How to solder?

[cooldan]

i'm not very mechanical, have never really fixed anything in my life, so this pin hobby is throwing all sorts of challenges at me. i tried soldering about twice, and both times got big gobs of dripping hot metal everywhere, which cannot be right. also felt like i could do with an extra arm to hold one of the necessary bits (solder, solder iron, thing to be joined to other thing)



anyone got any great soldering tips for a total solder-newb?

any great documents to read, or even better a recommended video?



taj very mahal

[attachment=33:gif banjoplayer from that film you know the one.gif]

 

[jonathan]

I've done it once. Used about 6inches of solder to get a single wire attached. Gravity seemed to be against me!

 

[Rus121]

Best tip i could give is to use leaded solder with a flux core (the flux is inside the solder itself). All you have to do is heat the parts to be soldered and push some solder onto the heated area. Some practice may be required to get a nice even flow, but you should be aiming for a nice shiny solder joint (make sure the areas to be soldered are sufficiently heated). For those nightmare situations for obscure switches under the playfield i use a pair of small self gripping tweezers to hold the parts together whilst i solder. Dont bother with the lead free solder. Its melting point is too high and it doesnt flow anywhere near as good as the leaded. flux cored stuff.

There will be more pearls of wisdom from the rest of the guys im sure......

 

[Dave2084]

Try this guide:

http://store.curiousinventor.com/guides/How_To_Solder/

 

[pinballmania]

For soldering onto thick wires, ie. not pcb repairs, you need a poweful soldering iron. The iron must be hot enough to instantly melt solder applied to the tip, but also to remain hot when you put it in contact with the wire to be soldered. This acts as a heatsink and cools the iron, so you must have enough power to keep the joint hot during soldering. Leaded solder is a must. It is still legal to sell it in the UK although some shops will tell you otherwise. I sell it by the metre if you have trouble. The joints must be clean and free of crud. melt a little solder onto the tip of the iron to improve heat transfer. I then apply a little solder to each thing to be soldered, then heat both together and apply more solder if required.

 

[cooldan]

Thanks all.



I think one of my problems (! some would say i have a great many) is that i'm using an old old solder iron and some old old solder, i probably picked them both up in a car boot sale or something at least 10y ago then never used them until this year. My solder doesn't have any flux core i don't think, at least it looks solid enough and no liquid appears when i use it. Another problem is position - i was trying to solder a playfield underside, so gravity was working against me (hence the new silver-drip-look on my troosas).



i think i may go to Wickes and invest in a new 25-40W soldering iron and some flux core lead solder as everyone advises.



what a helpful forum of pinheads.

[attachment=41:gif hoff.gif]

 

[Paul]

Unfortunately it'll be VERY unlikely you'll pick up any Lead solder from Wickes, since it went out of production years ago. Ebay is the best place.

Oh and maplins for the iron. Temp controlled is the best - they have specials every once in a while

 

[pinballmania]

I don't believe leaded solder is out of production. Its just that RoSH regulations don't allow new consumer electronics to be supplied using leaded solder. Its still widely available for re-working and the like. Lots of high street chains have just ousted it from their shelves to avoid any confusion i think. I agree Wickes are unlikely to stock any. RS, CPC, Farnell, all still happy to sell it, and as i said, i'm happy to sell it in small quantities.

 

[Paul]

I don't believe leaded solder is out of production. Its just that RoSH regulations don't allow new consumer electronics to be supplied using leaded solder. Its still widely available for re-working and the like. Lots of high street chains have just ousted it from their shelves to avoid any confusion i think. I agree Wickes are unlikely to stock any. RS, CPC, Farnell, all still happy to sell it, and as i said, i'm happy to sell it in small quantities.

Really? Cool - i thought, wrongly as you said, that it wasnt in production and wasnt commonly available any more.



Glad to hear that it's still about, as that new stuff is crap

 

[pinballparadise]

As above, it's worth spending a decent amount of money on a soldering iron.



£200 plus. I think we paid £275 for ours. It's an investment (wall that is how we see it).



Take your time too.