AMS--Soldering 101 class--the swamp deepens........

[eSGEe]

IT is well documented in the annals of TTR that I HATE soldering -- with a red hot passion (lol)

It is the bane of man and a tool of the devil and can be traced to all things wrong in the world (Kinda like a Kevin Bacon thing but takes more steps)

That said if AMS would like to ATTEMPT to teach me how to do this evil (though the duct tape co. is going to drop market share if I do) ---I would be HAPPY to attempt the course.

What say you all --- the poll is open (no strip dancing please unless you are hot of course.....then well go right ahead)

What say you AMS --- think your MAD enough to try?

 

[Chubbles]

I had trouble until I realized that cleaning the soldering iron tip often is important. That was my problem.

 

[eSGEe]

RIGHT-- keep my tip clean....................

 

[Hackmaster]

Great point @Chubbles about a clean tip.
Just important to keep it tinned, and properly tin both surfaces to be soldered.

Also the old saying "a proper tool for every job" never held truer in soldering.
Many size tips and different heat ranges are necessary to do a good job.

A 20 watt iron will never lay down a decent ground on the back of a pot, because there's not enough heat to warm the surrounding area to flow the solder to tin the back of the pot.
But a 40 watt iron with a wide tip will tin the back of a pot in seconds.

However use that same 40 watter on a circuit board, and you'll probably lift the trace right off the board, making a whole lot more work out of a simple operation like a resistor change.


This is where a multi heat soldering station comes in handy.
Thank you Greg @syscokid .
Before I got Greg's old Weller station, I had four different irons hanging in my shop.
I was able to get the job done. But it was always a pain in the arse.

A soldering station has greatly reduced my bench clutter, and I think is a whole lot more efficient than having a collection of irons.

So my glowing recommendation is a soldering station for anyone even remotely interested in soldering properly.

You can do it eSGEe, you can do it.



Oh one more thing that I almost forgot, but if it happens you will cry...
The Weller irons have easily changeable tips.
This is handy, but the flathead setscrew that holds the tip in has a nasty habit of loosening with a few heating & cooling cycles.
Well when that hot tip falls out of the iron, right onto the surface of the guitar your working on...

Ask me how I know...

An allen head setscrew solved this unfortunate problem for me, after the fact...

 

[JohnnyGoo]

Goo tip. 40 to 60 watt pencil tip soldering iron.

 

[JohnnyGoo]

Well like Hack says 40 to 60 watt on a circut boards a bit much but i never do many circut boards. I stick to guitar wiring harnesses.

 

[CabanaBoy]

Soldering is part science part art - just start doing it, you'll figure it out, you'll be fine. You know, like teaching your little brother how to swim - toss him out the boat

Swamp Soldering 101:
Dirty soldering tip = dirty solder joint.
Melted burned up parts, solder evaporating, etc means soldering iron to hot.
Solder doesn't melt, looks like globs of crumble up aluminum, etc means soldering iron too cold.
Flux is great, especially liquid flux for getting the solder to melt nicely, to remove stubborn solder, or to reflow solder.
A solder sucker come in handy. The bigger one with the plunger you push down are nice and work great but can be a booger on delicate parts. Solder bulbs are nice for delicate removal (like tube socket pins). The solder ribbon stuff (braided copper) works well for circuit boards.
Practice - find old boards, chassis, and what not then remove the components and try to do so with damaging components.
Ventilation - solder fumes are not the healthiest thing in the world to be snorting and huff'n.

PS - there are different soldering tips, etc - you'll figure that out as you go along.
- there are many, many, many soldering guns/stations - you'll figure that out as you go along also.

That's my half a cent contribution - lol...

 

[BFT Gibson]

tip on where wire meets the pot? then touch it with the wire- then remove tip? not sure

have done pretty well with joints holding up but still don't really grasp it

 

[syscokid]

The fumes from soldering is toxic. Solder contains lead. I have a fan aimed between my face and the soldering work area. Try not to aim the fan directly at the work area. Be conscious of the fact that touching the solder is like touching lead. Wash your hands!!!

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

Adrian, this guy is the man,,,,,,,,,,, Not only for soldering, but for so many things electronic.

 

[Don O]

Happiness is a warm gun

I learned with one of these when I was 8. I don’t solder to pots but if I did, this baby will do it in a nanosecond.

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

Good Ol Dave too.

 

[Chubbles]

This helps too (5.00 Harbor Freight)

Wellers are awesome. I got a few from Sears (before closing) that are great.

I don't worry about the lead fumes. Lead was part of a healthy diet in the 70s. It was in our paint, water, food, and almost everything else. I think there was a daily recommended dosage of lead.

 

[mcblink]

AMS.....Or anyone else ballsy enough....

Here's a little job I'm nervous to do myself....

I need to replace these


On this tiny little thing



But I'm scared to mess up, because that little PCB is no longer made...I don't want to damage it accidentally

How difficult is this really? I'm nervous about it lol

 

[Mitch Pearrow SJMP]

Happiness is a warm gun

I learned with one of these when I was 8. I don’t solder to pots but if I did, this baby will do it in a nanosecond.

View attachment 45153
View attachment 45154

That looks like the same one I learned on, with model trains and slot cars.
Pops had it in the garage, didn’t learn the fine art of tinning and flux til much later , ha ha
Adrian you will be fine.
Cheers

 

[Amp Mad Scientist]

IT is well documented in the annals of TTR that I HATE soldering -- with a red hot passion (lol)

It is the bane of man and a tool of the devil and can be traced to all things wrong in the world (Kinda like a Kevin Bacon thing but takes more steps)

That said if AMS would like to ATTEMPT to teach me how to do this evil (though the duct tape co. is going to drop market share if I do) ---I would be HAPPY to attempt the course.

What say you all --- the poll is open (no strip dancing please unless you are hot of course.....then well go right ahead)

What say you AMS --- think your MAD enough to try?

I'm not mad because I'm angry.....I'm mad because I'm mmmmmmaaaaaaaaaddddd nuuhuhuhuhahahahhha !

 

[Amp Mad Scientist]

IT is well documented in the annals of TTR that I HATE soldering -- with a red hot passion (lol)

It is the bane of man and a tool of the devil and can be traced to all things wrong in the world (Kinda like a Kevin Bacon thing but takes more steps)

That said if AMS would like to ATTEMPT to teach me how to do this evil (though the duct tape co. is going to drop market share if I do) ---I would be HAPPY to attempt the course.

What say you all --- the poll is open (no strip dancing please unless you are hot of course.....then well go right ahead)

What say you AMS --- think your MAD enough to try?

LESSON one: Size Matters

You need to look at the size of the soldering iron.
Both the physical size and the wattage.

If you have a little tiny baby soldering iron, like this

Then you can only solder little tiny connections. This baby soldering iron will not solder large connections, because there is not enough power or heat.

Little tiny soldering iron will only work on little tiny connections. If you don't learn this, you will fail miserably.

You cannot use a little tiny low power soldering iron for large connections, which will dissipate lots of heat.
The heat will be dispersed away from the connection by the metal surface and the metal wires.

The larger the wire is......the larger the solder terminal is.................(turrets) the more heat you will require.
You can't solder big wires and big terminals with a little baby soldering iron.
The heat will be dissipated to quickly.

 

[Hackmaster]

Teaching Adrian, and teaching the giraffe are running even, along with duct tape or having Kevin or myself do it......

C'mon, have some faith people.