Re: Soldering questions.
I can't read this thread. Maybe I read to many books on how to solder trying to answer the same question. Every book I read never said (I agree with Lee but) anything about the tip having a sweet spot. If you can't touch the tip's sweet spot to the larger surface to be soldered to, bridge it by touching the solder to the sweet spot and letting it flow to the surface. If the solder still balls up loosen and retighten the tip, the sweet spot will move. If that doesn't get it get a wheller 140 gun (what I use for removing grounds on pots) $40. While at RS get a desolder braid - wick, use it to remove solder connections, and to clean (prep) terms for new connections. Rotate your iron on the wick while desoldering to breakup carbon traces (carbon traces bypass current from the tip) and widen the sweet spot. Then keep the tip clean like Lee said. I use 60/40 .062 or smaller (the more mass the longer it takes to heat up) don't add flux.
The solder wick is the first thing you nead to get, it removes bulk and gives you a tinned surface to start with.
I can't read this thread. Maybe I read to many books on how to solder trying to answer the same question. Every book I read never said (I agree with Lee but) anything about the tip having a sweet spot. If you can't touch the tip's sweet spot to the larger surface to be soldered to, bridge it by touching the solder to the sweet spot and letting it flow to the surface. If the solder still balls up loosen and retighten the tip, the sweet spot will move. If that doesn't get it get a wheller 140 gun (what I use for removing grounds on pots) $40. While at RS get a desolder braid - wick, use it to remove solder connections, and to clean (prep) terms for new connections. Rotate your iron on the wick while desoldering to breakup carbon traces (carbon traces bypass current from the tip) and widen the sweet spot. Then keep the tip clean like Lee said. I use 60/40 .062 or smaller (the more mass the longer it takes to heat up) don't add flux.
The solder wick is the first thing you nead to get, it removes bulk and gives you a tinned surface to start with.
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