Need help with soldering!!!!

[ledzepp29]

Hey I'm installing a burstbucker #3 in the bridge of my paul and I can't get the thing to ground!! It is a single conductor with the braided wire so I have to ground that to the back of the pot right? Since I don't have three hands its really tricky, I also learned the hard way while trying to hold the wire in place(OUCH!!!!) What happens is I put the tip of the soldering iron touching the pot and the wire and I let it heat up and then I touch the solder to it and it just flows onto the wire and won't stick to the pot!! You guys got any tips on technique? I'm going to try to wash off the tip because its blackish looking. (And yes I am tinning the tip before I solder) Any help is welcome, Thanks

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: Need help with soldering!!!!

Here's a thread that has a lot of useful info relating to soldering: https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=11730&highlight=soldering

Chip

 

[ledzepp29]

Re: Need help with soldering!!!!

thanks for the link, that was very helpful but I'm still confused. When I'm making the ground to the back of the pot should I pin the wire to the pot with the tip of the soldering iron and hold it there till it heats up, then touch the solder too it? I think the pot might not be getting hot enough if the the solder doesn't stick to it. Any tips on getting the pot hot enough?

 

[rspst14]

Re: Need help with soldering!!!!

What wattage soldering iron are you using? I always had problems getting solder to stick to the back of a pot, until I switched to a 40 watt iron. Not only did it make soldering to a pot easier, but I no longer have problems with the occasional cold solder joint. As for securing the braided wire in place while trying to solder it, I wish I knew of an easy way to do that. Sometimes it seems like you need a third hand when soldering.

Ryan

 

[HolyDirt]

Re: Need help with soldering!!!!

before trying to heat it up a whole lot, make sure there isnt a resin coating over the pot... fried many pots before i realized i had to sand that off... haha... also, i use a 25 watt iron, and when i solder wires to pots chassises, i just solder like normal, if the solder doesnt flow, i wait for ONE SECOND, if it still doesnt, then i try another way

 

[ledzepp29]

Re: Need help with soldering!!!!

Its either a 30 or 35w. When you mean 'rosin on the pot' do you mean the yellowish stuff that is there from the previous ground? because I didn't solder on top of that I just soldered where the pot was plain dull grey. The idea of frying pots doesnt sound too pleasant how do I avoid this?

 

[ledzepp29]

Re: Need help with soldering!!!!

As for securing the braided wire in place while trying to solder it, I wish I knew of an easy way to do that. Sometimes it seems like you need a third hand when soldering.

Ryan

I tried to secure the wire with one of my fingers, I didn't realize it at first because I have some serious caluses but I was burning my finger pretty bad. :laugh2:

 

[HolyDirt]

Re: Need help with soldering!!!!

I tried to secure the wire with one of my fingers, I didn't realize it at first because I have some serious caluses but I was burning my finger pretty bad. :laugh2:

hahaha, i still do that every once and a while... eh, what can you do? :laugh2:

anyway... to avoid frying a pot, just dont have the soldering iron on the chassis of it for more than 3-4 seconds... if you fry a pot it either makes it short at some positions, or, just not work entirely. I have like 10 dead potentiometers in a little cabinet in my work room... it's glorious.. haha

 

[Naps]

Re: Need help with soldering!!!!

this may not help, but did you 'tin' the tip?

Also, ,I had that problem with my american strat, and i tried another type of solder and it worked. don't know if it was luck or what

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: Need help with soldering!!!!

Do you have a little soldering tool? I'll use these a lot to hold the wire in place while the solder around cools enough to go from liquid to solid. If your iron isn't at least 30 watts, you won't be able to heat the joint (pot) enough to melt the solder, and you'll get what are called COLD SOLDER JOINTS. No good.

I use a 15-30 watt selectable iron. That and the little yellow tool (looks like something a dentist would use- hint) can both be found at Radio Shack.

 

[ledzepp29]

Re: Need help with soldering!!!!

I just did it, I got my sister to hold pliers that were holding the wire to the pot I held the solder tip(tinned) to the wire and waited a few seconds then applied the solder and it stuck :dance: I didn't use very much solder at all but it was solid and I gave it a slight tug and it stayed.

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: Need help with soldering!!!!

Yup. eventually you'll figure out how to do that without the help of sis.

Buy her a big mac now....

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Need help with soldering!!!!

Mmm, Big Mac...

Kind of off the subject but when I was soldering my Strat yesterday, the solder kept forming little balls and rolling away. Is this common, or was I just stoned?

-X

 

[ledzepp29]

Re: Need help with soldering!!!!

when you were tinning? at first the solder would flow onto it fine but then later on that day I plugged it in again and the solder would ball up and fall off the end so I just unplugged it and tried it like an hour later and let it heat up for a while and it worked fine.

 

[rspst14]

Re: Need help with soldering!!!!

That happens because it's difficult to heat the pot casings enough to allow the solder to flow properly and stick. That's why I recommend 40 watt irons, it makes soldering to a pot infinitely easier.

Ryan

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: Need help with soldering!!!!

The hardest thing about soldering is figuring out where you're going to locate those other seven or eight hands you'll need to make the connection clean.

I found the little electrical clips to be a godsend; they're great for keeping things out of the way and setting up your connection in place. The other thing I have found to do (or not in this case) is rush the job. Whatever time you think you'll need to complete the job, multiply it by 10 and give yourself that much time.

Never drop a new pickup in the afternoon before a gig that night if you don't have to. I only made that mistake once.