hey yall.. my current solderin iron, and solder is crap what type of Iron and solder do you suggest (mine also has magnetic properties.. everytime i try to solder an LEd it flings up and attaches to iron) anyways... If you could give me any lowdown on what type of solder and Iron you use that would be helpful when i buy a new one ( i cleaned off one of the wood burning bits on mine... and now its been retired as a burrito warmer...
Whatever you do, don't use it to melt plastic, because there is icky goop all over it. And if you do melt plastic, don't use the Dremel grinding wheel to grind the plastic off. Then the tip turns black and can't melt the solder at all. And if that happens, don't grind the black stuff off because it will just turn black again. Not that I have ever done that
I have a fabulous gas-powered soldering iron, it heats in mere seconds, has a quite precision nib and can be heated VERY hot. The gas is cheap as heck too, so no worries. Id suggest you get one - it just looks like a permanenet marker. Gas runs out after about 10 mins or so but you just refill takes 2 secs.
ohh okay so your using a Gas powered soldering iron? isn't that a lil inprecise though? like if you had to do some solderin in a tight corner wouldn't it just melt everthing or if you were soldering a small wire, wouldn't it melt the plastic part of the insulated wire?
i love my gas solder pen, lightweight, precise, and no cord to tangle with. oh yeah and it heats in seconds. good for small quick jobs.. I just wish i had baught the kit one that came with all the c00l soldier tips oh yeah, 210
I have 2 soldering irons... One run of the mill yellow one with a "spring" base with an angled tip, and my 12 second gun iron for the not so delicate quickie jobs.. (very handy for tinning)
Okay so gas?.. what type of solder do you use (bare wid me here, before i stayed away from most wiring cause my solderin iron sux)
I've been reading that most case modifiers prefer to use silver solder because it's very effective and also tins very easy. But I'd like to know (don't mean to steal your thread Metarinka), what exactly is tinning?
Tinning is when you coat the componants connection with a thin layer of solder. It makes the solder stick alot faster and better when it comes to making the actual solder joint . I dont have a preference for the type of solder tho really. I just use some of this at the moment. Im sure there is better but this is fine.
Tinning is the only way to go when you'r trying to solder multistrand cables to PCB. All you do is hold the soldering iron under the bare cable, wait a few seconds.. Then touch the top with the solder until the cable turns silver. Then what I usually do is clip the end off at 45degrees. It makes the cable stick to the circuit board a lot better and stops strands of cable fraying when been inserted.
Ahaha, I guess I was already doing this all along. Just never knew that was the terminology. Sure do feel dumb for not knowing though . BUt in any case, at least I was doing it all along .
IMHO i would go for an Antex 25w soldering iron as these heat up real quick, last for years, comfortable to solder with and retail at about £15. Make sure you go for resin cored solder as this has flux in it which cleans the solder joint as you solder. When you solder, always make sure you heat the tinned joint whilst adding solder simultaniously. Dont apply solder to the iron first then dab it on the joint as this will just leave you with dry joints. All your solder joints should be nice n shiny. One last thing, always make sure you keep the tip of the iron clean by using a damp sponge. I clean the tip every time i pick up the iron to solder again. Good luck.
There is a tip on the end with a gause (?sp) that allows the gas to burn hot without a flame so it won't metl every thing it comes near (you might burn your fingers if you aren't careful though ) I use multi core solder that needs no flux. As for silver solder, this is of no use for electronics as it needs a naked flame to melt it, and the use of silver flux. Gas is the way to go just don't get the one from Maplins as it is rubbish. Gas irons don't like you leaving them on for too long at any one time. Meblin
I would have to agree... I use a variable output Weller (0-45 W) and it is important to use the iron CLEAN... it will keep forever with good tips as long as you keep it clean. something like 44 rosin core (24 guage is pretty good, Keeps it easy to melt, but not too much solder for small jobs...) solder is what I use.. paste is not necessary. except maybe to clean your iron with... I also have a gas iron, but I only use it if I can't get power where I'm soldering... Otherwise, it's the weller setup...
thanx all for your help.. i'm gonna go out now pick up some new solder and an new iron.. probably gas.. cause where i am i dont have manyy power outlets near... thanx for you help... now i'll i gotta learn is tinning...
personally i use a 100w gun for soldering ... not good for pcb or breadboard, but for wire joints its perfect ... the real trick is to use heatsinks ... like the alligator clips on a 3rd hand or the small curve tipped hemostats .... and i believe the "silver solder" referances above were alluding to 97/3 electronics solder, which is 97% silver and 3% zinc ... lead free and resin cored ... hard to find nowadays ... but it used to be available at radio shack and the like ... i prefer it cause it has a sligtly higher melt point, which gives stronger joints
