What Are Some of Your Best Soldering Tips/Suggestions?

How do you personally solder?

What type of solder/tip do you use?

Do you ever throw old solder out?

Any good methods of cleaning thereafter completing a soldering job?

I'd like to know as many good soldering tips as I can.



Thanks!

:major

 

http://www.aaroncake.net/electronics/solder.htm

If you're thinking you can desolder and then solder in a new BIOS chip on that MB of yours then you should be forewarned. The IC's were all robotically soldered using heatsinks to protect the IC from heat damage and hand soldering just wont work.

 

Good observation, it would be for that. But also for general learning instructions. I've had problems in the past trying to get solder to melt & stay put on copper contacts/pads (as well as metal contacts/pads). It's really annoying when you know solder is supposed to melt and harden still. But a little nudge and the hardened solder comes off the point you soldered it to. This was however my experience in the past. I've often found a little bit of scratching the surface you're going to solder helps. Of course you should always tin the wires. I've tried to use flux on metal or copper pads before. & sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. So I've tried not putting flux on the pads and get the same result. I have no idea if solder goes bad over time and needs to be thrown out for a new roll. Like anyone a good 99% isopropyl alcohol cleanse is done on both surfaces to be soldered beforehand. Yet still results have varied, guess someone might be able to add a bit of solid info.

 

Get a temperature controllable soldering station.

60 watts and above if possible.

Make sure you can get tips for it easily and cheaply, they can really burn you on tips, it's harder than you think to make your own, the tips use a special electroplate and tinning process and once they wear through their for the bin.

Make sure you can get new soldering irons for it and spare parts.

Buy/Use a heatsink clip to absorb excess heat when soldering sensitive components such as transistors.

Buy good quality acid free rosin flux.

You don't have to use lead free solder 'I don't' but that's because lead free solder is ridiculously expensive, again rosin cored if possible acid core will wear your tips out really fast.

After each soldering operation clean the tip with a damp sponge.

Before each tip is used clean and then tin with tinning compound.

Don't try to desolder IC's or at least robot soldered IC's, you can't:-D You certainly can't with a soldering iron.

I get the tips in a pack of 3, fine, medium and heavy or spade. I used the fine and medium for soldering PCB's it really depends how my hands feel on the day, if I feel steady I use the medium tip because it holds more heat which makes the job faster, it holds more solder though so if you slip it can get messy and ruin the job or the heat can destroy the component.

The heavy and spade tips are for large jobs like wire and terminals.

Always throw old solder out such as spillages but never new solder that's just been sat on the shelf.

How do I personally solder?

Tough question, I've been doing it for about 20 years but only started soldering PCB's and using a soldering station about 7-8 years ago, it's totally different to soldering wire and terminals.

With wire and terminals or even de-soldering you can use a big dirty hot iron which holds solder on the tip, dab a little flux or flux pen onto the joint and the solder will flow over the joint.

I still use this technique with my cheaper iron for terminals and joints, easy and foolproof and most importantly you can have one hand free to maneuver the component's.

The solder never actually goes on the tips when soldering pcb's part from the original tinning. The iron is used to heat up the joint with the right hand and the solder held in the left and flowed over the joint similar to a welder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU4t0Yko9Uk

Practice Practice Practice! You will screw up a lot, you will waste money destroying components and covering half the bench in solder, just accept this fact and keep practicing.

 

I agree with practice, practice, practice.

Also, clean, clean, clean. Clean and properly tinned tips and clean contacts are essential.

60W is too much, IMO for sophisticated electronics like computer motherboards. I recommend no more than 30 - 40W when working with small components and PCBs. This little adjustable Weller (toggled down to 30W) would make a nice addition to any work bench, but still have enough oomph for larger audio and AC wires, and big AC devices (like caps and rectifiers in AC to DC power supplies).

See What is the right wattage for a soldering iron?

Note 60Watts or more is recommended to repair automobile radiators! And never use a soldering "gun" on PCBs.

It should also be noted that many motherboards are multilayered. That is, there are several layers of circuit runs and connections in the layers between the top and bottom surfaces of the board.

A common mistake is failing to clean, prepare, and heat the contacts sufficiently. If the contact (or wire) is not hot enough, the solder will not "flow" to it properly and you end up with "cold-solder" joints and "bird caging" of stranded wires. Using WAY TOO MUCH solder is also a common mistake.

For the record, to be certified to repair multilayered PCBs for the Air Force, I was sent to "Micro-Miniature Soldering Techniques" school. A 40 hour hands-on course for electronics technicians conducted in a Pace soldering lab on the use advanced soldering stations. It was 10% watch and learn, and 90% practice, practice, practice - do it again - practice, practice, practice.

And like all "skills", you have to stay in practice too to stay good at it.

Another valuable tool is a good solder sucker for "desoldering" joints. The "pump" type are okay, but I prefer a decent desoldering iron. You have to be quick, however, because 45W can get hot fast (but then that's the point).

And a nice stash of "stats" - hemostats (roach clips to some! ) are essential to hold your work and to "sink" heat away from sensitive devices when soldering too. I prefer the curved type.

 

My soldering Iron is 48W ATM with a max temp of 450C, it does everything great BUT I sometimes wish I had those extra 12W or more when soldering wires to larger copper connectors.

With adjustable soldering station it doesn't really matter what the maximum wattage is as they can be turned down, I rarely have mine above 380-400C.

Once you've spent your money though the only way you'll get that extra heat is by buying a more powerful soldering iron, so always better to have and not need.

Another tip is heat. Hon't be afraid to use enough heat, as you start you'll be scared of destroying components so will turn the heat down but you'll then hold a 300C Iron on the component for far too long.

 

FTR, I have a 25W pencil iron. A 40W variable Weller station similar to the above. A 80 Watt pencil, and a 100/140W gun.

I also have a butane micro-soldering torch.

There is no one iron that does all.

 

Well I don't know about a 380c watt soldering iron. That sounds like WAYYY too much heat to me! But I understand you're probably doing bigger connections anyways. I have a 30 watt iron which you can buy for a few bucks at any Radio Shack or Source shop. Problem is it's not adjustable. I used to hate working with it because it would heat too quick. The tip was old and corroded so I recently went and bought some new tips. The old tip was fatter on the end and hard to work with on smaller connections. So I got a thinner end on the tip for the new one. What I did to try and warn away the 30 watt heat was to pull the end of the new tip further out before I screwed it in. That way I figured the heat would be less at the end and give me more time to hold things together or work slower.

It seems to do the trick. But I find myself holding the tip onto a spot longer.

Hey is it not good to put solder on the iron tip first, & then dab it onto both pieces you'd like to connect?

 

I do this a lot when in tight places, and if what I am soldering is small and will heat up quickly.

 

Well no really that's the temperature I use to solder sensitive transistors, it's all about speed and accuracy, the more practice you can get the hotter you can go. If I solder a three pin transistor I will do each pin a in split second and the transistor will have barely got warm.

The biggest mistake for all beginners is not tinning the tip properly, if you don't tin the tip and keep it tinned and clean with solder then there's no liquid solder to transfer the heat to the component, two dry pieces of metal touching don't transfer heat well, one minute the joint is cold the next you make good contact and the component is fried.

The main problem with putting the solder on the tip is the solder/flux will actually cut through the tip over a short amount of time, ever seen the acid blood in aliens:-D you'll end up with a concave hole in your steel tip and then it will need replacing. I pay £5 $8 for a pack of three tips and there's only one tip out of those three I really like so I look after them.

You need to limit the amount of fresh solder applied to your tips, if your iron is cheap and tips are plentiful then go for it put the solder on the tip first, I do when I get frustrated and need an extra hand to hold the component.

BTW get yourself a helping hand with a decent sized magnifying glass, I can't live without mine now.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=h...ping+hand+soldering&safe=off&spell=1&tbm=isch

 

Looks like the others covered most of it.
You cannot solder what you cannot see, get a lighted 4" or larger magnifying glass.
Try magnification glasses, they are $10 each pair so I keep a couple different ones.

When soldering put your elbows on the desk, position your work so you can do this. Soldering with no support below your shoulder is for the the few with incredibly steady hands.

 

As other replies have touched on, soldering smaller items require patience, practice, steady hands and often something much better than a $5 soldering iron from Radio Shack.

My solution is to farm out complex soldering projects to an expert motherboard tech. Doing so, I eliminate any risks from my making a mistake, don't have to invest in a lot of equipment, save time and can just pass the cost on to the customer.

If you don't feel comfortable taking on micro soldering projects, this is a decent option.

 

How good are these when leaving the iron on? I've seen them before but was kind of worried that the heat would go
"UP" and burn away the iron handle or blacken the metal shaft part on the iron. Thanks for all of the replies btw.
I'm wondering if the area around the sponge would be too hot too touch too (from leaving the iron there so long)?

http://www.thetoolbar.net/contents/media/23554_sis.jpg

 

That's what I use, the original I had with my soldering iron melted.:cool

 

Great post with very good info, I would add a tip I learned many years back. Lead get a coating of oxidation over time, it good to clean it off. Simply take a clean cloth and pull it through a time or two. Doing so will keep you from introducing the oxidation into you work. All jobs require absolute cleanliness.

 

There's not that much heat or more importantly, not that much "mass" of hot matter to sustain high temperatures long enough as it moves "up" through the coils (coils that make a fairly efficient heat sink, BTW).

We have to be a bit realistic here. These type soldering platforms have been around and in common use for years. If they presented a fire or burn hazard as you fear, they would not still be on the market. The fact is, this "cage" configuration is there, in part, to prevent burns and fires.

I have NEVER (as in NEVER EVER) seen (or felt) a soldering iron that became too hot to handle when left in its stand for extended periods of time.

When I worked in a AF electronics repair shop, irons would get plugged in first thing in the morning, and unplugged as one of the last things at EOD.

As for the sponge area getting too hot, again, we have to be realistic - and remember the Laws of Physics:

(1) Heat rises.
(2) The soldering iron tip is a tiny chunk of "mass". It is not "red hot". You can hold your finger a few millimeters from a hot tip and barely feel any heat. No way the heat would radiate inches to cause problems to the sponge (which should be damp anyway) or the base, which is likely made of heat resistant materials anyway.​

 

Digerati is right, keep the sponge wet, turn the iron off if you have to walk away.
I also have never felt heat at the handle of the iron even after hours of soldering.

 

BTW - turning a bit gross here - a coworker once noticed a bunch of greenish-black fuzzy stuff growing under his very old sponge. Not good. Get a sponge that can be boiled in water. Boil it for a few minutes before first use, and every so often thereafter.

While this may be a problem for such sponges that remain moist much of the time, and rarely dry out completely (except maybe over long weekends), bacteria can go dormant (for years!) when dry, then "activate" when exposed to moisture and warmth.