Soldering 101

Re: Soldering 101

jcthejester13 said:
I never go through tips. Ever. How do you manage to go through so many tips?
Click to expand...

Part of it is that I use lead free solder so that my pedals are RoHS compliant, and that stuff is pretty hard on tips. I had one tip literally cave in on itself it was so corroded.
 
Re: Soldering 101

THAT is my problem as well! What am I doing wrong?

lex666 said:
Lots of good tips here.

I would also like to recommend getting a good soldering iron with easy to find and easy to replace tips. As a novice, I seemed to go thru a tip about every 3 to 4 projects. I'm probably doing something wrong, but thats part of the learning curve for me. Luckily, I was able to find replacement tips at my local Sears.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Soldering 101

I don't know why I got thru so many tips. Maybe you guys can tell me. Here's what I've done:

I switched from a 30 watt iron to a 40 watt. IME, a higher wattage was easier, especially on the back of pots. I had alot of cold solder joints using the 30w. The 40w heats up and melt s solder in seconds.

I always tin the tips first. Melt solder on the tip and let it set. Wipe off any excess on a moist sponge. Repeat 3 or 4 times until there's a nice silver layer of solder on the tip.

I do my project, wiping off excess solder to the sponge. Maybe I'm doing this too often?

Sometimes I leave the set the iron on the stand for a few minutes as I prepare the next soolder joint. Could this be the reason?

?? Other than that, I'm not sure if I'm doing anything out of the ordinary that would cause me to go thru so many tips...
 
Re: Soldering 101

lex666 said:
I don't know why I got thru so many tips. Maybe you guys can tell me. Here's what I've done:

I switched from a 30 watt iron to a 40 watt. IME, a higher wattage was easier, especially on the back of pots. I had alot of cold solder joints using the 30w. The 40w heats up and melt s solder in seconds.

I always tin the tips first. Melt solder on the tip and let it set. Wipe off any excess on a moist sponge. Repeat 3 or 4 times until there's a nice silver layer of solder on the tip.

I do my project, wiping off excess solder to the sponge. Maybe I'm doing this too often?

Sometimes I leave the set the iron on the stand for a few minutes as I prepare the next soolder joint. Could this be the reason?

?? Other than that, I'm not sure if I'm doing anything out of the ordinary that would cause me to go thru so many tips...
Click to expand...

For any wire soldering (not including plates, and pots) you should dial your iron down to like 20w. You only need the higher watts when you are doing larger objects (because they act as heat-sinks).

Do you sponge your tip immediately prior to soldering a wire, joint, etc?
 
Re: Soldering 101

lex666 said:
No. Only after to remove any excess.
Click to expand...

Try sponging it before you hit the solder. You will notice the tin on the tip get really shiny. Sponging immediately before you hit the solder will clean the tip and and remove a lot of excess grime. You may also notice that it gets the solder to flow a lot easier too (solder loves a clean tip).
 
Re: Soldering 101

When soldering several wires to the same post, how do you do this without winding up with a gigantic blob of solder that covers all the wire tips?

Also, I seem to struggle with getting one wire soldered to a post, then trying to get the second, but as the post heats, the first wire releases, and if I do get both, then when I heat the post for the 3rd, the first 2 pop off. I can only seem to fit one, maybe 2 tinned wires through the eye of the post.

Same question for small tabs that are often on a toggle switch or volume post for grounding.

When I try to twist all 3 together, I have this thick twist of wires that is difficult to attach without said thick glob resulting from trying to solder the 3 wires together, then to the post/tab.

I plan on watching videos, but this is really my main issue.

Thanks y'all
Jon
 
Soldering 101

You need to tin all of your wires first. Then melt your blob on the pots. After that you don’t need to use any more solder. You just heat the blob and dip the pre tinned wire ends into the blob.

You can make more than one blob on the pot too. You don’t need to solder all of the wires in the same place. Try soldering only two wires in a single blob and any other wires somewhere else.
Also the tab that gets bent backwards and soldered to the pot is a great place to slip wires through the hole and bend them so they stay in place...then finish the soldering job.

Remember you need to tin the wires.... it makes everything so much easier.
 
Re: Soldering 101

Gtrjunior said:
You need to tin all of your wires first. Then melt your blob on the pots. After that you don’t need to use any more solder. You just heat the blob and dip the pre tinned wire ends into the blob.

You can make more than one blob on the pot too. You don’t need to solder all of the wires in the same place. Try soldering only two wires in a single blob and any other wires somewhere else.
Also the tab that gets bent backwards and soldered to the pot is a great place to slip wires through the hole and bend them so they stay in place...then finish the soldering job.

Remember you need to tin the wires.... it makes everything so much easier.
Click to expand...

Thanks gtrjunior,

I actually am tinning the wires. That's what is so frustrating. . . seems like the tinning should help it work better than it is (using 60/40 rosin core). When I try soldering them to different places on the post, the ones that are connected already just pop off when I heat the post to attach the next wire. My understanding is that you heat the place you are connecting to, not the wire itself.

I know practice will help a bunch, but I've been at this a few weeks now and cannot get those already attached wires to stay put, even when it run them thru the clips--then end only needs to move a very slight amount to come off of the post.

I know I am missing something. The videos make it look easy.

J
 
Re: Soldering 101

vocalnoise said:
Thanks gtrjunior,

I actually am tinning the wires. That's what is so frustrating. . . seems like the tinning should help it work better than it is (using 60/40 rosin core). When I try soldering them to different places on the post, the ones that are connected already just pop off when I heat the post to attach the next wire. My understanding is that you heat the place you are connecting to, not the wire itself.

I know practice will help a bunch, but I've been at this a few weeks now and cannot get those already attached wires to stay put, even when it run them thru the clips--then end only needs to move a very slight amount to come off of the post.

I know I am missing something. The videos make it look easy.

J
Click to expand...

That’s why I suggested only soldering two together at a time. Tin the 2 wires and once they cool give them a slight twist. Then heat the spot and dip them.
The next batch of wires can be soldered to a different spot on the pot.
I like to tin before twisting wires together because it makes it easier to separate them
later should the need arise.
Also, a pair of hemostats can help in keeping things in place while you work.
It takes practice, and I’m certainly no expert but once you “get it” it’s pretty easy. Ty to pre plan what needs to be done before putting the iron to metal....that helps me.
 
Re: Soldering 101

Gtrjunior said:
That’s why I suggested only soldering two together at a time. Tin the 2 wires and once they cool give them a slight twist. Then heat the spot and dip them.
The next batch of wires can be soldered to a different spot on the pot.
I like to tin before twisting wires together because it makes it easier to separate them
later should the need arise.
Also, a pair of hemostats can help in keeping things in place while you work.
It takes practice, and I’m certainly no expert but once you “get it” it’s pretty easy. Ty to pre plan what needs to be done before putting the iron to metal....that helps me.
Click to expand...

Hadn't thought about hemostats. Great idea!
 
Re: Soldering 101

vocalnoise said:
Thanks gtrjunior,

I actually am tinning the wires. That's what is so frustrating. . . seems like the tinning should help it work better than it is (using 60/40 rosin core). When I try soldering them to different places on the post, the ones that are connected already just pop off when I heat the post to attach the next wire. My understanding is that you heat the place you are connecting to, not the wire itself.

I know practice will help a bunch, but I've been at this a few weeks now and cannot get those already attached wires to stay put, even when it run them thru the clips--then end only needs to move a very slight amount to come off of the post.

I know I am missing something. The videos make it look easy.

J
Click to expand...

Get a pack of hemostats in various sizes from amazon or a veterinary supplier for a "helping hand", lock em and lay em down on something... good for clamping stuff together and getting wires to "stay down"

PS you don't lock the work surface, but like an inch past it
 
Last edited:
Re: Soldering 101

Adieu said:
Get a pack of hemostats in various sizes from amazon or a veterinary supplier for a "helping hand", lock em and lay em down on something... good for clamping stuff together and getting wires to "stay down"

PS you don't lock the work surface, but like an inch past it
Click to expand...

I’ll also add that they can be useful for getting other wiring out of your way too.
 
Re: Soldering 101

It occurred to me that as I watch the videos, that pots are much easier as the posts are larger, and the eye holes on them are larger as well.

I am currently practicing on a Kramer Focus 6000 which does not have a 5 way switch, but rather has 3 on/off switches, one for each pickup. So they are using those square boxes with 6 posts that are very small to solder to. And they are spaced very close together, so any extra blob runs the risk of making contact with the next post/blob.

I'm using thin solder, not the thicker stuff.

I'll be trying to practice more when I get home tonight.

Fingers crossed.
Jon
 
Re: Soldering 101

vocalnoise said:
It occurred to me that as I watch the videos, that pots are much easier as the posts are larger, and the eye holes on them are larger as well.

I am currently practicing on a Kramer Focus 6000 which does not have a 5 way switch, but rather has 3 on/off switches, one for each pickup. So they are using those square boxes with 6 posts that are very small to solder to. And they are spaced very close together, so any extra blob runs the risk of making contact with the next post/blob.

I'm using thin solder, not the thicker stuff.

I'll be trying to practice more when I get home tonight.

Fingers crossed.
Jon
Click to expand...

Also...you have to tin those little posts...then when you heat it up you just touch the wire to it and hold it here until it cools. Typically those little holes you’re talking about are too small to pass the wire through.
The holes I referred to earlier are the holes on the pot lugs...these

2db6fd756b62a33625c2b988df10be9a.jpg

I think you are talking about the pots that are push/pull or otherwise multi functional. They are too small to pass a wire through.

41deedb8c5e9e763fa9e17ec30b6dcf6.jpg


Those 6 little lugs are too small to pass a wire through.
 
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