Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

[CajunBlues]

The soldering Iron I have does ok for small jobs like soldering wire to hot connections on pots... But it doesn't do weel if I want to solder wire to the top of the pot or if I had to solder a pickup cover...

What power would I need ? What kind of soldering tools would you reccommend ? What do the pros use ?

 

[Kam]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

Mine is 30 watt and I've never had a problem, though I've heard that a lot of people use 45 watt irons without a problem too.

If you're having problems specifically with pots and covers then it's probably the way you're doing it. Make sure the surfaces are clean or the solder won't stick. Tin both connections and the tip of your iron first as well. And if that doesn't work then it can sometimes help to rough the surface a little to allow the solder to stick. I know running some light sandpaper over the claw in my vintage trem system worked wonders for allowing a particularly stubborn ground wire to set up home there.

And be careful you don't overheat and fry your pots, especially if you buy a stronger iron.

Good luck.

EDIT: I might not have been specific enough with my advice on the irons. A higher watt iron doesn't really mean that it gets hotter, it means that it has more power in reserve to cope with bigger joints. That's why they're generally better for desoldering covers, because they usually have quite large blobs of solder on them and a smaller iron can cool down too quickly as its heat dissipates through the joint while not heating it up enough to really melt it.

 

[Kam]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

There's quite a good guide on soldering here: http://www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk/solderfaq.htm

It's a long read but definitely worth it. There's quite a lot in there you can just skip through, I guess, as it mostly pertains to soldering much larger and more complicated circuits than the ones in your guitar but the basic techniques and tricks are the same.

 

[CajunBlues]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

thanks Kam... So what brand/model of iron would be good...

 

[blueman335]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

You want less wattage, not more. Solder melts at a low temp. A hotter iron liquifies the solder too fast & makes it run all over, which can then short things out. Plus you can overheat pots easier & ruin them.

 

[Kam]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

Any brand should work really. Mine is just a basic 30watt iron I picked up in an electronic store for £15.00. It's a Skytronic, I think. It works fine but I've gone through about three of them in the last five years so it really depends how much you're going to use it.

Get a simple stand for it too, that'll help keep it out of your way when you're not using it. Trust me, I have scars from leaving irons turned on while they're just balanced on the edge of my desk.

You should be able to pick one up from...I dunno, what stores do you Americans usually use for your electronic equipment? Radioshack or something? They should stock them in any hardware or electronic shop really. Or maybe online on a website like Stewmac or something. Just google it and you should find something.

 

[Kam]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

You want less wattage, not more. Solder melts at a low temp. A hotter iron liquifies the solder too fast & makes it run all over, which can then short things out. Plus you can overheat pots easier & ruin them.

I just recommended a higher power because he mentioned pots and pickup covers, which generally have much larger amounts of solder on them and smaller irons (in my experiance) can have trouble dealing with the amount of solder, rather than the melting point of solder.

Although I still think your problem is that the surfaces aren't clean enough for the solder to stick to. I'd try wiping them off and trying again with the iron you have before I went to a higher strength.

 

[CajunBlues]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

I guess I may be doing something wrong... Because this is what I think I use
http://www.cooperhandtools.com/brands/CF_Files/model_detail.cfm?upc=037103211330

 

[Kam]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

Well, I'm not familiar with that tool, though it looks like it should work. Keep in mind that I'm operating on extremely limited sleep today... :banghead:

What exactly is the problem you're having? Is it just with grounding on the pots and desoldering pickup covers or are you having trouble with all the joints? Is it that the solder won't stick to the surfaces? Is it by any chance beading up into a little ball rather than spreading out nice and evenly across the surface? What kind of solder are you using?

 

[CajunBlues]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

My problem...

lets take the example of me trying to solder a groud wire to the top of a pot...

I put the iron onto the wire and hold the wire against the pot using my iron...
I try to heat up the wire /pot by applying the iron for about 2 minutes
I then use a very thin gauge solder and press the solder against the boundary between the wire and the pot (not touching the iron) and it never melts.. It doesnt get hot enough...

the only way I can get the solder to melt is if I apply it to the soldering gun tip.. which is what I have always been told not to do... and even if I do that the solder only applies to the wire and not the pot and I never get a good connection...

 

[jcthejester13]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

My problem...

lets take the example of me trying to solder a groud wire to the top of a pot...

I put the iron onto the wire and hold the wire against the pot using my iron...
I try to heat up the wire /pot by applying the iron for about 2 minutes
I then use a very thin gauge solder and press the solder against the boundary between the wire and the pot (not touching the iron) and it never melts.. It doesnt get hot enough...

the only way I can get the solder to melt is if I apply it to the soldering gun tip.. which is what I have always been told not to do... and even if I do that the solder only applies to the wire and not the pot and I never get a good connection...

Try not to heat it up too long. Sometimes just for ease, I use a large soldering gun or even a propane torch (dialed into just a small flame) to hit the spot fast with really condensed heat. If you sit on it with heat (say 30w) for too long you can fuse the shaft of the pot to the chassis (I learned that the hard way). The pot is bound to act like a heat-sink but if you blast it just really fast with high heat then use your smaller soldering pen to heat the solder, the pot should get the solder to flow really well. You have to do it relatively quickly though, before your quick shot of high heat dissipates.

 

[CajunBlues]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

I am not sure how I could be heating up my pot too much if it's not even hot enough to melt the solder ?? Maybe this is rocket science... I don't know ...

Anyway, I was reading and could it be my tip needs to be replaced ? it may be bad from all the solder on it ? I will try that..

 

[jcthejester13]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

Try and score up the surface a little more if you haven't already.

And there are two different types of heat that we are talking about here. What you have is slow heating, which heats through the entire pot, thus taking a really really long time to get enough heat to get solder to stick to it. Then there is quick heating, where you blast it with a really condensed, really heated shot of heat (I usually use a torch), which leaves just the spot you are looking to solder to super hot for a few seconds.

If you do a slow deep heat, the solder will take forever to solidify because the pot stays hot for too long. If you do a quick shot of deep heat in one area it will cool off faster because the surrounding area around the solder point is still cool, thus giving the heat room to dissipate.

In a way, soldering is rocket science. There are a lot of physics that go into good soldering. But do you see what I am getting at now?

Quick deep heat.

 

[CajunBlues]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

Yes, now I understand... Thank you... Do you think my tip may be an issue ? and I will try roughing up the pot first.

Maybe I need a torch ?

 

[guitarded]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

The soldering Iron I have does ok for small jobs like soldering wire to hot connections on pots... But it doesn't do weel if I want to solder wire to the top of the pot or if I had to solder a pickup cover...

What power would I need ? What kind of soldering tools would you reccommend ? What do the pros use ?

I have one that switches between 30 watts and 15. I think 30W is the min power you need to get solder to flow on pot chassis's.

 

[bluesbend]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

I use a 25 watt for everything except soldering/desoldering pickup covers. For that I use a 45 watt.

 

[shredhed]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

I always flash whatever I'm soldering with solder.

Preheat the wire and apply solder to it. Next the pot. I even will rough it up a bit with an emory board and apply a bit of solder there.

Also I've found it really helps to use a bit of flux. It helps with heat transfer. It lets me get on it with heat and off quickly before I get anything too hot

Hope that all made sense

 

[jcthejester13]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

Also I've found it really helps to use a bit of flux. It helps with heat transfer. It lets me get on it with heat and off quickly before I get anything too hot

+1

Your tip is probably just fine Cajun. Looking at the specs of the soldering gun you are using, I don't think you should need a torch when you are set on your highest heat setting. I think if you score an area on the pot and use a bit of flux, the solder should flow pretty well.

I take back what I said. There is one thing you can check on your tip just to make sure it is working well. Your soldering tip should be clean, and well tinned. If you don't know what tinning is; it is a small layer of solder covering the tip of the soldering iron. A smooth well-tinned tip will help the solder start flowing more easily. It will also give you better ability to "move" the solder because the tinning attracts the flowing solder. I hope that helps

 

[CajunBlues]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

I always flash whatever I'm soldering with solder.

Preheat the wire and apply solder to it. Next the pot. I even will rough it up a bit with an emory board and apply a bit of solder there.

Also I've found it really helps to use a bit of flux. It helps with heat transfer. It lets me get on it with heat and off quickly before I get anything too hot

Hope that all made sense

This not only makes sense... but very intuitive... Sounds like I can accomplish this...

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Solder Iron Needed For Pickups What Power ?

I use a Weller soldering station that lets me go from like 15 watts up to 50 watts....Tinning the wire is best and I also like sanding the area of the pot so it's shiney..I stay on the connection "just" long enough to get a nice shiny,flowing connection...If you're good with a soldering iron,you can use more heat and not damage anything...I've even used the 50 watt setting around pcb in some pedals,but with real thin solder and good technique..Anytime I'm soldering resistors,capacitors,or any type of electrical component,I always use a heat sink!