Grrr... I am still a suckass solderer

[ChadTower]

So, I hit a new level of solder sucking today.  I couldn't even get two wires properly soldered together.  I'm trying to replace a pinball coil, and damn if the two wires didn't really want to solder together... and then never to the coil lug.

I seem to be retarded when it comes to soldering no matter what I try.  The tip of the iron gets filthy immediately and then won't get hot enough to melt solder even if I leave it there for ten seconds.  I clean it off and try to retin it, but then in minutes it is filthy again and won't conduct the heat. 

I have read all the tutorials and advice and have two soldering stations and a pencil.  I still can't even manage to solder two damn wires together to make a connection.

Tonight, trying to replace a pin coil, in 15 minutes of trying, I got exactly zero connections made, burned my left index finger pretty good, and managed to have to snip/clean one of the wires so many times that now I have to extend/jumper the thing because it won't reach the coil anymore. 

 

[eccs19]

So, I hit a new level of solder sucking today.

[RayB]

No kidding... securing what you're soldering really helps.

[Brax]

How many watts is your iron? Mine's one of the lower wattages and while I'm a pretty good solderer it would be easier if I had a hotter iron. -Of course, then you have to be quicker or you could peel up the traces too.

Without seeing what you're doing.. Here's a few tips to avoid common mistakes:

Place the heat where you want the solder to go, apply the solder to the wire (or trace) - not the iron.

Use electronics solder with the flux imbedded in it.

Your finished solder should have a nice shiny look to it. A dull look is a cold solder and won't conduct very well. (If at all.) Melt it again to get it shiny.

And.. practise, practise.

[LPZ]

OT, but I tried to repair a water pipe in my house that was leaking from a solder/sweat joint and the pipe didn't want anything to do with the flux and solder.  Sometimes older wires/pipes have a hard time conducting flux/solder flow.  I didn't do any research on this extensively, but I talked with a plumber buddy of mine and he runs into this all the time with older houses.  Maybe that's the case too, with the older wires.  Just take you time and maybe you need a hotter iron.

LPZ

[mahuti]

My dad's done a fair amount of pipe soldering... he said anytime there is still water in the pipe it won't solder cuz it just won't get hot enough. He always uses bread to suck up any residual water. Doesn't work as well if it's just for repair and not for install. As far as solder for these projects... it helps if you heat up both wires for a few seconds. Won't take as long to get the solder to apply.

[LPZ]

I see where you are coming from with the water.  I drained all the water from that particular pipe and heated it with mapp gas and still it was hot as hell and I still couldn't sweat the joint.  You could heat a tanker full of gas with a torch in one spot and it won't blow up.  If you want it to blow up, heat the portion of the tank where there is no liquid gas touching the tank.  It is called a BLEVE when it explodes.  Bleve stands for:

Boiling
Liquid
Expanding
Vapor
Explosion

Credit that to my firefighting days.  Anyway too much info for this thread.

LPZ

[Luckydevil]

A few soldering tips for you...

1) Clean your two wire ends with rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball before applying flux.

This makes sure they are clean of impurities and lets the solder flow much better. I'm not sure if it is the manufacturing process on some wires, but I've had wires that were brand new and had some sort of coating on them that prevented the solder from flowing properly.

2) Get a third hand... these things rock (and they are cheap too). Just remove the magnifying glass and use the two clips to hold your wires for you. http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=319

3) If your soldering iron tip is acting up, take some sandpaper to it (when cold of course) and remove the top layer. Then retin the tip and it should be good as new.

Hope that helps.

[krick]

Make sure you have an iron no more than 25 or 30 watts.  For delicate stuff, many people recommend 15 watts.  I've tried 15 watt irons and I haven't been able to solder for crap with them.   I keep coming back to my trusty old 30 watt model.

If the tip is black, lightly sand and re-tin the tip of the iron.  If it's not shiny and silver, you won't be able to solder with it.  Google for instructions on how to properly tin the tip so you do it correctly.  It's not as simple as it seems.

Just before touching the iron to the spot you're trying to solder, I find that if I touch the solder to the tip and remove it (creating a tiny spot of wet solder), then touch that wet spot to the joint, it helps the joint heat up much faster and I can feed more solder in almost immediately.  I think the hardest part of soldering is doing it quickly enough that you don't melt wire insulation.

Keep an old wet washcloth nearby and wipe the tip of the iron off religiously while soldering, especially if you touched the solder to the tip like I mentioned above.

Get a metal solder stand designed to dissipate the iron's heat while it's waiting for the next use.  This will greatly help keep it from overheating and burning up the tip.

I got a cheap metal soldering stand from Bob Roberts..
http://homearcade.org/BBBB/ss.jpg
...the sponge is worthless but that's what I have the wet washcloth for anyway.

[mahuti]

If the tip is black, lightly sand and re-tin the tip of the iron.  If it's not shiny and silver, you won't be able to solder with it.  Google for instructions on how to properly tin the tip so you do it correctly.  It's not as simple as it seems.

Ha, so you say. Mine's totally jacked and still works like a charm. Still and all... probably good advice.

[danny_galaga]

i cant remember what sort of equipment you have but these are the main things you should remember:

1) cheap is bad when it comes to irons. you can get away with it (like i do) once youve had some experience. in my case i was an apprentice and was soldering all sorts of things every working day. you can even get solder for aluminium! but that REALLY blows to try and solder. not very saisfactory...

2) if its not copper you are soldering, it has to be REALLY clean. eg, stainless steel, aluminium

3) unless you are doing something really dodgy, avoid acid flux. this is best used for things that need a flame, for instance silver soldering stainless steel.

4) what Krick says! ie:

Just before touching the iron to the spot you're trying to solder, I find that if I touch the solder to the tip and remove it (creating a tiny spot of wet solder), then touch that wet spot to the joint, it helps the joint heat up much faster and I can feed more solder in almost immediately.  I think the hardest part of soldering is doing it quickly enough that you don't melt wire insulation.

[Orclord]

Have you tried "Tinning" the individual wires before joining them ?

I always find this helps, plus if there is any crap on the wires you will notice it because the solder will not adhere properly. You can then deal with that on it's own, rather than trying to deal with that AND joining the wires.

[bossyman15]

what about that new cold heat iron?

https://www.asseenontvnetwork.com/vcc/coldheat/coldheat/products/121315/

i'm thinking about getting it some day

it look very easy to use and safe too.

anybody used that before? (not me)

[mahuti]

I've used one... and MAN do those things suck. The tip broke after 10 minutes of use.

[bossyman15]

really!? damn! what a rip off!

[ChadTower]

I was using a 35w pencil iron... it could be that the solder I tinned on is burning in between uses... I definitely need a little clip. I was having trouble holding the wires in place, since it IS on an upturned playfield, not on a bench.  I tried using pliers but the pliers were leeching all of the heat away.  I forgot that I do have a helping hands stand, I'll steel one of the little clips from that.  Good call.

[SirPeale]

Also, remember that you're soldering a *coil*.  Those little basts suck up a LOT of heat.  So you're going to have to leave your iron there longer to get the solder to melt. 

[RetroACTIVE]

When soldering wires together... twist first as mentioned above... but place your iron tip underneath the wires and apply solder to the topside of the heated wire.

Also a good idea to keep the tip clean while working (yes when it its hot) ...give it a few swipes across a damp sponge.  Sandpaper is fine when it is cold.

Also as mentioned above, if you are using one of those cheapo irons where the tip is held in place by one little screw... don't they totally suck and will frustrate the heck out of you.  Many people don't like the old trigger Weller type... cause it is clunky... but it is really OK for basic wiring.  I would not recommend it for PCB work though.

[Tim]

Just curious.. you say coil.. Im not sure just where/what you are trying to solder on this coil but wire for coils are coated. They might look like bare wire but you never get it to solder. Try scraping the wire with a knife then try soldering it.

[ChadTower]

There are three tabs on the base of the coil that are where you would solder wires... they're designed for that.

Yeah, one of those irons where the tip is held in by one screw.  The only other irons have are both soldering stations... can't use that on an upturned playfield.

Twisting the wires didn't work because they were too short to strip very far, and I did in fact end up cutting them too far.  Now I have to pick up some wire and extend them a bit so they will reach the coil without being stressed.

Putting the tip under the wire and the solder on top would never have worked.  The solder didn't even melt to a shiny blob when I put the solder ON the tip.

[Stingray]

Putting the tip under the wire and the solder on top would never have worked.  The solder didn't even melt to a shiny blob when I put the solder ON the tip.

You sure you don't need to replace it? I use a 15 watt soldering iron and don't have anything like that problem. My old one finally got to the point where it will barely melt solder, so I replaced it.

-S

[krick]

I an iron won't melt solder when touched directly to the tip means one of two things...

1) the iron is broken, or more likely

2)  the tip needs to be cleaned and re-tinned


I've also seen situations where the tip has come partially unscrewed and doesn't conduct heat that well but that's really rare.

[Stingray]

I've also seen situations where the tip has come partially unscrewed and doesn't conduct heat that well but that's really rare.

That happened with my old one quite a bit. That would usually be the first thing I checked if it didn't seem to be getting hot enough.

-S

[ChadTower]

I must be missing something about the tinning part, though.  If I tin it, no matter what iron I use, within a few minutes the solder I tinned with becomes a charred coating on the tip, preventing heat transfer.

[RetroACTIVE]

What kind of solder are you using?

[ChadTower]

It's a good question.  A friend of me gave me an unlabeled spool and said it was electronics solder.  My next step is to chuck that and buy some that I know for sure is the right stuff.

[RetroACTIVE]

Some of the cheap stuff can have bad flux which actually creates oxidation / deposits on the tip... giving you that black crap... I've seen it before... no matter what you do you can't get rid of it...

[ChadTower]

BTW:

[MaximRecoil]

I've never had something refuse to solder unless there was a damn good reason for it. There is no magic to it. If it is clean, there is enough heat, you have flux and solder then it will solder; unless you are trying to solder unsolderable materials.

With wire, it has to be clean obviously. The easiest way to be sure of this is to cut the old exposed wire off and restrip the insulation to expose fresh wire. Twist the two sets of wires to be soldered, together, and put your iron on the bottom and solder from the top, directly to the wire after it is hot enough. If your iron isn't all that hot and the wire is a bit thick, dab a bit of solder directly to the tip of the iron near where the wire is resting, and the molten solder will flow onto the wire and dump its heat into the wire quickly, which will get the wires hot enough to take the solder quicker (at which point you solder directly to the wire as usual). Your iron or the condition of the tip doesn't matter, just as long as it gets hot (gunk on the tip isn't going to insulate it that much. I've resoldered cracked solder joints on a PCB of an old remote control with a flat bladed screw driver heated with a propane torch before and it worked perfectly (I didn't have a soldering iron on hand at the time).

Someone mentioned pipe soldering. I've never had a problem with that either, even with ancient pipes in this 150 year old house of mine. Making sure the pipe and the inside of any new joints you will be adding (elbows, couplers, etc) are clean where you intend to solder is the key, and by clean I mean rough sandpaper or a wire brush so that you expose fresh bare copper (do this to even brand new pipe and joints). Make sure everything is well fluxed, i.e. the outside of the pipe and the inside of any new joints, usually couplers for repair of old pipes. The pipe also has to be completely drained of water; the bread trick that someone mentioned earlier works well, for times when it is difficult or impossible to drain the pipes completely, such as around certain elbows.

[vader]

Had to be something with the solder like previous poster said.  You can solder or you can't.  If iron is hot and tinned, then it is the solder.  Just get some rosin core solder from rat shack and you problems will go away.  Those ratshack irons are good for the occasional job, but get yourself a good iron if you do solering constantly.  I have a Weller WLC 100 which is just a basic solder station that I paid 100 bucks for new...


eBay Link

Pick this up for under 50 now.

Tim


edit by moderator: for goodness sakes, shorten those URLs!

[bionicbadger]

from the marvin3m guide:
1b. Before Beginning: How did you learn to solder?
Soldering a new coil in a game is one thing. A sloppy job won't really affect much. Sloppy soldering on a circuit board is another matter however. A circuit board can be totally ruined with bad soldering. Also the equipment and techniques are a bit different on circuit boards than on coils.
I remember when I first learned to solder. My dad taught me with a soldering pencil, some paper clips, and some rosin core solder. I was probably 10 years old, and I thought it was fun! What he had me do first was make a box out of the paper clips. Using needlenose pliers, I constructed one side of the three dimensional box. Then I soldered the points where the paper clips came together. When I was done, it was a pretty nifty 3-D box, and I was proud.

Nostalgia aside, this was a good first experience. It taught me how to solder, at the expense of only some paper clips. If one has novice soldering skills, start small and practice! Sacrifice some paper clips and make a "box".



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1b. Before Beginning: Practice makes Perfect.
If a pinball machine is in the future plans, then the owner needs to know how to solder! Knowing how to do basic soldering of wires onto solenoids (coils) and switches is a must. Due to the vibration of solenoids and players in a pinball machines, wires do break off coils and switches. It happens, and the owner will need to know how to deal with it!
Basic soldering is pretty straight forward. Get a soldering station and some good quality solder (as decribed below). Having the right tools is 75% of the job! And remember, a good solder job on a coil or switch starts with a good *mechanical* connection. That is, the wire should be mounted to the coil or switch lug before being soldered, and stay put! After that, soldering the wire is just a matter of heating the wire and the lug *together*, and then applying a small amount of solder. The solder should be applied to the wire or lug, and *not* directly to the soldering iron's tip. This ensures the solder will flow over the wire and the lug, and that they are heated to the right temperature. The soldering iron can then be removed from the joint. Now keep the solder joint steady while it cools, otherwise it could produced a "cold" solder joint (one that does not conduct electricity freely).

Once this basic soldering is mastered, the next step (maybe!) is solder on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). If one has never soldered a PCB before, don't try your first attempt on a (expensive!) pinball CPU or Driver board! Practice on some junk boards first.

Junk circuit boards are easy to get. Video game collectors can often provide some junk JAMMA games board or other boards. Maybe there's an old PC computer (which you couldn't give away!) that's could be used. Practice circuit boards aren't that hard to find. You just gotta look. Even if one has to pay for some junk boards, it's well worth it.

Another alternative is to go to Radio Shack and buy some cheap resistors (about 50 cents for five), and some "breadboard" print circuit board material with holes, part number 276-150 at $1.19, or part number 276-168 at $2.49. Practice soldering the resistors to the board. This is not as good practice as using a real printed circuit board though (there's nothing like the real thing). Remember to clean the copper on the Radio Shack board with some Scotchbrite before trying to solder them (unsoldered virgin copper likes to oxidize, making soldering difficult). But please read the tips and info below before starting.

[ChadTower]

I have a decent quality new soldering station, as well as an old but high quality weller station.

You can't use a station on a pinball playfield, though.  Some things require a pencil you can move around a bit more.

I'm hoping it's the iron, maybe the single screw holding it in issue... I'm probably going to try again tonight with a different approach.  I'm also going to buy a coil of 12 or 16 gauge wire and some new solder, cut the wire into about 45 pieces, and solder all of them into one new line.  I'll test it at the end to make sure I have continuity.  Practice, baby.

[vader]

If you have a good station, then I don't know what the problem is besides bad solder.

and that link is a soldering pencil station 

Tim

This is the station I have....I was off on the model number

[ChadTower]

If you have a good station, then I don't know what the problem is besides bad solder.

and that link is a soldering pencil station

[vader]

If you have a good station, then I don't know what the problem is besides bad solder.

and that link is a soldering pencil station 

You can't use a station on an upright pinball playfield, as I keep saying... at least not without rigging a table to put the station itself onto.  What are you going to do, hold the pencil in one hand and the station in the other?



I'm sorry......I thought a 4 ft wire that goes from the station to the iron would be long enough.


Edit...you would need a table, tv tray anything just to put next to the pinall machine

Tim

[ChadTower]

4 feet could work in some circumstances, possibly... they should put that info in the auction.  There isn't a length in there and the picture doesn't give any indication of that either.

[vader]

I was referring to the length on my own station...different model than that...I'm looking for the length of that one out of curiosity now.  I still think your solder is the problem on your end, any iron should work fine for what your doing.

Timi

[ChadTower]

That's what I'm hoping... the solder came in an "electronics repair kit" my friend had, but eh, who knows...

[SirPeale]

Just curious.. you say coil.. Im not sure just where/what you are trying to solder on this coil but wire for coils are coated. They might look like bare wire but you never get it to solder. Try scraping the wire with a knife then try soldering it.

Pinball coils have the wires attached to solder tabs.  They're there specifically to be soldered to.

Again, the coil will suck up a *lot* of heat.  However, if when you put solder directly on the tip, and it does nothing, then it sounds like your iron is suspect.

Do you have a soldering GUN?  Tons of juice, and it'll make quick work of that job.

[MaximRecoil]

However, if when you put solder directly on the tip, and it does nothing, then it sounds like your iron is suspect.

Did he say that? Yeah, if the solder wire won't even melt when directly touching the tip then the iron is not getting hot enough, and is probably junk. Radio Shack has them for what, $7? Bob Roberts has cheap ones too for $5. In fact, he has a whole starter kit that comes with a stand and a solder sucker for $12.50 which is a hell of a deal if you ask me.

You don't need anything fancy for general purpose soldering anyway.

[ChadTower]

Yeah, maybe that iron is just junk.  I am getting tired of buying small tools, though, honestly.  I know it's part of the hobby but damn, I have two decent stations, now I have to buy a second pencil too... the Cold Heat thing turned out to be $20 into the toilet... just frustrated, mostly.

Didn't get to go to Radio Shack on the way home last night, will do so tonight, pick up the wire and known good solder.

[SirPeale]

...the Cold Heat thing turned out to be $20 into the toilet... just frustrated, mostly.

With all the bad press - ON THIS VERY SITE - about that POS, you *still* got one? 

[ChadTower]

Yeah, last year, when the item first came up for discussion.  It wasn't so well known an item then.

[ChadTower]

So, took one of the stations, some new 18g wire and some new solder.  Cut about 10 3" strips of wire.  Stripped both ends of each wire and soldered the ends together.  The first one was a mess, the second one a little better, and by the end I started to get good looking, shiny joins.

I got better results when I stripped more of the wire and made a clean, good looking and strong physical connection first.  I had to strip more insulation on either side than anticipated to do this.  I guess next step is more practice and some heat shrink tubing.  Or would electrical tape be just as effective?  I'm not going to use these practice strips for anything but I believe in practicing the way you play.

I still haven't gotten the hang of many of the techniques described above, though.  The only consistently effective way I found was to make the solid connection, wrap a bit of solder around the connection, and then actually touch the iron to the solder to melt it into the wires.  No combination like solder on top/iron on bottom would work.  The iron was on 40w.

[vader]

Chad,

Heatshrinking is easy provided you have good heatshrink.  The radioshack stuff is garbage IMO, but will work fine in a pinch.  The stuff I use is aviation grade and is really good.  I'm sure someone has some links to some better quality stuff.

Tim

[MaximRecoil]

The only consistently effective way I found was to make the solid connection, wrap a bit of solder around the connection, and then actually touch the iron to the solder to melt it into the wires.

That isn't really the best way to do it, or even a particularly good way to do it. It would be okay if you touched a bit of solder wire to the joint as you removed the iron. You want the iron and the solder wire you are feeding to the joint to leave the joint at the same time; this keep the flux flowing with no chance for it to burn out giving you a dull crappy joint and usually a peak as you pull the iron away.

No combination like solder on top/iron on bottom would work.

I made a 30 second 2.2mb MPG video (excuse the crappy webcam quality) demonstrating this with a well-used and cruddy $7 Radio Shack iron (30 watts). Right click the link and select "Save Target As..."

http://maxim.skyphix.com/solder.mpg

[ChadTower]

Dude that's awesome.  Much, much appreciated. 

First thing I noticed is that your tip is not black.  Gee, guess that could be part of my problem.  It's not even an old tip.

So, my problem is likely that I'm abusing the tip.  Burning solder on it so it won't transfer heat well. 

What I have so far:

Heat the iron -> tin the tip -> place against wire -> touch solder to wire, when wire is hot enough solder melts -> remove iron as solder melts -> wipe iron on damp sponge

Is that about right? 

I know this isn't really THAT hard. I figure I'm a reasonably competent guy, though, and if I'm having trouble with it, so will someone else.  Maybe this thread will help them out.

[vader]

Yeh...do what he did....thats a nice solder joint, but the points give it character  looks like little mountains

[MaximRecoil]

Yeh...do what he did....thats a nice solder joint, but the points give it character

[vader]

Ooop.....I mean some people leave points....yours is perfect.....I should have been more clear....my bad

Tim

[MaximRecoil]

Heat the iron -> tin the tip -> place against wire -> touch solder to wire, when wire is hot enough solder melts -> remove iron as solder melts -> wipe iron on damp sponge

Is that about right?

Yeah, you'll see the solder flow down through the wire and it will permeate it quickly when hot. Then remove the iron and solder wire at the same time.

I have actually done official solder training (both being a trainee and a trainer) when I worked in a PCB factory. I am SMT certified and soldered/inspected/repaired about 1000 PCB's a night for the 2 years I worked there. I did both surface-mount and through-hole. We had $500 Metcal MX500 irons that were the greatest thing since cheese in an aerosol can. The boards we built were for elaborate fire alarm systems like are used in schools and hospitals and such; they were categorized as "life-saving equipment" so they were extremely fussy about everything, from the soldering to the glassed in climate controlled environment to the static straps and anti-static coats.

But anyway, some types of soldering can be tricky like replacing a small 40 leg surface mount IC, but soldering a spliced wire together is pretty basic, and the same principles apply across the board for all types of soldering. If your joint is clean, you have enough heat and you have quality flux-core solder, it will solder. Keeping the tip cleaned and tinned is good practice, but not essential unless somehow the crud is thick enough to insulate the tip to the point that you aren't getting enough heat from it; though I can't say I've ever seen that happen.

[ChadTower]

The thing that gets me at this point is that you had that iron on the wire for only a couple of seconds... I could do it that way for 15 and not get the solder melted. 

[MaximRecoil]

The thing that gets me at this point is that you had that iron on the wire for only a couple of seconds... I could do it that way for 15 and not get the solder melted.

[ChadTower]

The other thing I noticed is that since you have iron in one hand, solder in the other, something else is holding the wires.

I should do that.  I have one of those helping hands things but never use it because the magnifying glass makes it tip over.  Dumb thing.

[RayB]

The thing that gets me at this point is that you had that iron on the wire for only a couple of seconds... I could do it that way for 15 and not get the solder melted.

[ChadTower]

Last night the iron heated up for a good 10 minutes while I was doing something else... I wonder if my irons just take a LONG time to get BACK to full heat after I've used it and wiped it with the sponge.

[MaximRecoil]

The thing that gets me at this point is that you had that iron on the wire for only a couple of seconds... I could do it that way for 15 and not get the solder melted.

[ChadTower]

How long would one expect the average $35 station iron, at 40w, to heat back up properly after a use?

Use -> wipe -> put back in cylinder

Would it take a minute?  5 minutes?

[MaximRecoil]

How long would one expect the average $35 station iron, at 40w, to heat back up properly after a use?

Use -> wipe -> put back in cylinder

Would it take a minute?

[ChadTower]

The solder I used last night is brand new, purchased from Radio Shack over the weekend.

The station itself was purchased from MCM about a year ago but only used maybe 5 times since.

[MaximRecoil]

When your iron is hot, what happens when you touch some solder wire to the tip? Does it melt it immediately? If so, your iron is hot enough. I'm assuming your solder is flux core? I can't imagine what the problem is; but if I had a hot iron, a clean joint-to-be-soldered and good flux core solder; and it would not solder, I would assume that I'd somehow entered the Twilight Zone or expect someone to jump out and say "Smile, you're on Candid Camera!"

[ChadTower]

Sometimes it melts, other times it just sits there... or gets soft and grey when it's evil.

[MaximRecoil]

Sometimes it melts, other times it just sits there... or gets soft and grey when it's evil.

The solder should melt instantly and flow around the tip, every time, all the time, for as long as you have it turned on. It sounds like your iron is wonky. Pick up a cheap one at Radio Shack and see how that does.

[ChadTower]

All three irons are wonky?  Two of them right out of the box?   

It has to be me somehow.

Could it have to do with taking too long between uses?  Say, I tin it, use it, then put it back and the tinned tip burns the solder on it? 

[MaximRecoil]

All three irons are wonky?

[Doughbroz]

If the tips on these irons are screwed into the base and/or held in by a screw, check for tightness.  They don't have to be super-tight, just snug.  Repeated heating and cooling tends to make them work loose. 

[ChadTower]

Dude, if I tried to melt solder on the brand new ceramic stovetop, my wife would jam my head on the burner.

[MaximRecoil]

Dude, if I tried to melt solder on the brand new ceramic stovetop, my wife would jam my head on the burner.

LOL. I just used that as a point to illustrate that heat is heat, and there is really no way to mess up a test to see if something hot will melt solder.

You could check to make sure any set screws on the iron are tight or whatever, like Doughbroz mentioned above, though the set screw on my iron has come loose several times and it has never affected it's ability to melt solder. I always retighten it so the tip doesn't fall out but that's all.

Unless you bought some of that heat-resistant solder from the same place they sell waterproof mops, clay hammers and teflon glue; then it has to be the irons that are at fault.

[SirPeale]

If you were closer I'd say bring the damn thing over and we'd give it a once-over.

[ChadTower]

Heh... I'll get it.  Like anything else, it's a learning process, and I'm being overly thorough about it.

[DrewKaree]

Chad, this is a bit of a long download since it's not specific to soldering (it's about making a cable) but just fast forward to where the guy solders the cable up.  He also is using something to hold the cable while he solders, but he's using a multi-directional vice.  Mebbe if you've got a vice....

http://revision3.com/systm/avcabling/media

[ChadTower]

Downloading now... the big wmv should only take about a half hour.

[DrewKaree]

Downloading now... the big wmv should only take about a half hour.

Try walking your father-in-law through downloading a file when he doesn't understand where it's going or how to find it....on dial-up.

He somehow managed to make an entire drive on his PC unuseable.

[krick]

I'm not sure if this was made clear or not but here's how I was taught to tin one of the radio shack type 15-30 watt irons.  If my technique isn't textbook perfect, I'm sure someone will chime in and correct it, but here you go...

1) with the iron cold, clean the tip with fine emory cloth, followed by some steel wool until it isn't black.  Usually, it will be shiny silver or copper or some combination depending on how much you had to sand it.

2) clean all the dust off with a damp cloth, let the iron fully dry.

3) heat the iron up until it will melt solder when you touch it directly to the tip.

4) unplug the iron, and begin rubbing solder all over the tip until it is covered and the solder wil no longer melt.  Let it completly cool.

5) heat the iron back up, and when it's hot, wipe off the excess solder on a damp sponge.  at the point the tip should be shiny and silver all over.  You should be ready to solder now.

 

[dabone]

I usually wear jeans when I solder, and wipe the tip every couple of solder joints on the leg of my jeans.

Just a little hot, but no sponge to worry about.

Also use a fine pointed tip. They are easier to control (at least for me)

http://www.kitsusa.net/phpstore/html/WELLER-WLC100-SOLDERING-STATION.html

This is the iron I have been using for the last 4 or 5 years.

http://www.action-electronics.com/wept1.htm

Of these tips I use a pth usually.

Using this type of equipment is a TON better than the radio shack crap irons.
(And not that expensive)


With this Iron I can solder 120v wires or tack solder onto motherboard traces.
5 to 40watts give you a wide range to work with.

[DrewKaree]

Basic Soldering Guide

http://www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk/solderfaq.htm

[ChadTower]

Nice, Drew.  I'm reading it now.  Work can wait.

[koz319]

I second the recommendation to get a soldering gun.  It provides much more heat, without having to wait for the iron to heat up.  I use one when replacing the coils and switches in my pin, works much better for these types of soldering jobs than my irons.  I picked mine up at the local home depot for something like $30. 

If you dont want to get a gun, what size tip are you using?  If the tip is too fine, it can be harder to get enough heat to the coil lug.   Also, be careful sanding your tips.   Some tips are jacketed, and if you sand through the jacket into the material underneath (can be copper) you have ruined the tip.

Anyway, good luck! 

Koz

(see pic of gun)

[SirPeale]

LOL...today I hear the sound of a propane torch, so I check out what's going on.  I see Cool Guy heating the tip of his soldering iron.  He says "Cool thing about these is you don't have to wait for your iron to heat up, you can just heat it with fire!"

[Doughbroz]

Yep, I have two of those Wellers lying around for big jobs.  When the tip burns in half, no need to buy new ones--just bend a piece of 14 gauge solid copper wire into the approximate shape and you're ready to go.  No need to fiddle with the ends so they go from inside to outside of the socket either.  Just stick them straight through from one side and tighten the jam nut.  Takes about 30 seconds and lasts just as long as a new tip.  You can also bend the wire to a desired shape and melt chunks out of a styrofoam block to pack parts in, store things, make insulators, all kinds of neat stuff.  You can also lay a nice straight piece of #12 wire in a sawn slot, hook the gun up to it, and heat plexi for bending.  Dunno how big a piece you could handle, but it worked great for a 90 degree bend in 3/16 plexi 12" wide. 

[DrewKaree]

Also use a fine pointed tip. They are easier to control (at least for me)

http://www.kitsusa.net/phpstore/html/WELLER-WLC100-SOLDERING-STATION.html

This is the iron I have been using for the last 4 or 5 years.

http://www.action-electronics.com/wept1.htm

Of these tips I use a pth usually.

Hey, wanted to tell ya thanks for those links.  That Weller station sells EVERYWHERE else for like $45, and I was hoping the wife was gonna get it for me for Christmas.  Now I told her to get me something else and I'll order that thing tomorrow.

[Jess--]

Have tried many different types of soldering iron over the years, Avoid the weller Microtip irons, the screw that holds the tip jams and breaks leaving you no way of replacing the tip

current favourite is an Antex XS 25, only a 25 watt iron but excellent quality, Tips last me about a year each (gets used about 15 hours per week) if you decide to get yourself one of these irons do NOT clean the tip with emery etc as they are coated, once the coating goes the tip goes hollow and fails quickly.

as others have noted I have never used a damp sponge or similar to clean the tip. (nice to read that I am not the only person that sometimes wipes the tip on the leg of my jeans)

[DrewKaree]

Avoid the weller Microtip irons, the screw that holds the tip jams and breaks leaving you no way of replacing the tip

Maybe it's just the language difference or you're describing something floopy, but how the heck do you BREAK a SCREW

I'm interpreting your "jam" of the screw as cross-threading it and being unable to back it out. 

Am I making sense, and are these descriptions accurate?  If so, those are both easily remedied, and not worthy of throwing those irons under the bus.

[Jess--]

No the grub screw is made out of some rubbish metal (suspect cheap casting) and does not react well to heat, it ends up fusing with the metal that it screws into and the crumbles at the end when you try and undo it leaving you with half a screw holding the tip in and no way of getting it out without destroying the element.

under the bus is the perfect place for these irons.

if I need micro tips I just wrap some Thick solid copper wire (14 gauge?) around my regular iron and shape the end of that to a tip (works perfectly in case you were wondering) also have a couple of these that are forked at the end for removing / fitting SMT components easily (solder both ends at once)

If you can afford it when you go for a soldering iron go for the one with a silicone mains lead, they pull the iron around a lot less than regular mains lead (and will survive having the soldering iron dropped on it)

[vader]

as others have noted I have never used a damp sponge or similar to clean the tip. (nice to read that I am not the only person that sometimes wipes the tip on the leg of my jeans)

So true....I have used my jean legs, desk edges and ( stupid hat on ) came about 1 inch from wiping on my jean leg before I realized I had shorts on 

Tim