Hardest thing to solder in electronics

[mjarema414]

I'm finding that the tailpiece ground is the hardest thing to solder. I recently replaced the electronics in my SG and had a hard time getting the tailpiece ground to stick to the pot. I cleaned the end with a little steel wool and used a little flux. I actually wound up soldering in with the ground that goes from pot to pot in the new electronics. There isn't a buzz or anything so I'm thinking it's fine. Any suggestions? I'm pretty new to soldering but did purchase a 40 watt Weller which seems decent for this type of work. Thanks.

 

[Bender]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

the thing about soldering is you need an iron hot enough to heat quickly, do what you're gonna do and get out of it. Heating with to small ( wattage ) iron you have to stay to long and the heat transfers into your circuit and can cause problems in pots, boards, etc. including wiring insulation melt down.
A 40 watt iron is probably fine. Personally , I use a 60 watt and have no problems.

 

[Metalblaze]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

I tend to use high wattage irons too. You need a somewhat high watt iron for larger surfaces. If the soldring iron isn't powerful enough the tip will tend to cool down when touching large surfaces or large amount of solder.

 

[MikeS]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

40 watts is fine for the backs of pots and soldering the string ground to the trem spring claw. It works for smaller lugs, but I much prefer a smaller 25watt pen for lugs.

Backs of pots can be tricky, especially with a smaller iron, but the piece that always gives me trouble is the spring claw. Even my 40 watt has a tough time soldering to that.

 

[Bender]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

40 watts is fine for the backs of pots and soldering the string ground to the trem spring claw. It works for smaller lugs, but I much prefer a smaller 25watt pen for lugs.

Backs of pots can be tricky, especially with a smaller iron, but the piece that always gives me trouble is the spring claw. Even my 40 watt has a tough time soldering to that.

try cleaning the metal with vinegar or lighter fluid ,, it removes any oil that is on the surface that can hender the solder sticking. Also, try brushing with fine sandpaper.

But again, you need to heat quickly, stick it and remove the iron to keep from over heating the components, exsessive heat can warp the windings on a pot very quickly making it rough to turn and cause the wiper to skip over the warped area causing excessive noise ( scratching ).

 

[MikeS]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

Nah, I'm perfectly capable of soldering components in a guitar... it's more to do with the claw acting as a giant heat sink and getting solder to stick.

 

[mjarema414]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

the thing about soldering is you need an iron hot enough to heat quickly, do what you're gonna do and get out of it. Heating with to small ( wattage ) iron you have to stay to long and the heat transfers into your circuit and can cause problems in pots, boards, etc. including wiring insulation melt down.
A 40 watt iron is probably fine. Personally , I use a 60 watt and have no problems.

Right on. I though about getting an adjustable iron. In fact, I did purchase a Weller wlc200 but the wand was too thick and I didn't even try to use it. I sent it back and continued using my 40 watt Weller from HD. Probably should have tried it. I also just purchase some Kester solder 60/40. I'm going to try the Kester instead of Radio Shack solder. I can't get over how difficult it was to solder that tailpiece ground. Hopefully it's cool tied in with the pot grounds. It was the only way to get it grounded. It should be good. I'm not getting any noise but I'm unsure if there is any signal loss. I don't see why there would be at this point.

 

[sosomething]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

Man I hate grounding trem claws. The backs of pots used to give me trouble until I got my 40 watt Weller but trem claws are still a biatch.

 

[mcguffin]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

There's your problem! Radio Shack solder. It's cheap chinese crap! You'll probably have a much easy time with that Kester. Also, use some alcohol to clean the metal you're going to solder. As far as your iron goes, well I've gotten too used to working with digital solder station that has temp control, so my advice is if you're planning to do much soldering in the future it's absolutely worth the investment to get decent equipment. Word of advice, avoid Radio Shack! Once upon a time they actually catered to electrical/electronics hobbyists, now it's just a lot of imported garbage/toys.

 

[theodie]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

Man I hate grounding trem claws. The backs of pots used to give me trouble until I got my 40 watt Weller but trem claws are still a biatch.

Map gas torch! :fingersx:

 

[sosomething]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

Map gas torch! :fingersx:

I think I know a guy who's got an old MIG welder in his garage!

 

[theodie]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

I think I know a guy who's got an old MIG welder in his garage!

AWESOME!

 

[sosomething]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

AWESOME!

I think he keeps it next to his mill.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

There's nothing wrong with the Radio Shack solder. I've been using it for years on all my guitars and electronic gadgets without a problem. Their desoldering wick and pumps are good too. Some of their stuff I do avoid and some of it work fine.

As for soldering to a trem claw, use the right tip. If you're using a fine pen tip, that's part of the problem. Those tips are meant for soldering to the pot lugs and switches. To get solder to stick to the bigger components, not only do you need a little extra wattage but a bigger tip as well.

Prior to soldering to the trem claw, and even the back of pots, I rough the metal up a bit using either heavy sand paper or a small metal brush such as the one that comes in the Radio Shack soldering tool kit. Works like a charm.

 

[theodie]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

There's nothing wrong with the Radio Shack solder. I've been using it for years on all my guitars and electronic gadgets without a problem. Their desoldering wick and pumps are good too. Some of their stuff I do avoid and some of it work fine.

As for soldering to a trem claw, use the right tip. If you're using a fine pen tip, that's part of the problem. Those tips are meant for soldering to the pot lugs and switches. To get solder to stick to the bigger components, not only do you need a little extra wattage but a bigger tip as well.

Prior to soldering to the trem claw, and even the back of pots, I rough the metal up a bit using either heavy sand paper or a small metal brush such as the one that comes in the Radio Shack soldering tool kit. Works like a charm.

+1. I use the large tip for everything! It allows you to get in and get out quickly without frying everything else. It is large and cumbersome if you are not used to it. Mini switches, I still use the large tip. IMO, a 40 watt with a large tip can still be a pain to do trem claws though. Well, for it to be a nice shiny joint anyway.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

+1. I use the large tip for everything! It allows you to get in and get out quickly without frying everything else. It is large and cumbersome if you are not used to it. Mini switches, I still use the large tip. IMO, a 40 watt with a large tip can still be a pain to do trem claws though. Well, for it to be a nice shiny joint anyway.

I've been using the large tip that came with my Weller for everything because the small tip wore out from so much use. Too dang lazy to go get another one....LOL. I have the WLC100 and it's 40 watts max with variable temp. I don't even have the temp up all the way (maybe 4 on the dial out of 5) and I can solder to the trem claw no problem. It's all in preparation of the surface. There's always a thin coat of clear over the top of them, including pots, for anti-corrosion. Scratch that away to the metal and it's MUCH easier. I also lay the tip sideways on the claw to get maximum heat transfer.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

For this you really want the cheapest crappiest high-wattage soldering iron. A $10 investment.

But in my opinion that bridge/strings grounding business is dangerous nonsense anyway.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

But in my opinion that bridge/strings grounding business is dangerous nonsense anyway.

I've always thought so too considering where it's connected and the Ace Frehley incident in the 70's. But I have not been able to get around it aside from doing the star ground/cap thing on guitarnuts.com. The cap is just there to help cut down on the zing if there ever is high voltage coming down the line.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

I've always thought so too considering where it's connected and the Ace Frehley incident in the 70's. But I have not been able to get around it aside from doing the star ground/cap thing on guitarnuts.com. The cap is just there to help cut down on the zing if there ever is high voltage coming down the line.

Ouch. I didn't even know somebody famous got zapped.

Why can't you get around it? If you have complete shielding around cavity and cables in the guitar you should be fine noise-wise.

It's true that putting in a small and quick fuse will at least save your life but I really don't see the need for the risk of connecting the strings in the first place.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Hardest thing to solder in electronics

Ouch. I didn't even know somebody famous got zapped.

Why can't you get around it? If you have complete shielding around cavity and cables in the guitar you should be fine noise-wise.

It's true that putting in a small and quick fuse will at least save your life but I really don't see the need for the risk of connecting the strings in the first place.

Yep, Ace got zapped coming down a flight of stairs on stage. Knocked him out cold for a few and then he came to and finished the show. Since then he's gone wireless.

I need to get some better shielding going. My Strat has heavy kitchen foil in it and it works, but it could be better. Even with shielding, I've never been able to eliminate noise with that ground not there, hence the cap. I'd like to though.