Soldering Questions

[tehfunk]

A few easy ones, two just for weller wlc100 owners, but I suppose anyone could answer

1. What is the best type (tip shape) and size (model number) weller tip for doing our kind of stompbox soldering. i currently use the one that came with the package (st3). If you don't own weller, what shape and size do you use?

2. How hot do you run your wlc100, like what number on the dial? I know I asked this before, but this brings me to my next question.

3. How come I cannot seem to get the solder to flow by holding the iron on one side of the pad and the solder on the other side, I find myself always having to touch the two together (I put them next to each other on the pad, as opposed to opposite each other). I tried waiting a long time on a pad to see if it would work, or even on a pot, but it didn't, how long should it take.

Thank you.

[Ripthorn]

I don't have the weller, but as far as getting good flow, proper temp and tinning of the tip are big deals.  Also, clean your tip regularly.

[The Iron Chef]

• clean board
• sponge iron
• touch solder to tip
• apply tip to lead and pad

heat both

• touch both with solder
• rinse
• repeat

dont sponge iron after soldering; only before.

[/list]

[Ronsonic]

I like the smallest chisel tip. Easier to get good contact than a point, but still small enough to get in on small stuff.

I roll at 270C mostly. Or that's what the iron says. There's a sweet spot that's hot enough to let you get on and off quickly, but doesn't burn tips, destroy flux or solder. The coolest you can run and still get it flowed quickly is where you want to be.

You may need to make a point of wetting the tip of the iron first. If it isn't wet, then just go ahead and wet it at the joint as you have been. The book says use no more solder than needed, but enough to have the tip wetted for the next joint is needed.

[davent]

Hello,

Here's a couple good video tutorials on equipment and soldering through whole parts. http://tangentsoft.net/elec/movies/tt01.html  http://tangentsoft.net/elec/movies/tt02.html

And one on doing surface mount. http://tangentsoft.net/elec/movies/tt03.html

dave

[Zedmin_fx]

My favorite tip of all time for weller solder pencils is the st7 conical tip.

[tehfunk]

I thought tinning the tip, which you do before you solder, is getting some fresh solder on the tip and then wiping it in the sponge so you get a very thin layer of solder if you only put the solder on the tip and go straight to the joint than you have this solder "glob" on it. <- which I would imagine would make it easy to make quick joints but I thought that's not how you do it.

[tehfunk]

interesting, I watched the second video you listed, and he confirmed the method of tinning that I used, but he even said you touch the solder to the tip and then move the solder around the rest of the joint, so he contradicts at least what I thought I had been told not to do before. So i guess I am doing it fine, though I feel like I don't clean my components/boards enough, and so I get lots of joints that he says could cause problems, but they haven't im worried.

question: if i make a bad joint can I reapply my soldering tip and let the joint reform, or do i have to desolder and redo?

[Ronsonic]

Usually you can just retouch it, hit it with the iron and feed just the tiniest bit of fresh solder - as much for the fresh flux as anything else. Sometimes you do want to desolder and start over. That's rarer. Even then you can usually just take some solder off with wick and then re-do.

What do you see as being wrong with your joints?

[tehfunk]

Usually you can just retouch it, hit it with the iron and feed just the tiniest bit of fresh solder - as much for the fresh flux as anything else. Sometimes you do want to desolder and start over. That's rarer. Even then you can usually just take some solder off with wick and then re-do.

What do you see as being wrong with your joints?

i liked that question  it made me feel good, like someone was there to help. god i love this place. okay, what looks like it could be bad is that some of my solder joints aren't so concave shaped all the time, sometimes like blobs, kinda like what a cold solder joint looks like, but it looks bonded, maybe just too much solder? Thanks for all the help so far everyone.

[Ronsonic]

That's what it sounds like, a bit too much solder making a round droplet looking thing. Not bad, not real good. Use a touch of wick to remove some and inspect. Actually the bit of flux in the wick helps fix things too sometimes.

If the tip is bright and solder is sticking to it and you can feed solder onto the pad and wire and you see it wetting them, then you're probably good. See, touching a bit of solder to the spot between the tip and pad touch isn't bad unless that's the only way you can get it to melt. You can certainly start a joint doing that, but you have to see the flow onto the pad and wire to know it's working.

Pads and wires should be bright and shiny before you start. 3M Scotchbrite is a beautiful thing, scrubs like steel wool, doesn't grind ferrous metal into your copper and doesn't shed metal particles that all the magnetic things in the shop pick up.

[composition4]

I solder at 350 degrees celsius... 270 seems quite low for my tastes.  I'm sure you'll get many varied opinions on soldering temp though

Jonathan

[petemoore]

  I put the small chisel in..nice !
  I keep the knob around ^ [3], and push to 3.2 when I'm soldering, 2.5 when I want it almost ready, 3 for general purposes, 4 or more when I have large thermal masses to heat up, like when doing switches which I like soldered quickly, jacklugs etc.
  ...I like to keep the 'excess current' or 'runaway heat' down to a minimum, in an effort to make the element last longer.

[tranceracer]

Hello,
Here's a couple good video tutorials on equipment and soldering through whole parts. http://tangentsoft.net/elec/movies/tt01.html  http://tangentsoft.net/elec/movies/tt02.html

And one on doing surface mount. http://tangentsoft.net/elec/movies/tt03.html

dave

Another excellent tutorial on surface mount soldering. 
http://hackedgadgets.com/2008/01/14/surface-mount-soldering-tutorial/

[davent]

Hello,
Here's a couple good video tutorials on equipment and soldering through whole parts. http://tangentsoft.net/elec/movies/tt01.html  http://tangentsoft.net/elec/movies/tt02.html

And one on doing surface mount. http://tangentsoft.net/elec/movies/tt03.html

dave

Another excellent tutorial on surface mount soldering. 
http://hackedgadgets.com/2008/01/14/surface-mount-soldering-tutorial/

Attempted my first surface mount board this past weekend and referenced those two tutorials (they were a huge help!!!). It was still a nightmare, started off with a 28 pin chip, took two attempts to get the chip right, after that everything else was bigger and much easier to solder.  Can now look forward to doing a second board having seen so much that can go wrong while doing the first. Practice , practice, practice...

Take care
dave

[tehfunk]

  I put the small chisel in..nice !
  I keep the knob around ^ [3], and push to 3.2 when I'm soldering, 2.5 when I want it almost ready, 3 for general purposes, 4 or more when I have large thermal masses to heat up, like when doing switches which I like soldered quickly, jacklugs etc.
  ...I like to keep the 'excess current' or 'runaway heat' down to a minimum, in an effort to make the element last longer.

this brings me back to one of my original questions, at those temps, do you find that you have to touch the solder to the tip of the iron first when soldering things like switches, or are you able to put the tip on one side of the lug and the solder on the other to melt the solder?

[oskar]

this brings me back to one of my original questions, at those temps, do you find that you have to touch the solder to the tip of the iron first when soldering things like switches, or are you able to put the tip on one side of the lug and the solder on the other to melt the solder?

Generally you take solder on the tip to help transfer the heat. I do it allways no matter if it is a big or small component a heat sucking
pcb or a jack.
I go...    touch sponge ( lightly damp, not wet! ), tin the tip, touch "target", solder. I cram the iron up rather alot.

[Solidhex]

Yo

  I generally touch the iron to the parts I'm soldering then almost immediately I touch the solder to the exact point the iron tip is touching the joint. Touching both the iron tip and the part that I'm soldering. Once the solder starts flowing I move it away from the iron's tip and let it flow around the joint. It all happens in the space of a second. I find that touching just the iron with the solder gets a big ball of solder on the tip not the joint. Just touching the joint takes too long and everything gets too hot.

--Brad