nOOb soldering tips?

Big.Wayne

Big.Wayne

Big.Wayne

Soldato
Joined
11 Sep 2003
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Location
London
Hi,

I'm wanting to learn a little about soldering by getting myself a small kit and starting to practice on stuff.

I popped into a high st electrical shop and had a look at the irons and various kit that goes with it, for about £35 I can get

  • Adjustable temp soldering iron with stand
  • Roll of solder
  • Soulder pump
  • Beginners solder kit that you make into something

Would that be all I needed to start practicing and become a solder master? :D

I'm also interested to hear from other solderers, how you got into it and what kinda stuff you do?

p.s whats the difference between solder and flux?

Thanks in advance :)
 
Flux cleans the iron and/or what you're soldering, solder is what you use to er solder, it's impossible to confuse the two :\.


Don't do the biggest noob mistake of loading solder onto the iron (a tiny little bit of solder helps for conductivity), you use it to heat what you're soldering up, then add the solder.
 
Most solder has flux in it. Flux is there to make the solder flow. Clean your bit often on a damp sponge or wet kitchen towel & apply a tiny bit of solder to the tip afterwards. Don't breathe the fumes, they ain't no good for you. Keep your solder clean in a poly bag when not in use.
 
get some old stuff, and practice on it. try not to use a solder pump if you can help it - they generally arent very good and generally do the job []itoo[/i] well, and can take the pad off with them if you arent careful.

use a decent tip - the right tip for the job is important. the best all round tips are the thin tips with one flat edge. perfect for conventional part, surface mount and anything else you are likely to solder:)

keep your iron clean as much as possible, and that goes for what you're trying to solder too. solder doesnt take well to dirty components. picking up a fiber glass pen will help you immensely - these are used to clean boards and dirty components and generally make life a lot easier.
to expand on what phnom_penh was trying to say, but its always a good idea to 'tin' the iron by putting a little solder on it and wiping the excess off before you start soldering. always do this with a new tip, and its a good idea to do it every time you want to use the iron. it improves the conductivity of the tip and makes soldering a lot easier.


the main thing is to just go to work on some old gear. the more you practice, the easier it'll get:) work on making clean joints each and every time:)


as far as flux goes yes, it is used to clean tips. it is also in solder and is pretty much essential to the solder. without flux, it wouldnt flow well at all and your joint would be awful.
 
The trick with the solder pump is to have it ready at the point the solder becomes molten and then use it. Keeping the iron on the joint for any length of time will lift the solder pad, as will careless use of solder braid (for removal)

I you want to practice then one of OCUK's competitors sells blank strip board or veroboard. Buy some and some cheap components eg resistors and DIL sockets to practice the basics.
 
Some good tips and insights there lads, thanks very much! :)

One thing I never heard of before is a solder-pad?

Also whats the concensus on those solder pumps, good or bad? I had a little go on one in the shop and it seems to be a good contraption to pull away the molten solder, was just wondering though what happens when the solder turns solid once in the pump, does it all get clogged up? :o

What was the thing that made you guys learn about soldering btw? did some of you do an electricians course or?
 
Solder suckers, depending on the ones you use have a removable pull-out handle in which you can extract the dried up solder. I tend to use Weller products as I can get them cheap at work. FE75 irons f t w!

I work in a military establishment so I work with large scale transducers and amps. Every year I take an internal company refresher course to brush up on stuff I've forgotten.
 
Heat the component you are going to solder from the opposite side to where you are going to apply the solder, this guarantees an even flow.

Many people make the mistake of applying the solder to the area where the soldering iron tip is making contact with the component...this is not considered good practice as it promotes fluctuations in the quality of join.

As someone said above, after cleaning your solder tip with a damp sponge reapply a little solder...this will keep the tip in better condition.
 
Its really easy, clean/remove any plastic or dirt from what every your soldering. Heat up use a bit of flux, heat up again and apply a small amount of soldier. Then repeat on the other item. Then simply press the two together and heat again, no need for more soldier.
 
Wash your hands after using the solder also and make sure you keep your hands away from your mouth/eyes.
 
Wow thanks very much, seems like there is an army of solderers active on these forums, so much good advice there I am almost overwhelmed with info! :o

I will buy the simple soldering kit and have a practice, will add a bit of sponge and that fiber glass pen to round off the bundle, not sure what type of solder to get (size/width) as there seems to be several different rolls on the shelf?

Still a bit confused about this flux thing and the tinning process but I will do some reading up on the web and maybe check YouTube to see some soldering videos lol (what a geek!).

Don't know anything about resistors yet or how to use a volt meter (starting at the very bottom here!) but for the moment will just concentrate on using the iron and trying to get solder on and off with minimum fuss.

Somebody else told me to watch out for a dry joint, what does that mean?
 
The new lead free solder is crap, got some stuff from the 80's and it flows much better- got huge rolls of the stuff, probably worth a few hundred quid each. A dry joint is when the component is not longer soldered to the track.
 
badbob said:
The new lead free solder is crap, got some stuff from the 80's and it flows much better
Click to expand...
Ah ok cheers, will check the rolls of solder more carefully then. I suppose solder with lead is a heath hazard then? why did they change it, also what width of solder is good for general use?
 
Pretty good advice so far

One question tho , what do you intend soldering when you have learnt how to do it ?
The reason I ask is that I have been soldering for over 20years ( 6 years spent doing
component level repair or fiber optic transmission boards way more complex than any motherboard out there
and I have yet to break out the iron when it came to my PC)


FYI: A dry joint is one that has not properly taken ( usually spotted by being a slightly different colour than its mates (duller) ,
it usually means the joint is resistive and will cause issues at high frequencies )

some Linky's to help you
http://www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk/solderfaq.htm
http://www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk/solderpix.htm
http://www.curiousinventor.com/guides/How_To_Solder



BEWARE THE FUMES: Lead poisioning is pretty nasty , I would always avoid working
with solder if I didnt have any extraction to remove the poluted air. If working in the
house without extraction I take a deep breath and hold when making
the joins , then exhale afterward to avoid taking in any lead.
 
As above, the fumes from solder gave me the most crazy headaches, Used to make me feel like I was dying, make sure ventilation is good!
 
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