How to solder?

[OldGit]

[quote name='PaulyB' post='75425' date='Oct 17 2007, 07:27 AM']If you're doing loads of leads and the like this is a useful bit of kit:

[url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=4017&doy=17m10#overview"]http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?Module...=17m10#overview[/url]

saves trying to hold four things at once and burning your fingers as the connectors heat up![/quote]


Yup that was on my Maplins shopping list

[redroque]

I would recommend a temperature controlled 40w + iron and pointy tip for small places. A decent powered iron wont lose heat on jobs with a lot of metal.
Only other tip (sic) would be to apply solder to iron just before heating the job (tin the nib!). So thats tin the nib, iron to cable, solder to cable and off. Don't move the job while the solder is still flowing otherwise the joint will go dry. Not a good thing. It may be hot but we are bass players with many callouses so put up with it for a few seconds.

[warwickhunt]

Everyone's covered most of the important stuff and I haven't looked at the 101 thingy but I would add that you shouldn't blow on your recently soldered work to cool it down quicker. An old electronics engineer that I worked with when I was still in my teens nearly nearly floored me for cooling something down that way (them were the days when you could beat your employees or children... sigh, Happy Days). He never did explain why but I didn't do it again!

[The Burpster]

^^IIRC ic causes the solder to solidify too quickly causing the lead to crystalise and leading (potentially) to what is known as a 'dry joint' --

This is bad, and hence the beatings..... 30 yrs of messing about with model cars, planes and boats has taught me that rushing soldering is not a good idea....

Anyhoo.... check this out..... v.useful....

[url="http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Practical_Electronics/Soldering"]http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Practical_Electronics/Soldering[/url]

[The Burpster]

^ Thank you kind sir, all that stuff at College did go in then......

My God, if my old tutor could hear me saying that he'd be as smug as a dog with 2 willies!

[Owen]

Bitter experience lets me tell you to hold the cool end.

HTH.

[NJW]

[quote name='elros' post='75301' date='Oct 16 2007, 10:31 PM'][url="http://hallgeir.no/hmt/soldering/soldering.html"]May I link to my own pictorial soldering guide?[/url] Silly question I know. It is important to have a clean soldering iron, and clean parts. I use Multicore Crystal 400 solder, and an Ersa soldering station (with electronic temerature regulation).

But the "secret" is the skill, you know.[/quote]

the last bunch of pictures seem to suggest you melted some of the plastic in that jack due to using too large an tip?

just kidding! good guide!

[Guest Bald Eagle]

Yeh pretty much all covered in the above, 15-30 watts is plenty for guitars/leads etc, just make sure the iron is well hot first, for testing this and tinning at the same time I have melted the old solder off the job first, cleaned the iron (damp cloth at close proximity) I think the secret is not putting the solder on the iron first but putting the iron near the job then running the solder off the tinned iron onto the job, a good clean sharp 45 degree angle on the end on the iron is also important imo, so file it and grind it if required to remove any snotters. I don't think you'll need any flux either for what your doing.

[OldGit]

Thanks to all .. I shall be following all of the tips and instructions when I get going on the project in a few weeks time.
i am confident all will be well now as I've spotted several things I was doing wrong before in the "don't do it like this" bits - except holding the cold end , I managed that.

[OldGit]

Thanks to all .. I shall be following all of the tips and instructions when I get going on the project in a few weeks time.
i am confident all will be well now as I've spotted several things I was doing wrong before in the "don't do it like this" bits - except holding the cold end , I managed that.

[grosa]

[quote name='steve-soar' post='75228' date='Oct 16 2007, 06:48 PM']Don't forget the solder sucker, to git rid if the old stuff if need be.[/quote]
genius things,unless you have people next to you thinking its funny to squish em when your not looking behind your back.
bastardios

[OldGit]

Revising this old thread

I got a gass soldering iron kit from Maplins and - kerching! Now I can solder ... Just needed the right equipment
Thanks to all

[Protium]

Do not use any of the supplied solder if you buy any electronics kits from the USA

[Prosebass]

[quote name='OldGit' post='74615' date='Oct 15 2007, 03:06 PM']Cheers

Do I need flux in a tub?[/quote]

I'll send you a really old tub if you like it that much........

[attachment=12874:Flux02.jpg] [attachment=12875:Flux.jpg]

[OldGit]

[quote name='Prosebass' post='276299' date='Sep 3 2008, 03:02 PM']I'll send you a really old tub if you like it that much........

[attachment=12874:Flux02.jpg] [attachment=12875:Flux.jpg][/quote]

Ha ha That's about as old as the stuff I inherited from my Dad ...

[waynepunkdude]

[quote name='PaulyB' post='75425' date='Oct 17 2007, 07:27 AM']If you're doing loads of leads and the like this is a useful bit of kit:

[url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=4017&doy=17m10#overview"]http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?Module...=17m10#overview[/url]

saves trying to hold four things at once and burning your fingers as the connectors heat up![/quote]


I use one of them and a soldering gun far better for me than an iron.

[escholl]

[quote name='Protium' post='276246' date='Sep 3 2008, 01:48 PM']Do not use any of the supplied solder if you buy any electronics kits from the USA [/quote]

err....i think i know what you're going to say, but, why is that?

[budget bassist]

[quote name='PaulyB' post='75425' date='Oct 17 2007, 07:27 AM']If you're doing loads of leads and the like this is a useful bit of kit:

[url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=4017&doy=17m10#overview"]http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?Module...=17m10#overview[/url]

saves trying to hold four things at once and burning your fingers as the connectors heat up![/quote]
That's a good idea, been there, done that, got the burn marks!

[Merton]

[quote name='escholl' post='277426' date='Sep 4 2008, 10:45 PM']err....i think i know what you're going to say, but, why is that?[/quote]
Me too...

[Jase]

I'm glad this thread has popped up, about to change my pickups and normally I just take it to someone who knows wht they're doing....but I'm going to have a crack myself and melt all my pots

[Jase]

So is a cheap 5 quid iron ok for pickups etc?

[OldGit]

[quote name='Jase' post='277622' date='Sep 5 2008, 09:57 AM']So is a cheap 5 quid iron ok for pickups etc?[/quote]

Don't bother, Just get a Maplins gas soldering kit. £20 but a lot cheaper in the long run
[url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=34959&C=Froogle&U=34959&T=Module"]http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?Module...59&T=Module[/url]

[Jase]

That looks a bit nifty...actually answered a question for my wife too.....she does handmade jewellery and wanted to get into soldering....if I get this.... she can't use it cos it's not hot enough!

[Jase]

Just like to say, managed to get my Dimarzios in with not too much bother, although my control cavity on my Jazz looks like an exploded tin mine!!!!

[Alun]

[quote name='owen' post='80218' date='Oct 27 2007, 07:38 PM']Bitter experience lets me tell you to hold the cool end.[/quote]


+1 to that