newbie soldering probs!!

[ishmun]

hi guys
im having some major probs soldering a my new seth....

this is prolly the first time ive tried to change a pickup, so im not really sure on what im doing..so sorry for the stoopid qs


firstly,
i cant seem to melt the current solder thats holding the wires in place
why is this? the wires wont budge, and i cant take them out
i have the iron directly on the solder and it doesnt seem to melt, everything just gets hot


any help would be great
i really wanna play my seth!! :O

thanks guys

Ishan

[ArtieToo]

Re: newbie soldering probs!!

Hey ishmun; You're probably making one of the classic newbie mistakes. (I did it too.)

In order for a soldering iron to transfer heat to the connection, it must be "wetted". In other words, the tip of the iron must be "wet" with solder.

Make sure the tip is very clean. Its good to have a damp sponge close by. They make little sponge-trays especially for this purpose. After the iron is hot, you wipe it across the wet sponge once or twice. This is called "shocking" the tip. Then touch the solder to the end, and let some flow onto the tip.

Sometimes, I do this a coupe times before I actually solder. You have to keep repeating this as you solder. Shock the tip, (wipe it), then re-wet it.

Try that out.

Artie

[DuMenegozzo]

Re: newbie soldering probs!!

ishmun, you should make sure you're using at least a 60W soldering iron. This prevents your pots from getting too hot before the solder melts. Your pots carry plastic parts inside, which may melt under high temperature.

Besides that, you'd better clean that area first (dry cloth), to prevent your iron from getting a lot of "dirty grease".

Can't remember any other advice now. Be gentle, don't burn yourself and have a great time!

[rspst14]

Re: newbie soldering probs!!

60 watts might be too hot. I recommend 40 watts for guitar work, and make sure you're using an iron, not a gun.

Ryan

[DuMenegozzo]

Re: newbie soldering probs!!

60 watts might be too hot. I recommend 40 watts for guitar work, and make sure you're using an iron, not a gun.

I agree, don't use a gun.

But I disagree, Ryan, on the wattage. 60 Watts would be enough to melt the solder fast enough. It would only be too hot if you keep that iron on the back of your pots for too long. If it's 60W, that won't be necessary, 'cause the solder will melt sooner.

In my opinion, 60W is safer than 40W. But yours may be different, and that's ok for me...

[ishmun]

Re: newbie soldering probs!!

hey guys thanks so much for the quick responses

but it seems im screwing this up! its soo frustrating!

this is wat ive done - shocked the tip, wetted it with solder
applied the tip of the iron to the solder i want to remove, whilst gently giving the wire soldered onto the pot a tug

but the old solder doesnt seem to melt at all?

do u kno where im going wrong?

thanks again
Ishan

[Lee Bob]

Re: newbie soldering probs!!

To get the best results you have to hold the iron on an angle. Don't just touch the very tip of the iron to the solder, touch the entire angled surface of the tip to your joint. I believe this transfers more heat quicker. My iron's packaging cam with a small diagram of this.

[Jeffrec]

Re: newbie soldering probs!!

I've had this happen, and I've been soldering for years. The guys have given the right advice. One more thing to try is to wait until the iron is cool and see if the tip hasnt loosened up. Just screw it up tight. I've had this happen, gone through the whole list of things to try, only to find it was something as silly as that. If this doesn't work, get a new tip and start over (be sure to apply solder to the tip as ArteiToo said [it's also called "tinning"]).

Good luck,

Jeff

[DuMenegozzo]

Re: newbie soldering probs!!

To get the best results you have to hold the iron on an angle. Don't just touch the very tip of the iron to the solder, touch the entire angled surface of the tip to your joint. I believe this transfers more heat quicker. My iron's packaging cam with a small diagram of this.

Right!
larger area in touch = more heat transfer

Sometimes old solder DO take more time to melt. I've experienced things like that, but I haven't lost a pot yet, so be gentle and you'll be there...

[ishmun]

Re: newbie soldering probs!!

Thanks for all the tips guys

ill keep plugging away!

im just really trying to learn how to do all these things myself istead of wasting it on paying guitar shops to do it!

thanks again

Ishan