Soldering 101
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Little Pigbacon
Guest
Re: Soldering 101
It’s good luck. Keeps Ol’ Scratch at bay.
It’s good luck. Keeps Ol’ Scratch at bay.
Gtrjunior
Well-known member
Re: Soldering 101
Gotcha. I had a feeling that’s what it was for but I wasn’t certain. Thanks!
Gotcha. I had a feeling that’s what it was for but I wasn’t certain. Thanks!
Gtrjunior
Well-known member
metalchurch79
New member
Re: Soldering 101
Ive been trying to reach that fella.
Ive been trying to reach that fella.
Gtrjunior
Well-known member
Re: Soldering 101
The neat cleanliness of this job has me all jealous.... pleaaaaase don't me that's leadfree RoHS tin????
PS what's with the pickshaped pots, what are those?
See how this soldering job has more than 1 blob on the back of the pots?
Had he tried to put more wire into the same blob it would have loosened the existing soldered wires.
The neat cleanliness of this job has me all jealous.... pleaaaaase don't me that's leadfree RoHS tin????
PS what's with the pickshaped pots, what are those?
Gtrjunior
Well-known member
Re: Soldering 101
I was wondering the same thing.
I grabbed this pic from another thread on this forum. It’s EricH’s perpetual burn thread.
But hell yeah, that’s some nice clean work right there.
I was wondering the same thing.
I grabbed this pic from another thread on this forum. It’s EricH’s perpetual burn thread.
But hell yeah, that’s some nice clean work right there.
ErikH
Well-known member
Re: Soldering 101
That's actually factory soldering / wiring from Gibson. 2009 LP Trad Pro. Not sure if it's lead free or not. My work looks very similar though, and sometimes less solder depending. Those pots with the black pick-like thing on the back are push/pull pots. Here, they are the volume pots. Very nice to work with. Since splitting is all that is needed, they are SPST.
These: https://www.stewmac.com/Pickups_and...s/Potentiometers/CTS_Push-pull_Pots_SPST.html
That's actually factory soldering / wiring from Gibson. 2009 LP Trad Pro. Not sure if it's lead free or not. My work looks very similar though, and sometimes less solder depending. Those pots with the black pick-like thing on the back are push/pull pots. Here, they are the volume pots. Very nice to work with. Since splitting is all that is needed, they are SPST.
These: https://www.stewmac.com/Pickups_and...s/Potentiometers/CTS_Push-pull_Pots_SPST.html
timtheshredder
New member
Re: Soldering 101
The best advice I can give you is to simply buy an inexpensive Weller soldering station on Amazon. It should run about $40. It should come with some solder and flux. Then just start practicing on scrap wire and old electronics or pots. A lot of soldering is just a feeling thing. You just kind of know when it's hot enough and when you have a solid connection. Just practice for like an hour. You will get the hang of it. It's not hard.
The best advice I can give you is to simply buy an inexpensive Weller soldering station on Amazon. It should run about $40. It should come with some solder and flux. Then just start practicing on scrap wire and old electronics or pots. A lot of soldering is just a feeling thing. You just kind of know when it's hot enough and when you have a solid connection. Just practice for like an hour. You will get the hang of it. It's not hard.
vocalnoise
New member
Re: Soldering 101
Alcohol to clean, I assume. . . I am trying to figure out what flux is for though.
J
Alcohol to clean, I assume. . . I am trying to figure out what flux is for though.
J
vocalnoise
New member
Re: Soldering 101
I have this dang affliction where when I do tiny work like soldering, my entire back decides that it's helpful to tense up like a drum . . . not good for wanting to learn this stuff. I now see why some folks in other forums mention smoking some stuff before starting. . . I stopped that over 10 yrs ago, but even if I did still do that, I think I'd forget what I was doing and somehow wind up stringing my guitar with solder! Ha!
Practice does help though.
One more quesiton on the size of solder blobs. I seem to remember from modding some rc cars (the fast ones, 80-100mph things, not little radio shak ones) that a blob that is too big can cause issues with the current and cause performance issues. . .is this an issue on guitars? I am glad to know multiple blobs are ok on pots . . . my push/pull tap has a tiny tab that is for grounding, but when I have an HSS setup, that means I have 5-7 wires to attach on that thing. Surely I can ground to more than just that little tab. Can I ground anywhere that is metal on the pot?
J
I have this dang affliction where when I do tiny work like soldering, my entire back decides that it's helpful to tense up like a drum . . . not good for wanting to learn this stuff. I now see why some folks in other forums mention smoking some stuff before starting. . . I stopped that over 10 yrs ago, but even if I did still do that, I think I'd forget what I was doing and somehow wind up stringing my guitar with solder! Ha!
Practice does help though.
One more quesiton on the size of solder blobs. I seem to remember from modding some rc cars (the fast ones, 80-100mph things, not little radio shak ones) that a blob that is too big can cause issues with the current and cause performance issues. . .is this an issue on guitars? I am glad to know multiple blobs are ok on pots . . . my push/pull tap has a tiny tab that is for grounding, but when I have an HSS setup, that means I have 5-7 wires to attach on that thing. Surely I can ground to more than just that little tab. Can I ground anywhere that is metal on the pot?
J
Gtrjunior
Well-known member
Re: Soldering 101
I don’t think a big blob will affect the performance at all..but I think the general consensus is that you want to use as little solder as possible.
And yes, you can ground to any metal surface on the push/pull. You don’t have to do it all on the tab. But that makes a good opportunity to tin and attach several wires together to try to get them on the tab.
Flux is a liquid that you drip onto the wires. It helps to clean the surface, and when you go to tin the wire the solder seem to be attracted to the flux-rd surface and it spreads out nicely on the wire.
I don’t think a big blob will affect the performance at all..but I think the general consensus is that you want to use as little solder as possible.
And yes, you can ground to any metal surface on the push/pull. You don’t have to do it all on the tab. But that makes a good opportunity to tin and attach several wires together to try to get them on the tab.
Flux is a liquid that you drip onto the wires. It helps to clean the surface, and when you go to tin the wire the solder seem to be attracted to the flux-rd surface and it spreads out nicely on the wire.
vocalnoise
New member
Re: Soldering 101
Yes, those are what I am referring to (the 6 pins on the push/pull pot thing). Even though I do tin those, I am going mad trying to get my tinned wire to actually connect to the tinned post. I hold the solder iron tip to the post (chisel tip) and set the tinned wire on there, but even with heat up to 500 or 600F, I cannot get the wire to stay put long enough for the solder to dry. Even slightly shaky hands seems to make this soldering thing an exercise in futility. I think I saw somebody mention here or in another thread/forum using a drop of superglue to hold the dang wire in place. I am very close to resorting to that if it doesn't screw anything up.
Jon
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
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.
Those 6 little lugs are too small to pass a wire through.
Yes, those are what I am referring to (the 6 pins on the push/pull pot thing). Even though I do tin those, I am going mad trying to get my tinned wire to actually connect to the tinned post. I hold the solder iron tip to the post (chisel tip) and set the tinned wire on there, but even with heat up to 500 or 600F, I cannot get the wire to stay put long enough for the solder to dry. Even slightly shaky hands seems to make this soldering thing an exercise in futility. I think I saw somebody mention here or in another thread/forum using a drop of superglue to hold the dang wire in place. I am very close to resorting to that if it doesn't screw anything up.
Jon
ErikH
Well-known member
Re: Soldering 101
Use thinner wire (if you're not talking about the pickup wires). You should be able to put the tip of the wire in the eyelet, bend it over once to hold it, iron tip to the eyelet, flow solder (not a lot), remove iron tip. It's a passive circuit, thicker or thinner wire makes zero difference, IME/IMO.
Use thinner wire (if you're not talking about the pickup wires). You should be able to put the tip of the wire in the eyelet, bend it over once to hold it, iron tip to the eyelet, flow solder (not a lot), remove iron tip. It's a passive circuit, thicker or thinner wire makes zero difference, IME/IMO.
Ayrton
New member
Re: Soldering 101
I am going to sound like a jerk when I post this, but I swear I am not.
Watch the damn videos. If you don’t know what flux is for, look it up.
Clean the terminal with an alcohol soaked cotton swab.
Lightly tin both the wire and terminal.
Insert wire into small hole on terminal
Add drop of liquid flux
Add solder to hot iron
Touch hot iron to joint
Done
I am going to sound like a jerk when I post this, but I swear I am not.
Watch the damn videos. If you don’t know what flux is for, look it up.
Clean the terminal with an alcohol soaked cotton swab.
Lightly tin both the wire and terminal.
Insert wire into small hole on terminal
Add drop of liquid flux
Add solder to hot iron
Touch hot iron to joint
Done
vocalnoise
New member
Re: Soldering 101
Yup. Sort of sound like a jerk, but I get why: it annoys you that I am asking questions before picking through all of the literature and watching all of the videos. I do get that. No need to hedge being a bit jerk-ish about it. I am simply trying to get answers as quickly as possible since I am trying to get this thing in working order before my neice's birthday when I plan on passing this guitar to her. I work 2 full-time jobs and this is a hobby on the side, so the time to watch videos and research is not quite as abundant as I would like.
I am cleaning everything, wearing gloves, tinning wires and posts and inserting wire when possible into the tiny holes on the posts (easier on pots than on toggle switches). My trouble is when there are too many wires to fit through the small holes of a toggle switch, or when one wire is soldered in place, but heating up the post to attach another causes the first to pop off. I am finding that even at 600 degrees F that touching the posts is not melting solder as quickly as the videos that I have watched thus far seem to show (I have seen the post that says not to go over about 450F, which baffles me). I deal with shaking hands which makes this all the more fun . . . part of wanting to learn this is to help me get control of the shakes via practice (and so I can put my own love and effort into this gift for my neice).
I do appreciate the tips, and I do not mind candor. I am hoping to finish this in time for her birthday, so the shortcut answers are very much appreciated, but I am watching videos and looking things up as I have time at work.
J
Yup. Sort of sound like a jerk, but I get why: it annoys you that I am asking questions before picking through all of the literature and watching all of the videos. I do get that. No need to hedge being a bit jerk-ish about it. I am simply trying to get answers as quickly as possible since I am trying to get this thing in working order before my neice's birthday when I plan on passing this guitar to her. I work 2 full-time jobs and this is a hobby on the side, so the time to watch videos and research is not quite as abundant as I would like.
I am cleaning everything, wearing gloves, tinning wires and posts and inserting wire when possible into the tiny holes on the posts (easier on pots than on toggle switches). My trouble is when there are too many wires to fit through the small holes of a toggle switch, or when one wire is soldered in place, but heating up the post to attach another causes the first to pop off. I am finding that even at 600 degrees F that touching the posts is not melting solder as quickly as the videos that I have watched thus far seem to show (I have seen the post that says not to go over about 450F, which baffles me). I deal with shaking hands which makes this all the more fun . . . part of wanting to learn this is to help me get control of the shakes via practice (and so I can put my own love and effort into this gift for my neice).
I do appreciate the tips, and I do not mind candor. I am hoping to finish this in time for her birthday, so the shortcut answers are very much appreciated, but I am watching videos and looking things up as I have time at work.
J
