have a feeling they are abrasive and can remove a bit of iron coating from your tip. Only use them when required.

Wipe, clean the tip across a damp sponge regularly and keep the temperature down you will have a long lasting clean tip.

There's another way to clean soldering tips, this has been used for many years by people who do stained glass, which is by using Sal Ammoniac block. It is very cheap and available easily. Here's a short video of a beautiful lady showing how to clean your tip with it. I don't use it so I don't know how well it works.

I used to clean my tip with Goot BS-2 which is similar to Plato Tip Tinner. Costly but works well. 

Actually you don't need all these 'accessories', all you need is patience and some solder. If you have a dead spot, try to attack the spot with some fresh solder then wipe on a damp sponge, do it several times. It may recover. Stick with the standard rosin core or no-clean flux solder, these solder won't eat your tip quickly.


----------



## Black Rose

This past weekend I learned the difference between a good solder joint and a bad one.

I modded 3 Dorcy Super 1 watt lights, swapping the Lux stars for Seoul stars.

After desoldering the connectors from the old stars, I prepped the new star and connectors and soldered them onto the new stars.

While checking the amperage draw on each light, I accidently dropped a battery into the battery tube of one of the lights and discovered the light no longer worked.

I took the light apart and discovered that the very small bump from the battery was enough to break the solder joint.

I fixed it last night and now the light is working again. 
Also tested against the battery bump and it survived this time.


----------



## cyberspyder

Pretty hefty thread bump!


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## bluepilgrim

I didn't see any mention of soldering guns. I have the ordinary Weller (140W on high?) I got almost 50 years ago (glued back together with epoxy a few times..) and the next bigger one. I like them when I have a quick job to do or need some heat for a larger job, but they can also be used for low heat jobs by triggering them on intermittantly, and you can even wrap a piece of copper wire around the end for tight places. I also use heavy copper wire to make a tip when I'm too cheap or busy to buy a new one -- sometimes I hammer a shape on the end, and sometime I use because I can hammer it into a shap I want, including something which will heat tow or more joints at once to desolder a component. Guns are heavier, but you can get used to that, and it's not a bad choice when you dont want to wait to heat up an iron or pencil. 

I'd never use acid flux for electrical or electronic -- it will corrode the joint or where it splatters nearby. I've also found it's almost always worth tinning the surfaces first: it doens't take long, but fixing (or finding) the joint when it isn't right can take a very long time in comparison. I like tinning the surfaces and then using a fairly high heat to get in and out quickly for heat sensitive parts. Don't forget you can also use a heat sink to protect components -- they sell little clips for that, or you can imporise something -- out of copper, from a wet tissue, a needle nose pliers, or whatever, just to absorb heat before it gets to where you don't want it. (With surface mount components you can't always do that, but you can cool down the joint as soon as the solder hardens (and you want to use the eutectic 63/37 for that so there is no plastic range) by spraying a bit of alcohol or coolent on it, so what heat is in the joint doesn't travel towards the component. 

For mechanical fastening ordinary solder isn't that great, but passable sometimes, although I have used something called Tix in the past, which is low temperature but fairly hard -- has silver in the alloy. Silver solder, like what jewelers use makes a good mechanical joint, but requires high temperature, like from a torch, and some different techniques and a different flux -- it's much like brazing. Another nice material for some jobs is phoscopper, which is very wet when hot, and cheaper than silver -- but it's still torch work. (Propane -- you need oxy-acetylene for these). There is also aluminum brazing rod available, but it's a bit tricky to work with -- practice first! 

That's probably all I know, excpet I love the smell of burning rosin in the morning... :laughing:


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## London Lad

Only problem with Weller guns for electronics is, as the tip is basically a winding of a mains transformer, they leak voltage very badly and can damage sensitive components.

Very versatile thing to have in the workshop though.


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## Anglepoise

Recently I was in a situation that I needed to upgrade my soldering skills
and am waiting for a Hakko 936-12 and some new 'clean flux' solder to arrive.
Up to now I have always used 60/40 multi core solder with that horrible sticky brown flux. It worked, but fellow member Georges80 has this to say on the situation



georges80 said:


> Also, please DON'T use rosin core - it leaves a disgusting residue that is hard to determine if you have a good joint. There are plenty of quality no-clean flux solders out there these days that there really is no reason to revert to the old rosin core stuff. The modern no-clean fluxes basically vaporize on soldering and leave no to little residues.
> 
> Kester and Qualitek among others have excellent solders (both RMA and no-clean) lead free and lead based to choose from.
> 
> A no-clean flux pen is useful to aid in good joints when the no-clean flux in the solder is insufficient for the job. Handy to add a little flux to stranded wires prior to soldering.
> 
> For lead based the 63/37 works better than 60/40 - especially if you are worried about a dry joint due to jiggling things while the solder is cooling. The 63/37 has a very fast phase change that makes dry joints a lot less likely.
> 
> cheers,
> george.



Now after a few PM's back and forth, he sent me a link with his suggestions that I might consider. ( Link for product description only )

http://www.hmcelectronics.com/cgi-bin/scripts/product/4800-0058/

and for another interesting prospective,

http://www.cardas.com/content.php?area=insights&content_id=13&pagestring=Solder+vs.+Crimped


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## bluepilgrim

I don't buy the spiel from Cardas -- there is misinformation there, although I would guess he sells good equipment. We had long been aware of using eutectic solder back in the sixties -- it was an old development then. In ordinary solder the melting point is also lower than either component, and that's the case with many metal alloys. As for connections, a soldered joint is a transition of copper to copper-tin-lead to tin-lead and back again at the other side. 

Here's a phase diagram for tin lead http://www.antex.co.uk/pages/paper2.htm

Here's some more info http://www.ami.ac.uk/courses/topics/0127_hjm/index.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solder (not much info here) and 
http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/phaseeqia/snpb.html 

http://www.bhavanimetals.com/Solder_Wire_Rosin_Core_Solder.htm has a table of various alloys, and also http://www.advprecision.com/pdf/Solder_Alloy_Specs.pdf 

60/40 tin/lead joints are permanent if properly done; no joint is permanent if botched. Silver, bismuth, indium and other metals have been used in solder over the years for various purposes. Metalurgy gets complicated (with solder, and with steel for knives too), but ordinary 60/40 solder will work fine for making electrical joints, with 63/37 being easier to work with -- but you have to use it properly. 

There are some problems, such as tin whiskers, which can be of concern http://www.siliconfareast.com/whiskers.htm , but I've never encountered whiskers, always having used lead in the (low temperature) solder I've used. 

Don't worry about brown flux -- it all comes off with some alcohol if you don't like it. It's never bothered me; I know if the joint is good by the way it forms when making it. It just takes a bit of practice and keeping things clean.


----------



## Linger

tell me about silver solder (a strand came with some flux I bought). It thicker then the rosin core 63/37 I picked up at radioshack. The silver is also the only thing i've succeeded in 'tinning' my tip with.

I try cleaning the tip, rubbing it on copper scrouring pad, rubbing it on wet sponge, touching it to solder, even fluxing it. I've done this cycle repeatedly and the solder always runs off. However, using the silver solder I get a patch that sticks to the iron tip, tins it like in all the video's i've watched. thing is, I haven't used the silver for joints, just tinning my tip.


----------



## gadget_lover

In general, silver solder requires much higher temperatures to melt than normal solders do. You may have silver bearing solder, which is only a few percent silver.

If the solder will not stick, you may have an iron so hot that it oxidizes before you get the chance to tin it. Does it have a temperature control?

Daniel


----------



## Linger

Yes, it is digital and temp can be set from upwards from 200 Celsius (maybe to 400?)

I've been reading the freezing temperature of solder as 183 degrees. That's a lot lower then I thought it would be.


----------



## bluepilgrim

Eutectic solder solidifies at 183 deg C -- that's 361.4 deg F. 

You might have a steel tip, which is a bit harer to solder to. I usually put some flux (like no-corrode) on a small bit scrap -- piece of tin can cover maybe -- and then rub the tip and molten solder on the flux. 

Once some silver is on there it should tin more easily -- silver seems to make the solder 'wetter'. 


(BTW just ran across a site http://www.mpja.com/ which sell all kinds of electonics stuff at good price; I don't know anything about it but it looks good to check out. They have various solders and equipment. (Also some LED things, and other fun things.)


----------



## gadget_lover

MPJA is a pretty good site. I have been buying from them for years without incident.

Daniel


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## Linger

bluepilgrim said:


> You might have a steel tip, which is a bit harer to solder to.


That totally makes sense.



bluepilgrim said:


> I usually put some flux (like no-corrode) on a small bit scrap -- piece of tin can cover maybe -- and then rub the tip and molten solder on the flux.


Thanx so much for the tip. I solder on a ceramic tile (left over from tiling bathroom) and I'd rolled the tip around in some droplets and noticed a similar effect, I just thought it was wrong so I rubbed it off on the brass wool and went back at the standard 'touch the tip to the solder' and have it drop off all over again.

Much appreciation.

Was your link to the site a subtle prod to get new tips? I'm obviously dead new to this. My first project, replacing a burnt driver-board, went perfectly, wonderful shiny little points on the contact pad. Since then, I feel like it's been down hill.


----------



## London Lad

Three points to remember:

Only damp your sponge don't have it wet as this will take too much heat from the tip and eventually ruin the tips coating making it impossible to tin.

The purpose of the iron is to heat the work to the melting point of the solder not to melt the solder.

Tips do have a limited life. If you can't tin the tip it may just be that its coating is worn out and you need a new tip.

Oh... and if you are serious about soldering electronics...get a Metcal ;-)


----------



## Linger

I had more success last night using the silver solder to tin the tip, and for a thermal bridge it was like light speed heating the wires. I read Don Shock say 5seconds is it for a joint, and here the solder was wicking up in ~2s maybe so that was great.

Question - the resulting joint isn't mirror like shine but looks bead blasted as a result of mixing the silver solder to tin / bridge and regular 63/37 applied to the joint. I'm not disturbing the work in any way while it cools (i'm aware of cold joints). Is this going to pose a problem? I don't use the silver solder for the joint as it's fairly thick.

What are some tips for using an iron tip? (or, it the tip just not to use them. PITA, as I have a set of three)

----------
re: damp sponge - thank-you. How'd you know I was doing it wrong? Much appreciation for the fix. Seriously, it's stuff like this that isn't posted anywhere else

re: heat the work - glad to see i've got one correct!

re: new tip - i've only used six inches of desoldering braid and less than one foot of solder. I've definately heated the tip too high (de-wetting, fixing with bluepilgrim's guidance) but it's not over used.

---


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## London Lad

I have not used high silver content solder but I know lead free solder cools with a dull finish. It's much harder to detect a dry joint by eye on a board assembled with lead free.


----------



## koala

SN100 cools to a shiny finish. It also melts at lower temperature compared to regular lead-free solder. That's what I use for most of my soldering job.


----------



## London Lad

Interesting..


----------



## bluepilgrim

My soldering equipment is ancient. For the gun, I replace the tip with a piece of thick copper wire, and for the pencil I used a bit of brass rod. The most important thing for easy soldering I've found is that can of flux -- I dip the hot tip in it before heating the wire/terminal and wipe it with a rag (damp seems to work a bit better) to get the gunk off, so I get good contact. For some work it's much easier to tin the tip of the wire (and terminal if it needs it -- you might wnat to put some flux on it too) before soldering the joint. Keeping things clean and oxide free seems to be the most important thing -- and then you don't that much heat because the solder melts and alloys with the work right away (you actually are making an alloy -- a chemical bond with a transition between wires and solder). 

I've played around in the past and found it is possible to soldier to aluminum by keeping it clean, covered with flux, and rubbing the soldier in; it's also possible to solder to glass (remember that there is 'lead crystal' with lead in it), but that's very tricky. 

Too much heat oxidizes things, or can damage components, but you need enough the heat the joint to melting temperature, so temerature control is important. If the temperature is too low stuff oxidizes, and the heat also has time to spread up the wires to components and plastic insulators. You also want to get 'just enough' solder to cover everything but not blob up or run. 

Sometimes you need to 'tack' things together: touch the tip, the joint, and a little bit of solder together at the same time (which puts some fresh flux from the solder core into the mix). It's not proper practice, which is to get a good mechanical joint first, as by wrapping, but sometimes it's the best you can do, like for surface mounting -- and it's not too bad for thin wires which don't create much stress. 

If you need to join two wires, one handy way it to make a tube-shaped coil for the wire ends to fit into -- they used to make them for radio repair when you replaced something like a resistor, so you could clip the old one out leaving some lead remaining to attach the new component to it.

There's no substitute for just practicing and getting a feel for it.


----------



## koala

London Lad said:


> Interesting..



Shiny wise, regular 60/40 leaded solder is still the best in appearance, SN100 shiny-ness is between leaded and unleaded solder.


----------



## London Lad

Fortunately I have more stock of 60/40 than I will ever use personaly.

At work my engineers repair rate has dropped and they directly attribute it to the difficulty on making visual inspections of dull lead free joints.


----------



## Linger

*I need more hands*

I'm still having issues with soldering.
Latest I can conclude is that my iron grows dirty since its last cleaning. I'll be working a joint and pause to rub the tip shiny (metal tip on copper ish steel wool). Then I attempt to tin it, I fail, and I go back to the joint.

I wash it on a 'lightly damp' sponge, I can use the scrubbie to get it shiny real quick, but it gets dull / dark continually after that, doesn't transfer heat as well to joints, and leaves a dark coating on the joint. 

Good news is, joints work. They're strong, and they fit the assembly plan.

/////////////

I need more hands.

Presuming i've added some flux to the appropriate parts before hand, I still need:

1)soldering iron
2)emitter
3)Teflon wire
4)solder
(and zebralight on my forhead for task-light)
For any of these I may be using a clamp or pliers but a hand holds / steadies this.
Given that, I still managed to do it, but it wasn't nearly as pretty as I am.

I've seen the videos where a person has 'helping hands' set up, assist with holding parts (like the emitter).


----------



## bluepilgrim

I don't see No-corrode listed on the web but http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2049774 looks similar -- basically rosin in vaseline. It looks a bit pricy but a can does go a long way. You could probably make some yourself, if you can find some rosin, by cautiously heating it vaseline. All it does is coat the tip and combine with the oxygen, like the rosin core in the solder but the vaseline keeps it soft.

I just dip the tip in the can and wipe before soldering. Myabe your tip is a little hot: that can cause it to oxidize quickly, but the flux works with my old thumb-burners used to heavy work (like sheet metal) too. The slower you work the more time there is for the tip to oxidize between it gets coated with fresh solder. If I know it will be a few minutes before soldering again I sometimes rest the tip on a metal heat sink, like vice jaws, so it doesn't get too hot (it doesn't take long for it to heat up again since the heating element stays hot).


----------



## London Lad

You shouldn't need all this fancy stuff for the sort of work you are doing. Just a decent iron and tip running at the right temp, some 60/40 solder rosin core solder and a slightly damp sponge.

What make of iron and tip are you using ?


----------



## gadget_lover

The procedure is supposed to be;

1) heat iron.
2) wet the tip with rosin core solder - or - wet the tip with flux then solid solder
3) wipe off EXCESS on a damp sponge.

4) Solder the joint(s).

5) Apply just a dab of fresh solder to restore the coating before setting the iron down. This keeps it from oxidizing. 

6) repeat from 3.

* The tip should almost never be free of a coat of solder. *

Before turning it off, apply a generous amount of solder to the tip. Let it solidify as it cools. This ensures that the tip is coated as it heats up in step 1.

That's what my dad taught me, and it was repeated in training at my high school and where I worked. We actually had an 8 hour training course on soldering and de-soldering, complete with a test. Those were the days!

Daniel
Daniel


----------



## Linger

re: heat clamp if it's gonna be a while -- interesting. I'd left it in the holder for way-too-long then.
Still, doesn't explain why it oxidizes so quickly while i'm using it except that heat is too high.



London Lad said:


> You shouldn't need all this fancy stuff for the sort of work you are doing. Just a decent iron and tip running at the right temp, some 60/40 solder rosin core solder and a slightly damp sponge.
> 
> What make of iron and tip are you using ?



My soldering set
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showthread.php?t=196357
plus a set of iron tips from Sears

What is the 'right temp?'


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## bluepilgrim

The right temp is enough to melt the solder in a short time -- and that depends on how much sinking the work does. Eutectic melts at 361.4 F, so you would need maybe 375 if it was just small wires and terminals, but more if the work would cool off the joint (and pencil) quickly -- so you have to make a judgement. If I solder a lead to a D cell I want more heat to make the joint quickly and get out before the thing heats up; a component lead to a small terminal can be a lot cooler. Different solder with different melting point would also come into it, of course. 

I can't tell you what temperature I soldered at because I never used anything so fancy, but you should be able to get an idea of the temp when you melt a bit on to wet it. Should take 1/4 or 1/2 second, I'd guess. Keep in mind that with a steel tip it will take a bit longer than with copper for the heat to conduct from the heating element as the tip cools down on contact. A thermostat on the pencil would take some time to catch up to the tip temperature, so it's not magic. 
It sounds like you might be too hot: try a cooler tip and work your way up. 

You gotta practice so you get the 'feel' of it; this is little like trying to explain how to walk or ride a bike -- I don't know if I could do it if I thought about it too much. 

Gadget Lover is right -- you should always have some solder on the tip to protect it. The oxidized stuff gets wiped off when you wet the tip before using it, and if you dip it in flux (or it gets some from cored solder) that de-oxidizes it too. (The rosin flux is only active when it's hot.) Alcohol on a tissue will dissolve extra flux when the joint is finished, but a little rosin on the joint doesn't hurt. Sometimes when the floor doesn't matter and the cat's away, I'll wet the tip fairly heavily and just shake it to fling the extra on the floor (or the bench if it's clear) and eventually gather it up and melt it into a small container, with some flux, for tinning wires or whatever. 

_**I love the smell of burning rosin in the morning**_


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## London Lad

The right temp is enough to quickly heat the _*work*_ to the melting point of the solder and keep it there as you apply the solder.

No disrespect but low end irons like the one you show have a lot of compromises. The tip clamp and heat transfer is far from ideal. The tips have very little capacity and are of extremely poor quality. Also because they are really just a heater 'wrapped round' a tip, they take far too long to recover when you touch them on to the work and you have to use higher temps than you would otherwise.

There are some amazing bargains on eBay at the moment for Metcal soldering stations.

The Metcal system heats the tip by a near RF frequency supply. The heater and temp control are actualy in the tip itself. This means the tip heats up from cold in seconds and more importantly recovers its correct temprature almost instantly when you touch it to the work. They do other cleaver things like go into standby if the tip sees no thermal load for more than 10 mins etc.

Metcal irons are exceptionally easy to use and streets ahead of almost any other system.

I can't recommend them highly enough for anyone who intends to do any electronics soldering especially at the prices available second hand at the moment.


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## Linger

bluepilgrim said:


> Sometimes I'll wet the tip fairly heavily and just shake it to fling the extra on the floor



That makes the difference very clear, I understand you're exaggerating but it shows I've never come close to tinning it. Tomorrow night I'll set the time aside to focus on tinning the tip. That's it.

re: low end iron's. Fair enough. I wanted something decent enough to let me see what this whole soldering thing was like as I had no idea how i'd take to it. Turns out I like it.
From your description there is a fairly large break-point with the Metcal unit. I've too much to think about now though to follow through with this at this time. Too bad there isn't a high grade thermal paste that would improve heat transfer from the wand to the replaceable tip. FYI - I'm not using the stock tip but a set from Sears (bigger head), but I guess that's like saying I have a different rotting apple.


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## gadget_lover

RE: slinging solder. It's a bad habit, but it is effective. When I was soldering many hundred joints a night we had iron holders on the ladders with dry pads to wipe the tip. It was not uncommon to see someone whack the iron against the holder to dislodge excess solder. The irons were huge pencil style 40 watt units with iron barrels. I recall them being about 11 inches long. They had a lot of thermal mass and were left on all day every day.

Even now I sometimes flick the solder on the counter.

Don't sell the low end irons short. They may not be as wonderful as the Metcal, but many of them are quite usable. Mine came from MPJA.com and holds the tip temperature fairly well. I've never had a problem soldering with it. 

Of course, I've never used a metcal, and I may be missing something. It might make the solder fly onto the wires and make perfect joints every time, but I doubt it. 


BTW, unless you are sure the tips are identical and interchangeable, you might be screwing up the temperature control by using a tip meant for another iron.

Daniel


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## London Lad

Hi Guys, Everyone to their own and I know price is important but Metcal are magic!

As to price, in the UK on eBay I am starting to see good condition ST-200 Metcal set ups at £70 which is incredible when you think the sort of iron the OP is using sells here for about £35. The comparison is like a cheap Chinese light -V- top of the range Surefire.

I guess Metcal is cheaper in the USA as that's where they come from.

I know I keep on but if you can try one, you will not regret it. Pitty you are overseas otherwise I would ship you one to have a go with.

Good luck with your soldering anyway!

PS I still flick but I don't tap !


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## Linger

(Planning on getting a tenant in the basement, I had to build a closet and cut out a new door under the stairs and that kept me away from my practice here.)


bluepilgrim said:


> put some flux (like no-corrode) on a small bit scrap -- piece of tin can cover maybe -- and then rub the tip and molten solder on the flux.



Excellent, and highly successful.
This afternoon after I got off work my I had some time. I cleaned up my table and set out a few components (a star to solder leads on, an emitter to mount on a star and add leads, etc), sanded the parts down, cleaned them off, added some flux...
and then I spent ~10 minutes rolling solder around on the tile (I use a ceramic tile to protect my table). Great success, the tip eventually grew shinier and shinier. I'd roll the solder in flux, roll the solder w the tip, scrub the tip, repeat, and the shiny spots grew larger. When I had what I presume is a bit of tinning (tip was silver and mirror like in a spot) and some tinned spots all around, I moved my work pieces forward and set to them.
Fantastic, the solder wicked up the wires and spread across the contacts on the boards, just like in the vidoes. I re-heated two joints as I wasn't happy with how the wire was sitting noting advice posted above that, while technically incorrect, it is sometimes necessary to create a mechanical joint and then hit it again.

Things went very well, I'm suprised how much easier it was today. The joints aren't perfect, but they are as good as components I have purchased


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## bluepilgrim

I'm happy to hear you are finding success. 

I think an advantage of using a piece of tin can for tinning the tip is better abrasive-like action instead of rolling it: it has a cleaning action. 

BTW -- I've used pieces of heavy copper wire, such as #10 or #12 for house current, to fashion an ersatz third hand, with one end weighted down or clamped and the other clipped orotherwise attached to the wire or piece to hold - then it won't move and give a cold solder joint. The heavy wire can be bent and shaped as you want it. 
Yuo can use a similar set up to position the heavy wire as a heat sink for protecting components, or to limit how far up a braided wire will wick (where it could break is it gets repeatedly moved, or melt off some insulation) -- especially if there is a bit too much solder used. Solder tends to flow towards where the heat is.


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## Linger

re: whack the iron against the holder to dislodge excess solder
I don't follow. Solder builds up, but isn't liquid even though it's on the tip, must mean a lot of cooling.

Daniel, thanx for the caution re: interchangable tips. I'm sure this part set was listed as compatible b/c I know the idea came from somewhere.



bluepilgrim said:


> or to limit how far up a braided wire will wick (where it could break is it gets repeatedly moved, or melt off some insulation)



Noted, good point.:thumbsup:
I bought some teflon wire, it's very compliant. I didn't need that other hand tonight.
I'm thinking of taking your heavy guage wire idea and adding a set of alligator clips.


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## bluepilgrim

You should be able to knock off some solder if semi-liquid, but dipping in the flux can will let it liquify again -- it's the oxides which stiffen it up. Sometimes, though, there is enough liquified solder under the surface that the oxididized part can be flung away (maybe gently knock -- don't want to damage the pencil -- against the edge of a can and catch it there for other uses -- I'm not sure what the proportions of the alloy would be but it's probably no longer eutectic. You could tin use it for tinning).


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## gadget_lover

When you put the iron back on it's stand, you must first put a coat of solder on it. If the tip is not covered with solder the exposed surface oxidizes. I melt enough on there that it forms a bulge.

To get rid of that blob of solder... a quick addition of a touch more solder adds flux to weaken the surface tension, then either gently wipe on a damp (not wet) sponge or paper towel. If the sponge is not handy, a tap will dislodge the excess.

You do not want to scrape the tip. You do not want to clean all the solder off. You just want to get it down to a light coat so that when you add solder to the joint it does not drip off the iron and flood the joint. You must have enough solder on the tip to make good contact with the part you are heating. A dry iron does not conduct heat well.

As I said before, immediately after wiping the tip you add a touch of solder to it. Then you touch the iron to the joint. Then you touch the solder to the joint.

If you are having to rub the tip around on something to tin it, then you have either scraped off the tip's cladding (leaving a surface to which solder does not easily adhere) or you have got something wierd on the tip (oils?? plastics???) or you are too hot or using the wrong solder.

You do NOT want to use old, contaminated solder drippings for tinning.

Good luck,

Daniel


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## Linger

gadget_lover said:


> are too hot


That was it. I wouldn't admit to it except that it's dead obvious from my posts: my tip was way to hot when I entered this thread. (The first thing I ever did was de-solder, so I didn't focus much at all on my tip but rather the component and the desoldering braid. The dry tip didn't conduct heat very well so I slowly worked my way up in tempurature until I found a setting that did begin to de-solder the parts.)


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## TexLite

Hi Linger, glad to hear your becoming successful.

Keep at it and you'll be proficient in no time.

Its sounds like you've got everything going your way now, Daniel and bluepilgrim have given some great advice. The only tip I could add is one that you've already figured out, more is not always better. Thats an 80W station, and using too much heat will cause the tips to oxidize very quickly, among other things. 

You know you have the right temp when it takes just a moment to heat the joint to a high enough temp for the solder to flow. This will vary with components, wires, traces, etc., but you will soon get a feel for whats right. The digital temp readout will be a great help in this area.



A word or two about some of the other comments:

Its all too easy sometimes to judge something without actually being familiar with that product. I did the same thing with the previously mentioned soldering station.

I got a good deal on one so I figured I had little to lose if it was a flop. After spending some time with it, I was actually quite pleasantly surprised. Its a seemingly well made station and holds the set temperature very well, to within a few degrees. Its not top of the line, but it works very well. I don't think a name brand station would have any effect on the learning process being discussed here.

Also, the replacement tips are the same as the original in every respect except for the ends, the replacements being standard, fine and chisel. 

-Michael


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## London Lad

Hi Michael,

I have to say that I strongly disagree with you if you last para was referencing Metcal but hey we are all different and entitled to our opinions


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## Linger

TexLite said:


> Thats an 80W station, and using too much heat will cause the tips to oxidize very quickly, among other things.



TexLite, good to hear from you!
Thank-you.
I am happy with the station you sent me. It seems the major problem was user error. I've been playing around with configurations for a bicycle helmet light and getting better each time I pick up the soldering iron.

Let me say, I've bumped the tempurature down (reduced by ~ 160 degrees celcius!) to almost miniumum. Last night I worked with a setting of 220c (200c is minimum on temp) and I had a beautifully tinned tip. Took the iron out of the holder, wiped it on the sponge, touched it to some flux, touched it to solder, and for the first time ever, _the solder wicked along the tip _and it glowed with the light of truth while angels sung in the background. Almost anyway.
Seriously, the soldering station is working out very well for me, attributable %90 to the sage wisdom of the contributors here. I am glad we talked me into the radio shack digital soldering station.

Best,
Linger


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## London Lad

That's all great except you will soon ruin the tip if you keep dipping it in flux and you can't solder much if anything at 200C !


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## gadget_lover

He set it to 220C, which is just about right for many uses.

From http://indium.com/documents/applicationnotes/97773.pdf


> As a rule of thumb, the soldering temperature
> should be 30°C to 50°C higher than the liquidus
> temperature of the alloy. This insures that
> there is enough heat energy available to form
> a good metallurgical bond between the solder
> and substrate. With lower temperature solders,




and



> The most common solder is tin/lead-based. The
> eutectic version, Sn63/Pb37 has a melting point
> of 183°C, the Sn60/Pb40 variation has a melting
> range of 183-188°C (183°C is the solidus, 188°C
> is the liquidus). Higher lead versions of this alloy
> system have higher melting ranges. Often, 2%
> silver is added to the 63/37 to strengthen the alloy
> somewhat or to prevent excessive silver dissolution
> from silver plated circuitry. This alloy, Sn62/Pb36/
> Ag2 has a melting range of 179°C - 188°C.



I have a chart that I pasted to the top of my soldering station. It has hints for the right temperature for soldering and de-soldering, as well as the slightly higher temps you might use if doing production as opposed to one joint every 10 to 15 seconds.

Daniel


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## bluepilgrim

You need a solder-man. You get yourself a box of paper clips and some thin wire, and some needle nose pliers. You bend it into the shape of a man, something like http://www.kimhunter.ca/images/wire_sculpture_man_thumb.jpg and solder it up. By the time you've finished you have enough practice that it's no big deal to solder, and you can set your wire sculpture on the workbench to bring you good luck. It really is 90% practice.


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## gadget_lover

I forgot to post the little chart that I cribbed off the web somewhere. I usually run a bit cooler than indicated, but not much. The higher temperatures for production work account for the iron losing a little heat as you do 30 or 40 joints in a row.



Code:


60/40 solder

Melting point           419F       215C
Normal operations       518-572F   270-300C
Production line ops     608-716F   320-380C
Desoldering small joint 599F       315C
Desoldering large joint 752F       400C


Daniel


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## London Lad

You are supposed to be aiming to heat the *work* to the melting point of the solder, not melt the solder with the iron.

For general use a tip temp of 600F will heat the *work* sufficiently to melt 60/40 promptly.

Numerous soldering problems can be attributed to an iron that isn't hot enough for the job or melting the solder with the iron rather than melting the solder on the work.


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## bluepilgrim

You melt a little solder on the tip of the pencil so that the heat transfers well and touch it to the joint, then heat the joint where you want to solder to flow to, and touch the solder to it there. Just heating the solder gives you the dreaded "cold solder joint' -- as does moving the wire on the joint before the solder hardens. 

I rarely used anything fancy like a temperature controlled pencil -- sometimes in a pinch I even heated up a nail or something in a flame to use as an iron -- but if you get the right heat in the right place, and it's clean, then it works. I can't tell you what the temperature is because I go by how the solder melts -- how long it takes and if it oxidizes too fast. 

In plumbing, when sweating a joint, you also heat the joint in the middle where you want to solder to flow. Doing stained glass or tin pot work is similar. 

Once you get the feel of how the metal moves and reacts it's almost 'second nature' -- like making an omelet or fired eggs -- not too hot and not to cold. Just practice, and one learns how (but don't practice on expensive components.) I don't think it's that complicated -- just have to learn the skill by doing it.


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## gadget_lover

As noted earlier in this thread, the temperature changes with the solder mix, the iron type and the size of the thing you are soldering. I was taught to use just enough heat to get the junction up to melting temperature in 2 to 3 seconds. 

An uncontrolled iron is often a big heat sink ( the barrel ) whose temperature is regulated by 1) how much heat the element can produce and 2) how much heat is radiated and conducted away from the barrel. It's amazing how stable the heat output is when the barrel is 1 pound of iron and the part you are soldering is just a 20 gauge wire to a 10 gauge post. Of course, that iron may take 30 minutes to heat up 

Too much heat can have interesting results. It can cause the solder to oxidize so it does not conduct heat well. it can burn traces right off the circuit board. It can melt components. It can melt insulation. 

My favorite 'too hot iron story' was working on a board with bumpy silver colored traces. I had to replace a component. It turned out the traces were solder. As I touched my iron to it the component leads the traces melted back, away from my iron. I tried bridging the gap with a dab of solder and it was like the traces were running away from me! I was finally successful when I lowered the iron temperature to just above melting and added a strand of wire to bridge the gaps. The iron was only applied to the strand of wire.

Daniel


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## London Lad

............Metcal............


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## mknewman

Great thread. I'm a software guy but have done some soldering over the years (built my first computer, ham radio stuff, etc) but I've never really been comfortable doing it. I see a lot of stuff now about solder paste and surface mount stuff being done by hobbyists, could someone give a primer for that? I did find this but it's pretty primitive http://www.seattlerobotics.org/encoder/200006/oven_art.htm

Marc


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## IcantC

*Help me solder*

So I want to start soldering and learn to do some custom work, any links to help me learn? Especially soldering LEDs and led stars.

Thanks


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## Borad

*Re: Help me solder*



IcantC said:


> So I want to start soldering and learn to do some custom work, any links to help me learn? Especially soldering LEDs and led stars.
> 
> Thanks


 
Use flux, and for health reasons use lead-free solder. I put just a little flux where the two parts to be soldered touch, and I hold the tip of the soldering iron against one of the parts, close to where the parts touch but I don't let the tip of the iron touch the flux. Then I hold a piece of solder with pliers, hold the solder against the flux and both parts, and usually it melts within a few seconds. I also have a little tin of stuff that cleans and coats the soldering iron tip (I think that's called "tinning"), which I think helps transfer heat to the part that the soldering iron is touching.

Watch this Youtube video. The only thing missing in that video is how to tin the soldering iron tip, but I think you just rub it in the tinning compound when the iron's hot and you're done. I wipe the tip with a paper towel after tinning to get some of the dirt off.


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## DonShock

*Re: Help me solder*

You might want to check out this thread on soldering from a few years ago. It's got a lot of discussion on equipment and techniques.


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## qwertyydude

*Re: Help me solder*

Actually if you use lead free solder it'll make learning how to solder much more difficult. I suggest getting high quality 63/37 solder. Lead free solder melts at a higher temperature so you're much more likely to overheat components and without a proper temperature controlled soldering iron lead free solders tend to oxidize the iron's tip more and also dealloy when overheated. Lead based solders are much easier for beginners to work with.


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## AVR Mark

*Re: Help me solder*

When I was in the Navy, I was sent to a two week long school to learn how to solder. Here are a few pointers: Never use Acid Core Solder on electronic equipment. Use a temperature controlled iron. 63/37 solder (which is mil spec) melts at 740 degrees f. Make sure that the iron has a grounded tip, because static electricity will destroy many types of semiconductor devices. Always use Iron Clad tips and never use bare copper tips. When a copper tip is used, the copper in the tip erodes into the joint that you are soldering and can cause it to be less reliable. When soldering, never make joints that look like a ball (convex surface) Always make your joints have the minimum possible solder to properly do the job. (concave surface) If a component needs to have its leads cut off after soldering, cut the leads with flush cut pliers and then reflow the solder so the cut surfaces are covered with solder. Never use a file on a soldering iron tip. Clean the tip with a wet sponge or a wet paper towel. As soon as a black film forms on your iron tip, it is time to clean it again. After cleaning the tip, add a little solder to it (tinning) to aid in heat transfer. I have had soldering iron tips last over ten years in regular use. Your solder joints should be really shiny. If they are dull looking, something is wrong. (probably a "Cold Solder Joint") To minimize the inhalation of fumes, use a fan to move the smoke from the flux away from you. If you are using a quality brand of solder such as Ersin Multicore (recently I heard that Ersin was bought by Kester) you should not really need additional flux. More generic solder (60/40) has a Plastic State between Liquid and Solid. 63/37 solder has no Plastic state. If what you are soldering is moved while it is cooling (In the Plastic State) it can fracture causing a cold solder joint. Never melt the solder with your iron onto a joint. Instead, heat the joint with the iron and add the solder to the joint where it will melt. I prefer to use a desolder braid made by Chemtronics called Chemwick Lite. (the name has changed a couple of times that I can remember.) The Chemtronics product just seems to work better for me and I have tried most every brand you could ever find. Soldering is as much an art as a science. If you have any questions, I'll try to answer them for you.

Mark


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## qwertyydude

*Re: Help me solder*

I also went to ETMS school in the navy. You forgot the most important lesson, make sure the surfaces you're soldering are clean, clean, clean. Use alcohol to remove oils and scuff up the surface if possible. And it's not the least possible amount of solder to do the job, it's the proper amount, if soldering multi-strand wire you should have enough to coat the wires but still see the individual strands, and the convex joint should not go under the perpendicular tangent the wire creates with the flat surface.


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## DM51

*Re: Help me solder*

I'm merging this with the thread linked by DonShock.


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## Steve K

*Re: Help me solder*

a question for those with relevant experience... 

I'm used to soldering SMD parts like 0804 components or SOIC IC's... not a problem. Now I'm wondering about building up something with a LT3474 buck converter. Nice little converter. The plan is to use 4 AA's to drive a 3W white led. My concern is that the LT3474 package is a TSSOP, which is a good deal smaller than SOIC. The lead pitch is 0.65mm, vs. 1.27mm for SOIC. Is this something that can be hand soldered, or is this going to require reflowing and the use of solder paste??

And wandering further off topic.. can I etch my own board with TSSOP pads using the toner transfer method? Or is this beyond the capabilities of this admittedly semi-crude technology?

thanks,
Steve K.


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## koala

*Re: Help me solder*

I've done many of these 0.65 pitch, can be soldered with drag technique then wick up the excess solder but I am not comfortable with the method because wicking process can heatup the whole chip rapidly and melt solder on all the pins. This is will throw component off the pad. If you are soldering pin by pin, I suggest, very sharp pointed tip, ie 0.2mm tip. Your lead width will be about 0.15-0.30mm, use smallest gauge solder you can find. 0.275mm fluxed core wire is the smallest I have. Easier method is to use solder paste. First dispense the paste on the pads then solder by hand. Solder paste has a use before date. If you are comfortable with 0402, 0603 components then you can do TSSOP no sweat. 0805 is still little too big.

I use photo-resist for larger board and toner transfer method for smaller boards. Photo-resist method is very reliable. I have never actually measured the absolute minimum but it is possible to make TSSOP pads with toner transfer. I wouldn't call it pads though... it's more like tracks.

Check this out, making PCB with TT method, this guy has got some research done
http://www.artemlive.com/cgi-bin/news?c=v&id=751


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## Steve K

*Re: Help me solder*

hmm... I've tried 0402, but the things would pop out of my tweezers and I'd never see them again. Very frustrating. I've done some 0603 with modest success. It might be worth trying to make some TSSOP pads with the toner transfer stuff and see how it comes out. I don't have a local source for solder paste, so I'd probably try tinning the pad/traces and just reflowing the leads with the soldering iron. Maybe I should get some cheap logic chips in TSSOP to practice on??

Which photo-resist method do you use? Any chance that the equipment required to use it is small?? I do find it a bit frustrating that technology has advanced to the point where this stuff is so difficult for the hobbyist to participate. Heck, it's hard enough to do it at work when I'm making circuit mods!

thanks,
Steve K.


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## pmath

*Re: I'd like to solder*

This thread has been really useful. Amazing how you forget little things which keep you on the ball. 

I second the use of a variable temp iron. I think it was one of the biggest contributors to improving my soldering performance. 

I'd really like a lead on teflon insulated wire if anyone can recommend a supplier or specification.

Peter


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## koala

*Re: I'd like to solder*

If you are after high temperature wire, silicon will work too.

Teflon wire + small 0.5W resistors *Part 2*
FS: 26 Gauge Silicone wire

This is good one as well
ebay http://johnswireshop.com/


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