hawkman-RCU

hey guys.
i now it is a old question that is asked all the time.

where are the best how to solder threads. im frustated at watching the solder roll off of what i want it on. thank you.[]

giddyuperic

Flux and 60/40 solder and most of it has the flux in it already. Make sure to heat up the wire first you want it so hot that it draws the solder in . What is happen to you in the wire is not hot enough and then you add the solder and it just rolld right off. So just heat up the wire first get it really hot so hot that when you touch the solder to it it starts to melt and not the soldering gun or iron just the wire and it will draw it in . Take so junk wires and practice. You will get if you heat up the wire first.

kargo

hey giddyuperic, where did you get the picture for your avitar?

lorih

And one thing that isn't stressed enough, keep the tip of your soldering iron clean. Use an old rag or something similar folded on your workbench. Wipe the tip of the iron any time it doesn't look shiney and clean. Just dragging the tip across will clean it. It will really help. When the tip of your iron gets crusted with black crap, and it will, use sandpaper (cold iron here) to clean the tip and then re-tin the tip.

Cliff

hawkman-RCU

thank you gentlemen for your advice.

jdetray

The Three Rules of Successful Electronics Soldering
1. Keep it clean
2. Make a good mechanical connection (where possible)
3. Heat the work, not the solder

Keep It Clean
Have a damp sponge or cloth handy, and wipe the hot tip on it before and after each and every soldering operation. Do this every time so that it becomes a habit. The result will be better, more reliable solder joints and a longer lifetime for your soldering iron tips.

Make a Good Mechanical Connection
Electrical soldering isn't really designed to hold parts together; it is designed to make a good electrical connection between them. So, whenever possible, make a solid mechanical connection between the parts to be soldered (the work) before you actually solder them. For example, when soldering two wires together, twist the wires together first if you can. It's not always possible to do this, but if you can, it's a good idea.

Heat the Work, Not the Solder
Proper technique is to get the parts you are soldering (the work) hot enough that the solder will melt and flow over the parts without the soldering iron touching the solder. If you don't get the work hot enough, you can end up with a "cold" solder joint, one that is electrically poor and subject to failure. A proper solder joint will be smooth and shiny. If it is lumpy, dull, or grainy looking, it's a cold joint and may not be reliable.

Now some practical tips.

- A 25-40 watt pencil type iron is the right tool for our kind of soldering.

- Use rosin core solder designed for electronics work. The rosin core solder from Radio Shack is fine. Separate flux is helpful but not usually necessary necessary if you use rosin core solder.

- It is normal for the tip of the iron to discolor when it heats up.

- Accumulating a blob of solder on the tip of the iron and then touching it to the work is definitely NOT the right way to do it!

Your first step should be to tin the iron. Let the iron heat up, then apply a small amount of solder to the tip of the iron. It should melt very easily and coat the tip. Using a damp sponge or damp cloth, wipe the tip to remove excess solder, leaving a smooth, shiny coating of solder on the tip.

It can be helpful to tin the work before soldering. To do this, heat each piece of the work with the iron and melt a small amount of solder onto it. You don't want a big blob of solder, just a very thin coating. When tinning stranded wire, be sure the solder flows into the strands and doesn't form a blob on the surface.

Find a way to hold the work very steady so the parts are held together and do not move while you are soldering them. Spring-type wooden clothespins are useful for this, as are "[link=http://www.minute-man.com/acatalog/Helping_Hands_and_Soldering_Aids.html]Helping Hands[/link]" tools. The parts (or wires) must not move while you are soldering them, or you risk cold joints.

To make the solder joint, first apply the iron to the work and let the work heat up. Keeping the iron on the work, touch the solder to the work. It should melt and flow over the work. In the case of wire, the solder should flow easily into the wire strands. If the solder does not flow when touched to the work, the work is not hot enough.

Even if you have tinned the work, you should still add at least a little more solder to assure a good joint. Just re-heating the tinned parts to stick them together without adding more solder may result in a cold joint.

Remember: Wipe the tip on your damp sponge or cloth before and after each joint. Never let more than a very thin coating of solder accumulate on the tip.

- Jeff

hawkman-RCU

thanks jdetray for your help. what about soldering small gauge wires like servo wires or curcaut boards? it seems to me to get a servo wire hot enough to melt solder would melt the rubber on the wire. thanks again.

jdetray

You must get the wires hot enough to melt the solder. If you don't, you aren't soldering, you're gluing!

You will nearly always get some melting of the insulation when you solder wires. You can minimize this by being quick! The smaller the wires, the faster they will heat up, so the less time you will be applying heat.

It helps to use small diameter solder. You can get 0.062" diameter solder that is great for soldering small wire and circuit boards. Even some Radio Shack stores carry 0.062" solder. Small solder gets hot faster than larger diameter solder, so you can finish each joint more quickly.

- Jeff

hawkman-RCU

thanks jeff. i think i got it.