Good soldering iron for pots?

[papersoul]

Hi guys!

I have been using a Radio Shack 40 watts soldering iron for most of my guitar soldering needs, however it seems to do very little in soldering braided, shielded wire to a por backing. It seems this type of wire is just harder to solder in place. Are there any preferred irons for this job? I mostly hear a hot iron needs to be used in this case or a variable more concentrated heat iron like the Weller variable temp, 40 watt iron.

Thanks!

 

[nepalnt21]

Re: Good soldering iron for pots?

it might be the pots. sometimes they have this layer of crap that is harder to solder to. most of the guys who have answered this before say use some sore of pencil erasor to get that off. i tried and it worked fine.

and 40 watts is plenty. i use a 30 watt and it does me good.

what type of solder are you using? i madethe mistake of using silver bearing solder the first time and it is harder to melt. rosin core is the ideal type.

 

[papersoul]

Re: Good soldering iron for pots?

Not sure what to think. I have always used my 40 watt iron fine.....then I bought a new, although mor epointy tip and now I can not solder to the same pots! It seems it won't get hot enough or just is too pointy!?

Maybe I should buy a new iron. I was told a 60-100 iron works best with the braided wire. It is not the pot......I only have trouble when soldering the braided wire....and was told it is tough to solder!

 

[papersoul]

Re: Good soldering iron for pots?

Maybe my iron was getting old. I picked up a new 40 watt iron today along with tip tinner/cleaner.

pencil erasor???

I always use rosin core.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Good soldering iron for pots?

At Radio Shack they sell the tips for about $3. If you don't change them every once in awhile, the tip doesn't heat up enough. It's best to scratch the back of the pot with sandpaper first too.

 

[aspenleaf]

Re: Good soldering iron for pots?

Most of the pointy tips don't transfer heat to a large surface very efficiently. I have a Hexacon soldering station that came with a pointy tip and I had the same trouble you're having. I changed to a chisel tip and it works great.

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: Good soldering iron for pots?

At Radio Shack they sell the tips for about $3. If you don't change them every once in awhile, the tip doesn't heat up enough. It's best to scratch the back of the pot with sandpaper first too.

Yes, You need to scuff the metal suface on the pot where you intend to solder. A Lil' Flux helps to. Just a Lil'.

 

[Tweed]

Re: Good soldering iron for pots?

A 40w iron should be fine. I've used a RS iron for a couple years now, and it does the job. Sometimes it doesn't seem to be hot enough, so I take a pair of pliers and unscrew the tip a bit and tighten it back down. That takes care of that. Sandpapering the pot like others mentioned is a must. I always solder at the edges of pots. Heat collects better there, and doesn't dissipate as quickly, so you lessen the chance of damaging the innards with heat. You are tinning the braid with solder, right? A little puddle on the edge of the pot, along with a tinned braid should make for a good connection.