Soldering - Help Needed
- Thread starter waylay00
- Start date
Re: Soldering - Help Needed
I have never put flux on the back of my pots and they're clean and they work fine.
If you want to solder a few wires, a Radio Shack iron will do, unless you plan on soldering a lot of electric circuits in the future. The Weller will last much longer and it has different tip fonfigurations that you can switch.
I suggest you get a pair of small long nose pliers as I had suggested in another thread. You use it to hold the wires when you solder and it makes you job a lot easier.
I have never put flux on the back of my pots and they're clean and they work fine.
If you want to solder a few wires, a Radio Shack iron will do, unless you plan on soldering a lot of electric circuits in the future. The Weller will last much longer and it has different tip fonfigurations that you can switch.
I suggest you get a pair of small long nose pliers as I had suggested in another thread. You use it to hold the wires when you solder and it makes you job a lot easier.
Re: Soldering - Help Needed
So basically here is the process I need to follow:
1. Get a wet sponge and have it handy
2. Sand the back of the pots a little bit
3. Heat up the iron
4. Apply a little flux on the back of the pot
5. Apply or "Tin" a small bead of solder to the iron
6. Apply or "Tin" a small amount of solder to the surface of the pot and to the wire that will be connected to it.
7. Hold the tinned pot and the tinned wire together
8. Hold the heated soldering iron near where the pot and the wire are touching
9. Allow the solder to begin melting and flowing together
10. Take the iron off and allow the solder to harden
Is this correct?
So basically here is the process I need to follow:
1. Get a wet sponge and have it handy
2. Sand the back of the pots a little bit
3. Heat up the iron
4. Apply a little flux on the back of the pot
5. Apply or "Tin" a small bead of solder to the iron
6. Apply or "Tin" a small amount of solder to the surface of the pot and to the wire that will be connected to it.
7. Hold the tinned pot and the tinned wire together
8. Hold the heated soldering iron near where the pot and the wire are touching
9. Allow the solder to begin melting and flowing together
10. Take the iron off and allow the solder to harden
Is this correct?
Re: Soldering - Help Needed
Looks good except for #8. With a teardrop of solder on it, try to put the iron on BOTH the wire and pot. When they both heat up sufficiently, the solder will run onto them.
Throw some solder on the tip from time to time as you work so it wont dry out too much.
waylay00 said:
Looks good except for #8. With a teardrop of solder on it, try to put the iron on BOTH the wire and pot. When they both heat up sufficiently, the solder will run onto them.
Throw some solder on the tip from time to time as you work so it wont dry out too much.
octavedoctor
New member
Re: Soldering - Help Needed
Screening is just what you wild colonial boys call shielding.
Here's a quick glossary.
Brit = American
screening/screen = shielding
earth = ground
signal = hot
those are the basic differences in terminology, i'lll try and remember to write in American next time
just added one more:-
When you hear me refer to the signal and return wires, the return wire is the one coming from the other end of the coil, opposite to the signal (hot) wire which is the pickups output wire. This is normally connected to earth (ground) but i use the term to distinguish it from the screen (sheild) and earth (ground) wires because there are some circumstances when the return does not go to earth, such as in polarity switching circuits, where the signal and return wires can reverse their function, or series connections where the signal wire of one coil is linked to the return wire of another.
It's the use of terms borrowed from outside of the field of low voltage audio technology (like hot wire) or terms used incorrectly or inappropriately (like phase) that causes so much confusion for people learning the skills.
As you can see, one of the reasons i use the term screen is i can never firkin spell sheidlign!
Sorry i'm british, I can't help it...papersoul said:Octavedoctor.......what is screeening??? You lost me brother.
Screening is just what you wild colonial boys call shielding.
Here's a quick glossary.
Brit = American
screening/screen = shielding
earth = ground
signal = hot
those are the basic differences in terminology, i'lll try and remember to write in American next time
just added one more:-
When you hear me refer to the signal and return wires, the return wire is the one coming from the other end of the coil, opposite to the signal (hot) wire which is the pickups output wire. This is normally connected to earth (ground) but i use the term to distinguish it from the screen (sheild) and earth (ground) wires because there are some circumstances when the return does not go to earth, such as in polarity switching circuits, where the signal and return wires can reverse their function, or series connections where the signal wire of one coil is linked to the return wire of another.
It's the use of terms borrowed from outside of the field of low voltage audio technology (like hot wire) or terms used incorrectly or inappropriately (like phase) that causes so much confusion for people learning the skills.
As you can see, one of the reasons i use the term screen is i can never firkin spell sheidlign!
Last edited:
octavedoctor
New member
Re: Soldering - Help Needed
It's not a cheaper way at all, it's more expensive to make but offers superior noise cancellation to separate signal and return (ground) wires, but as always there is a compromise.
Screened wire has a capacitance per unit length and the more you have of it, the bigger the capacitance the pickup coil "sees" across its output. For this reason many people feel it is preferable to have separate signal and return wires and screen the cavity instead. This is less efficient at reducing noise (although still very effective) and the capacitance effect is not such an issue.
I have never found that the use of screened cable significantly affects the sound of a pickup myself and don't hesitate to use it but others may be more sensitive than I.
Yes, the screen/shield still has to be connected to the earth circuit (pot casing)
Technique: tin the screen, tin the pot casing, use the minimum amount of heat required to acheive "wet' soldering, then bring the two tinned areas together and apply the minimum amount of heat required to cause the tinned surfaces to weld together. Tinning your soldering iron helps this...
papersoul said:
It's not a cheaper way at all, it's more expensive to make but offers superior noise cancellation to separate signal and return (ground) wires, but as always there is a compromise.
Screened wire has a capacitance per unit length and the more you have of it, the bigger the capacitance the pickup coil "sees" across its output. For this reason many people feel it is preferable to have separate signal and return wires and screen the cavity instead. This is less efficient at reducing noise (although still very effective) and the capacitance effect is not such an issue.
I have never found that the use of screened cable significantly affects the sound of a pickup myself and don't hesitate to use it but others may be more sensitive than I.
Yes, the screen/shield still has to be connected to the earth circuit (pot casing)
Technique: tin the screen, tin the pot casing, use the minimum amount of heat required to acheive "wet' soldering, then bring the two tinned areas together and apply the minimum amount of heat required to cause the tinned surfaces to weld together. Tinning your soldering iron helps this...
neosadist
New member
Re: Soldering - Help Needed
Shouldn't travel far enough up the wire to hurt the pickup. Just watch the solder. When it's on there, it's on there, bring the iron off the solder point, etc. As for brand of flux (other response), I'm not sure. My friend is asleep. However, it should look like a glob of fat and oil, brownish, more of a gel, but I think it's still called "paste" flux. Make sure it's for soldering and you should be just fine.
tone said:
Shouldn't travel far enough up the wire to hurt the pickup. Just watch the solder. When it's on there, it's on there, bring the iron off the solder point, etc. As for brand of flux (other response), I'm not sure. My friend is asleep. However, it should look like a glob of fat and oil, brownish, more of a gel, but I think it's still called "paste" flux. Make sure it's for soldering and you should be just fine.
neosadist
New member
Re: Soldering - Help Needed
I'd also recommend doing the shielded wires thing, as opposed to shielding the cavity. Shielded wires are easier once you get the hang of soldering the shields to a ground point. And if you're using shielded wires, you shouldn't need to shield the cavities, etc, so that usually takes away a lot of work. Mine is shielded wires, no shielded cavities, and the SD pickup wires are shielded themselves (the whole bundle, that is). You shield to keep out external interference. With single coil pickups, however, I'd rather go with shielding the cavities because single coils will receive almost all interference. It's too in depth to start talking about all this here and now, but I'd just recommend buying shielded wire for doing your guitar.
I'd also recommend doing the shielded wires thing, as opposed to shielding the cavity. Shielded wires are easier once you get the hang of soldering the shields to a ground point. And if you're using shielded wires, you shouldn't need to shield the cavities, etc, so that usually takes away a lot of work. Mine is shielded wires, no shielded cavities, and the SD pickup wires are shielded themselves (the whole bundle, that is). You shield to keep out external interference. With single coil pickups, however, I'd rather go with shielding the cavities because single coils will receive almost all interference. It's too in depth to start talking about all this here and now, but I'd just recommend buying shielded wire for doing your guitar.
