Clipping Component Leads

[Paul Marossy]

Just more curious that anything else...
I usually clip after I solder.

[Hal]

put in hole, bend, solder, clip.

[Marcos - Munky]

I put in the hole, bend, put more parts in the board and bend the legs. Then after I return the leg to the "unbending" position, solder and clip.

[thomas2]

most of the components i use come from old vcrs, computers, radios.. so i don't need to clip them.. but when i have to buy some.. i usually clip it after i've soldered.  

[Alex C]

Definitely after.

Alex

[EdJ]

Well,being the kind of guy who clipped  his strings on the wrong side of the nut once on a sundayafternoon i definately clip them afterwards.
Ed

[freebird1127]

I clip before I solder... When I learned to solder, I was going to a school with very strict teachers... all the work we did there had to be mil-spec.  The habit started then and just continued on...

The reason for it is that if you clip after you solder, you allow bare lead to show which can cause oxidization.  If you clip before you solder, the solder flows over the clipped component lead and, if properly cleaned, protects it very well.  The second reason we did this was so that the ends of all leads could stick out the exact same length from the PCB, which in our case was the width of a 20 gauge wire.  Exactly.

How did I survive??  :shock:

[petemoore]

Sometimes I 'thread' [into perf]...cut, bend [U shape on the end], pull [into adjacent OA hole with] now I have the socketpin and the wire pinned together in the perfhole...thin tip iron gets right beside it, soder takes good...beautiful...sometimes leaving enough lead for 'atop the board' connection, that [usually only resistors or bare wires make their connections atop my boards] component or wire definitely gets clipped and hooked over the board mounted lead.
 Other than that I clip 'post soldering and also after double checking to see if I don't need another connection at that node.
 I been using thin enough wire to thread through perfholes, and liking it. It's small enough that I just strip a 5/8ths inch deinsulation on the end, twist then clip the end [this makes a 'neat' end] then I can stick that through from the bottom of the board into a hole with a resistor lead or OA socket in it, this makes Real Easy tight area solder 'jig'...so I can plug the wire in where I want it, solder it, thread the other end through the adjacent perfhole [strength]...[either leaving insulation there, or solder where it touches the pad].
 I use the clippers to sharpen my wire stripper [thumbnail]

[Gilles C]

I bend, clip, solder.

I looks cleaner that way.

[GreenEye]

As a newbie, I found it easier to clip, then solder.  I like the idea of covering the clipped wire completely.  Plus I kept reading about this horrible effect of sending huge shockwaves on the order of 7 or 8 on Richter's scale through the board and component as a result of clipping after.  It was enough to scare me never to cut after; never cut after....never cut after....never.....

[Hal]

how do you hold it in place if you clip first...

like...i mange with pulls but its a pain in the butt.  Much easier to clip after.

[GreenEye]

I personally use the Helping Hand product from Circuit Specialists, which is a cheap (few dollars) device with alligator clips and a magnifier on it.  When the clip is holding the component, and the board is "upside down," the weight of the board is enough to keep the tiny point of the clipped wire exposed through the holes for soldering.

[Hal]

ah i see...i ususally prob the board against somehitng, hold the component in, and end up burning my hand :-D  :lol:

[The Tone God]

For personal stuff I bend, solder, then clip. For production stuff I have "molds" that hold the parts on/in the board with no need for bending so I can focus on soldering the board quickly.

As for burning my hands I have done that in the past but recently I got into the habit of wearing machine shop type gloves when working. They provide my hands with protection in many different types of situations including:

- burning my with hands with soldering iron
- some isolation to prevent shocks when handling high voltage stuff
- hot or sharp metal shavings on the tops of may hands
- flying solder
- melting skin when handling hot part leads
- lead containation from solder
- general wear and tear from work and accidents

Cheap protection for $20. I highly recommend them.

Andrew

[Fret Wire]

Solder, then clip. Don't always bend first, depends on what the component is. After the board is done, I sand the trace side to remove any points and level the pads. Then I hit it with a flux remover pen.

Speaking of clipping, Radio Shack is carrying a new line of cheap tools that aren't bad. Their $5 clipper works real nice, and gets in close. The head is slightly angled and the jaws are flat on the bottom, so it cuts right up to the blades. The usual mini wire cutters have both sides of the blades beveled, so they can't cut close.
http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&product%5Fid=64-2959

[STOMPmole]

FWIW, I solder then clip but after reading this thread I might try clipping first (after I go to my local RS and pick up a pair of those cheapie clippers).

As for burning myself with a soldering iron I'm forced to remember my highschool electronics class in which my lab partner thought it would be funny to burn my hand with a soldering iron for no apparent reason whatsoever...I still have faint traces of a scar on my knuckle from that burn YEARS later!

[Fret Wire]

FWIW, I solder then clip but after reading this thread I might try clipping first (after I go to my local RS and pick up a pair of those cheapie clippers).

They work good! I was in RS awhile ago and noticed them. The staff was so excited about their new tool line, that they forgot to try to sell me a cell phone!

[Bernt]

As a newbie, I found it easier to clip, then solder.  I like the idea of covering the clipped wire completely.  Plus I kept reading about this horrible effect of sending huge shockwaves on the order of 7 or 8 on Richter's scale through the board and component as a result of clipping after.  It was enough to scare me never to cut after; never cut after....never cut after....never.....

GreenEye's got a point here. In Military grade and hi-end Electronics practice it's a totally no-no to clip after soldering. I don't care, never had any problems, maybe it depends on the cutter you use.
Regards, Bernt.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Surely ther ewould be more 'shock' running up the component leg if it was clipped BEFORE soldering? (think about the physics..).
I hate to think how many leads I've clipped over the years, never seen a problem from that! (I've heard about it, maybe in the very early days of semis when stuff was possibly more fragile?)

[aaronkessman]

as for the shock wave, it's kind of like static electricity in the lightning form or in the tiny shock between your finger and the doorknob. the shockwave might be high on the richter scale, but like the tiny spark, is it enough to hurt something? maybe, if it's on a really tiny component. but i think the components we deal with are robust enough to handle it.

btw, a california earthquake = lightning bolt  :wink: