# What do I need for a decent soldering station?



## Mags (Jan 1, 2005)

Hi everyone, I recently realized how important it is to have a soldering station around my house somewhere. I dont know whether my parents will allow it as it is easy for a young boy to burn down the house /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif. But I want to know what I need to have anyway. I know that I need a soldering iron, some tin solder, epoxy, and a de-solderer. Where can I possibly get these and what else do I need?

Edit: Most importantly, where can I get these for a cheap price?


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## KevinL (Jan 2, 2005)

I assume you don't have enough money to drop on a precision temperature-controlled soldering rig, and frankly, neither do I - much as I would love a Hakko station and a Fluke DMM (and the Fluke DSP-4000 Cat6/fiber certification kit for work), money is always a problem. First of all, I'm not that great at soldering. I can get the job done, short of SMT work. If you are soldering SMT resistors half the size of a grain of rice, that is going to be fairly tricky. I don't do that.

I have built many a sandwich from scratch (all those that went into the MicroMagMadMax+ (MMMM+) were hand-rolled from emitters and converter boards), a number of Mag mods, and other things on nothing but a cheap $8 25 watt made in Japan soldering iron. Buy a $5 stand for convenience, or park it on top of a roll of duct tape like I did for the longest time till I got the stand. The stands usually come with a $0.50 sponge, get a few extra sponges and wet them before you start so you have something to wipe the tip of the iron on. A $2 roll of 60/40 rosin-cored solder (buy the thinnest you can get) seems to be limitless. After many months and hundreds of connections, I think I'll need to replace the soldering iron, but I'm only out $8. For the mileage I've gotten, it's not too bad. 

You're out $15 at the end of the day. 

Above all, *NEVER* leave the soldering iron plugged in unattended. Wash your hands after soldering because you don't want to eat lead. Lead makes ya st00pid, ya hear? (I'd rather kill brain cells another way, but I won't go there) Visit your local Radio Shack for the equipment. 

Epoxy can be had virtually anywhere, I use Loctite 5-minute two-part epoxy (the MMMM+ were all potted in Loctite and aluminium oxide). Squeeze equal parts into a soda bottle cap, stir very well with a toothpick. I also find super glue (cyanoacrylate based) very useful for certain applications because it is thinner, flows better, and gets into small cracks better.

PS: Get a $10 DMM (they even tell me you can get 'em as cheap as $3 from Harbor Freight, just that they don't ship to me), and learn how to use it. I can't live without my DMM, even though is just a $10 model. I wonder about the Fluke 87 Series V sometimes..... ($125 in my area)


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## rwolff (Jan 2, 2005)

Not all solders are considered equal. The standard for electronic soldering (what you'll be doing) is 60/40 rosin core. That's 60% tin/40% lead, and "rosin core" means that the solder is hollow, with the space filled with rosin flux. For comparison purposes, plumbing solder is solid (used to be 50/50, now it's a weird lead-free alloy), and uses a separate (acid) flux. *Never* use acid fluxes (or acid-core solder) for electronic work - unless it's *fully* cleaned off, it'll corrode your connections over time.

There are some variations in rosin core solder - one brand of solder has 5 small cores rather than a single large one, and there are "water washable" and "no clean" (meaning no need to clean it off after soldering - not that you don't need to make sure your workpieces are clean before soldering), but generally any 60/40 rosin core solder will work for you, and at low temperatures (relative to soldering heat - i.e. any temperature where the LED junction will be happy) the flux is inert, so you don't need to worry about cleaning it off.

Solder comes in various diameters. Generally, the thin stuff costs more per pound, but in the quantities you'll be using it won't make much of a difference. If the solder you're using is thinner than what you really need, you'll just use more length, but if it's thicker than what you need you'll run into problems of putting too much solder on the joint - .030" is a good diameter. If you buy it in small quantities (generally when the package gives the quantity in feet), it will probably be in a tube with a hole at the end. Buying in larger quantities (1/4 pound packages qualify as "larger"), it'll be wound on a spool like wire. For convenience, I'd say start with the tube package. For economy, your next purchase should be a spool - but don't throw away the empty tube. Wrap the solder around the tube to make a tight single-layer coil about 2/3 of the tube length. Next, slip it off the tube, and tighten the coil so that it will fit inside. Remove the cap, slip the coil inside, and put the cap back on with the end of the solder coming through - it's a lot easier to handle the tube than it is to handle the "loose" solder.

When you say "soldering station", I assume you mean "soldering iron and stand" - a soldering station is a $$$ piece of equipment with temperature control.

Equipment I'd suggest:
- Soldering iron, 25-30 watts. Weller makes a good one, but so do other companies.
- A couple of spare tips. For small stuff, a cone tip is best. For slightly bigger stuff, you might want to use a chisel tip.
- Anti-sieze compound (put a bit on the threads of the tip - or on the threads of the element if your iron has a female thread on the tip). Failure to use this (or follow the poor man's workaround - unscrew the tip after the iron cools down, and put it back in before using it the next time) will make the threads seize, and you'll ruin the iron when you try to change tips.
- Sponge for cleaning the tip. Make sure it's one that won't melt (i.e. cellulose, not plastic), and keep it moist. Too wet is better than too dry.
- Stand for the iron. Your iron will probably come with a cheap sheet-metal stand - those are no good (too easy for the iron to roll off, and the hot barrel and tip are exposed). A good stand has a metal coil (looks almost like a spring) with loops to hold the iron centred - if you use one of these, your iron won't roll off, and you'll avoid accidental contact with anything hot enough to burn you. The base of one of these stands usually has a removable tray and sponge.
- Desoldering equipment. The cheap kind is a bulb, but it recoils slowly enough that it sometimes doesn't suck in the solder, and the tip tends to get clogged. Better ones have a spring plunger - you push it in, and press a trigger button when you want suction (all in one shot, and it's virtually instantaneous). For stubborn stuff, you'll also want some desoldering braid (braided, fluxed copper wire - the solder soaks into it, and you cut off the "loaded" part).
- Safety goggles. There may be bits of solder flying around, bits of component leads, and all sorts of other nastites. You only get one pair of eyes.
- Needlenose pliers (for holding/bending component leads). 6" is a good size.
- Diagonal cutting pliers. Either 4" or 6" is good here.
- Heat sinks (for soldering temperature-sensitive components). These clip onto the component lead between the body and the place you'll be soldering. Aligator clips make a good substitute.
- Steel wool or fine sandpaper (for heavy-duty tip cleaning).

Soldering 101:
Put the iron into the holder, and plug it in. When it reaches operating temperature (solder will melt when you touch it to the tip), tin the tip (apply a coating of solder to the tip, and wipe off the excess against the sponge). If the solder won't stick uniformly (i.e. you have areas without a shiny coating), you'll need to get rid of the oxide (what's making the solder not stick). Using your abrasive (steel wool or sandpaper), take the tip down to bare metal (many tips are iron plated, but the tip itself is copper). *Immediately* (before the oxide layer has a chance to re-form) tin the tip again.

You need a good mechanical connection before soldering (so the parts don't move when touched). Touch the iron to both pieces (generally it's a component lead and a pad on a circuit board), and touch the solder to both pieces as well, but *don't touch the solder to the iron*. The solder will melt and flow into the joint when the surfaces get hot enough (if you touch the solder to the iron, it'll melt and flow onto the joint, but if the surfaces aren't hot enough it won't bond - you can get a joint that looks good but doesn't make good electrical connection). When you have a good solder fillet (the solder has "wetted" both pieces, and forms a smooth join), pull away the solder and then the iron. The fillet should have a concave surface (if it's convex, you've either used too much solder, or one piece wasn't "wetted"). Clean the tip of the iron against the sponge, and put it back in the holder.

When you finish a session, unplug the iron, let it cool down before handling, and *wash your hands* before eating/drinking/picking your nose/chewing your fingernails/etc. Remember, you're dealing with lead.

Where to get the stuff? Rat Shack is one source, but lately they've gone more for consumer electronics - also, they're a bit on the pricey side. Future/Active is another chain that's more into components. There should also be a few independent places - look in the yellow pages under "Electronic Equipment & Supplies - Retail" and "Surplus & Salvage Merchandise".


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## PEU (Jan 2, 2005)

And there is 63-37 alloy (istead of the regular 60-40) wich is eutectic, meaning that it goes from liquid to solid without a plastic period in-between, its mostly used in soldering machines. 

The main advantage with 63-37 is that you don't get "cold" solders.


Pablo


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## knifebright (Jan 2, 2005)

What do you all think about lead free, silver electronics solder?? my ventillation in my garage sucks so i've been using that lately with good results
jimmy


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## Mags (Jan 2, 2005)

I was about to ask the same question as Knifebright. On quickbeam's website, he says to use Lead free solder. Also, what do you mean by a bulb?


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## koala (Jan 3, 2005)

Read what the people said above, I believe they are valuable hard earned knowledge from experience.

I have tried many types of solder. I just love 60/40 best despite it's leaded. 60/40 solder work very well with iron tips. Other types of solder makes my iron tip corrode and 'blacken' fast. Doesn't help even after wiping with wet sponge.

The fumes from soldering is not what really kills(ok still harmful) but it's the lead residue that's on your hands. Never eat and solder at the same time. Wash your hands well or lead will bite you back. As always work in a ventilated area.


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## rwolff (Jan 3, 2005)

[ QUOTE ]

Also, what do you mean by a bulb?


[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly what it sounds like. Mine is a red (synthetic) rubber bulb (roughly the size of an appliance light bulb) with a removable Teflon tip. You squeeze it, apply the iron to the joint you want to desolder and stick the nose of the bulb as close as possible to the solder pool, then release (kinda tough to hang on well enough to keep it in position but release the pressure to let it "rebound" to its original shape).

It generally takes about half a second to rebound (vs. virtually instantaneous for one of the spring loaded type) - usually long enough for the solder to start solidifying in the tip (time to get out the heavy straight pin to clear the jam). The spring loaded ones have a cleaning rod that gets rid of "klingons" every time you set the plunger for another "slurp". IMNSHO, the bulb isn't worth it (IIRC, it was around $5 at Rat Shack, my spring-loaded slurper was around $10 at Sayal - a local independent place).

BTW, there's some duplication between my "Soldering 101" and the first response - that's because I was responding to a "naked" post, but by the time I hit the button someone who can type faster than I can had already answered.


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## gadget_lover (Jan 3, 2005)

The only thing Rwolff left out was that the red bulb is a desoldering tool, meant to remove the solder from a joint to make it easier to remove a part. They come in large pencil shaped devices as well as bulbs.

I call mine a solder sucker, because that's what it does.

Daniel


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## rwolff (Jan 4, 2005)

Actually, that was in my first post

[ QUOTE ]

- Desoldering equipment. The cheap kind is a bulb, but it recoils slowly enough that it sometimes doesn't suck in the solder, and the tip tends to get clogged. Better ones have a spring plunger - you push it in, and press a trigger button when you want suction


[/ QUOTE ]

He wanted a bit of clarification as to how a bulb would help in desoldering (note to self: in a flashlight discussion group, referring to something as a "bulb" without giving further explanation can lead to wrong assumptions).


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## adamlau (Jan 11, 2008)

Time to start building my own lamp modules, but need recommendations regarding tools and materials. I have been recommended EDSYN and Hakko for soldering/desoldering. What about solder brands? Multicore? Flux? I am looking for the best of the best to build assemblies with. And what about using a 95mW, or 125mW green laser with a burning lens? That may lend itself to greater precision and accuracy...


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## koala (Jan 12, 2008)

I don't know easily available are Hakko replacement parts in your area but Hakko has been around since 1953 where others has been consumed by other companies. Hakko leads the soldering industry with new products and patents. Try looking for a clone, it's quite common.

I would recommend the 936 or 937. It is less complicated and the replacement parts are cheaper. Buying a better unit won't increase your productivity. So go get the REAL Hakko, it's less than $80, don't buy fake tips, the inside will corrode and bits of crap rust will start flaking.

The 936 clones work surprisingly well, I have two different clones at work, they seems to come from the same factory. The wire is not as soft/flexible as the original and it takes longer to warm up. The temperature sensing is also less sensitive. The clone ceramic heater works fine for normal 60/40 soldering but nearly impossible to properly 'flow' lead free 99.3/0.7. Upgrading to original Hakko ceramic heater fixes it. The problem occurs when using thin sharp ended tips poor for heat transfer. Having said that, the price difference of clones vs real Hakko isn't a lot so why buy fake?

If you want a simple iron without the station, have a look at http://www.antex.co.uk/ they are based in UK and 60yrs old! You can't go wrong with experience. I like the standard iron I use at work for changing motherboard capacitors. It is temperature controlled so it won't heat up crazy like a hot chick. It's high quality at cheap price. If you wish to buy one, source one locally so it is 120V otherwise buy the 12v that can run off SLA battery which is quite handy when there is no mains available.

Brands such as Metcal and Weller has been consumed by other companies. The fate of such companies are hard to tell although Metcal seems to be doing fine. Weller is very good as long as you avoid the entry level(rebranded stuff) and Metcal is good if you want something 'crazy'.

Confession, reading the recommendation you may already know that I am a Hakko fan.

If you can't find datasheet for Solder then avoid it, it's probably not very pure. Avoid acid flux. Rosin is fine it is non-corrosive. If it's water washable flux I recommend that it is wash with warm water when done. If it's no clean flux or non corrosive, it's safe to do nothing to it. High activity solder/flux are normally corrosive, and need to be cleaned. Solder usually has a flux core, so you won't need additional flux.


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## acourvil (Jan 12, 2008)

If you do have temp controlled station, what is the optimum temp for "normal" work (i.e., making connections to emitters, putting light engines togteher, etc.? I've been using 450-500 most of the time, along with regular 60-40 solder wire.


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## koala (Jan 12, 2008)

Hello acourvil,

The tip temperature matters most not the soldering station readout. If you have calibrated the display then that's the tip temperature otherwise it isn't very accurate. You don't have to calibrate your station, as long as the solder melts you are fine.

I recommend, starting at very low temp, increasing the temp until the solder starts to flow. Note the melting temperature, that's the minimum temperature. Increase temperature as needed to make melting easier but not too much that the flux starts to pop and splatter. Work at lowest temperature possible to prolong tip life.

If you are trying to solder emitters to a heatsink, then you probably need to increase the temperature a lot.


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## LukeA (Jan 12, 2008)

PEU said:


> And there is 63-37 alloy (istead of the regular 60-40) wich is eutectic, meaning that it goes from liquid to solid without a plastic period in-between, its mostly used in soldering machines.
> 
> The main advantage with 63-37 is that you don't get "cold" solders.
> 
> ...



I very much prefer eutectic solder, and would recommend it to beginning solderers. Eutectic solder makes it okay to accidentally shift the wire when the solder is hot because it won't ruin the joint, and you never end up with those crystalized matte finish cold joints.

I got mine at Radioshack.


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## louie (Jan 12, 2008)

Mags, a lot of us were soldering (like Heathkits) a lot younger than you! In addition to the previous advice, I'll offer some more thoughts-

-Your starter soldering iron should have interchangeable tips with sizes you need, ESD safe (electrostatic discharge), a stand with a sponge, temperature controlled. It need not cost a fortune, maybe $50-100 for a house brand. The temperature control need not be an elaborate, digital readout. Some basic units change temperature by changing the tip. The most common temperature for electronic soldering is 700F, with +/- 50F common. Electronic solder melts around 450F, but unless you need to do MIL spec work, about 700F is fine. Part of soldering is figuring out how to heat your joint quickly, apply the solder, have it flow and cool perfectly, and not cause any damage. The exact temperature is less important. Wattage generally tells how fast it will heat up and how big a workpiece you can solder. If you have a huge copper disc, a low wattage iron will have trouble getting it up to temperature for a good solder joint, but it will work fine on a resistor or wire on a circuit board.

-For electronic work, use only rosin core flux electronic solder, not acid core meant for plumbing. The traditional standard for electronics is 60/40 tin/lead, with eutectic 63/37 harder to find, but it melts at a bit lower temp and many like it. Lead free solder is becoming a requirement in commercial electronics, but not without controversy. The lead is bad for health, but the lead free has different technical needs like higher heat, and it forms whiskers as it sits. Apparently military/aerospace is exempt from lead free for the time being because of reliability problems. Leaded and lead free apparently don't mix real well. You may also see electronic solder with a small bit of silver in it. The big names in solder are Kester and Ersin Multicore. The flux is inside the solder. Note that solder comes in different "wire sizes" and I like to have a couple on hand. It's usually sold in 1 pound spools in the USA.

-Start doing your soldering on a throwaway surface like some old Formica table top.

-Get a cheap small fan of some sort to suck the burning flux smoke away from you. Always wash your hands to remove lead residue and never eat etc. after handling solder.

-The cheapest way to remove solder from a joint is solder wick, which is copper braid with rosin. You place it over the cold joint and heat it with the iron and the solder melts and wicks up into the braid. It's only semi effective. Sucker bulbs can work, as well as spring loaded plunger suckers. The pro method is an expensive electric vacuum solder sucker.


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## acourvil (Jan 12, 2008)

koala said:


> I recommend, starting at very low temp, increasing the temp until the solder starts to flow. Note the melting temperature, that's the minimum temperature. Increase temperature as needed to make melting easier but not too much that the flux starts to pop and splatter. Work at lowest temperature possible to prolong tip life.



Yes, that's pretty much how I got the 450-500 range I've been using.


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## Nitroz (Jan 12, 2008)

Mags, PM sent.


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## adamlau (Jan 13, 2008)

Great info, guys. Are there certain, preferred solders with greater conductivity (while remaining non-corrosive)? And what of environment-friendly solders? What are some of your preferred brands and what brand would you recommend that I use for my intended purpose?


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## KC2IXE (Jan 14, 2008)

louie said:


> ...snip...
> -The cheapest way to remove solder from a joint is solder wick, which is copper braid with rosin. You place it over the cold joint and heat it with the iron and the solder melts and wicks up into the braid. It's only semi effective. Sucker bulbs can work, as well as spring loaded plunger suckers. The pro method is an expensive electric vacuum solder sucker.



I'll agree with ALMOST everything about de-soldering here, except that sometimes even the pros have to break out the solder wick - sometimes the sucker won't do the job right

I always found the sucker bulbs to be useless, the spring loaded ones work fairly well, but I'll tell you a secret about them - you'll find ones that look fancy - aluminum body, etc, and have a shielded plunger, that means you have to push down the plunger with your thumb - sort of like

http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?item=50B-410

I have one - BUT they are NOT as easy to use as the ones like these

http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/item/SSR-1/570/SOLDER_SUCKER_.html

(No recomendation on brand/model here - just style)

The main reason?

With the later type, you just turn your hand over, and push the plunger down on your desk, under the desk, or against your leg - just easier and faster to do - they also tend to be larger (or you can get larger ones) and they have more air flow volume so they work better

Solder wick is about the ONLY way to go however when you have wire soldered on to a terminal.

I'll tell you - I USED to be able to do WS-6536 quality solder work (passed the test, never got the cert because they didn't want electronics techs to do their own rework), but today? I can barely see the work, and my hands shake a lot more than they did - I need the magnifying glass and the lighting to do good work - sigh, 25 years do make a difference


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## KC2IXE (Jan 14, 2008)

adamlau said:


> Great info, guys. Are there certain, preferred solders with greater conductivity (while remaining non-corrosive)? And what of environment-friendly solders? What are some of your preferred brands and what brand would you recommend that I use for my intended purpose?



I would not worry about conductivity of the solder - I would assume that some of the silver bearing solders are slightly more conductive, but the difference, in the thickness of a solder joint might be measured in the millionths of ohms - aka not enough to worry about

For environmentaly better solders, your talking about the lead free RoHS solders - they are NOT as easy to use, and a PITA, unless you are selling commercialy

For electronics - you basically want either a 60-40 or 63-37 tin/lead solder, with a flux core. You can get them with "no clean" fluxes, water clean, or stuff that takes solvent (in the old days, we cleaned everything in a vapor degreaser - those went away - can you say chlorinated hydrocarbons)

Brands? Eyosin (sp?) Multicore was just about my favorite, but as work supplied "Kester" solder, that's mostly what I used - if I remember right in the .020 thickness (I could look) - as I have maybe 5 brand new rolls of it at home, I'll probably never have to buy solder again, so....


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## 65535 (Jan 15, 2008)

I personally really like the flow and feel of 60/40 rosin core solder in wire thin size. I Lam having excellent luck with alphametals solder.


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## adamlau (Jan 15, 2008)

Multicore Ersin and Alpha Metal. Perfect. I'll look into it.


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## adamlau (Feb 18, 2008)

Regarding lead-free solders:

"These alloys have higher melting temperatures and wet metal surfaces more slowly, the joints also look different in that the surfaces are not as reflective as tin-lead joints." - Kester

A HAKKO 936-12 is now sitting in my garage, ready for first use. A couple of more questions before I feel comfortable proceeding: It appears as if Kester 275 Sn63Pb37 0.031 is a no-clean, core flux solution for soldering with lead-free SSC P4 emitter and star solder pads. The SSC P4 spec sheet indicates "SMT solderbility". Can the SSC P4 only be soldered onto with halide free solder? If so, would ALPHA cored wired SMT Plus be a superior solution to Kester 275? Also, what flux percentage by volume should we be using for such soldering tasks?

*Answer: I am going with Deans Racing Solder, the apparent preference of RC enthusiasts. A no-clean, tin-lead-silver solder. Low resistivity and high workability. Will solder directly to the emitter leads as opposed to the star.*


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