Main > Main Forum
And now.......how NOT to solder !
MaximRecoil:
--- Quote from: SavannahLion on September 02, 2009, 12:27:16 am ---Clarify please. I have visions of millions of people trying to fling hot solder off their iron onto newspapers in millions of garages all around the world.
--- End quote ---
We all used damp sponges at work (like these) with the Metcals, but you do need an iron with a fast recovery time or you'll be waiting for the tip to get back to operating temperature every time you clean the tip with the sponge. With practice, one tends to develops a technique that gets all of the excess solder off the tip with a swipe combined with a twisting motion against the inside edge of the hole in the center of the sponge.
Flinging the solder off the tip works too. You simply hold the iron and hit the table or the palm of your other hand with your fist, or simply into the air like cracking a whip if you aren't too concerned about where the solder goes. I much prefer a sponge, but I used the flinging method at home before I bought my own Metcal, because the Radio Shack iron I had would take like a minute to heat back up if I used a sponge.
SavannahLion:
--- Quote from: MaximRecoil on September 02, 2009, 01:20:40 am ---Flinging the solder off the tip works too. You simply hold the iron and hit the table or the palm of your other hand with your fist, or simply into the air like cracking a whip if you aren't too concerned about where the solder goes. I much prefer a sponge, but I used the flinging method at home before I bought my own Metcal, because the Radio Shack iron I had would take like a minute to heat back up if I used a sponge.
--- End quote ---
Ah, so it is literal. Well, I guess I'll have to practice in the garage rather than in the room where I usually solder. There's quite a bit of flammable stuff I don't want destroyed as opposed to the flammable stuff in the garage which I don't really care about.
Beretta:
ya flicking the table is good to get excess solder off, also keep a razor utility knife handy.
for tinning the tip i usually just use a folded damp paper towel, just throw it away when you're done.
Level42:
Don't fling upwards...... :D
This guy shows it very briefly:
Level42:
I was always taught not to use external flux but I do find this technique pretty interesting:
Note that he uses a specail tip.
The result looks pretty good. But a real pro would solder a socket in there and THEN insert the IC ;) ;) ;)