DIY Noob needs advice...

Jon Nolan · Post by **Jon Nolan** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 10:22 am

hi guys,

i bought a BYO clone tremelo pedal recently. i'm really hoping i don't completely suck at soldering, but i've never done it. we'll see! i really like the idea of being able to make my own gear (see: La2a). Self sufficiency seems pretty paramount to a successful existence as a musician/recordist.

i've been reading thru various soldering threads and i think i may have purchased the wrong tool for my present needs. i picked up a Weller "universal multi-purpose" gun. should i have a pencil iron instead? it seems like the gun is pretty unwieldy, and maybe too big for my task at hand.

also, i have some alpha fry 60/40 rosin flux core solder. i think this is roughly what i read about here - a reasonable melting point, but please advise if i've made a blunder on that end too.

i can't wait to get into my 'test run' electronics project.

thanks!

Jon

The Scum · Post by **The Scum** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 10:58 pm

The gun may well be the wrong tool for the job. The temperature control is pretty imprecise, and the tips are pretty large. Then again, if you've really got a knack for this stuff, you may be able to make it work.

I don't have a knack for it, so I try to buy tools that don't make the job any harder than necessary. I've got a Weller WCC100 soldering station that's maybe 12 years old, finished stacks of projects, and still goes like the day it was new. I've also used some newer Weller stations that were pretty nice. Pace, Hakko and Metcal also make stations that people like...I think the current favorite of many is the Hakko 936 (963? Something like that, about $100).

Once you start soldering stuff, eventually you'll make a mistake and need to unsolder it. So while you're looking into solder stations, get a decent solder sucker tool...Sodapullt makes the ones that I like.

Tell me about the solder you got. How fat is it? Did it come from the plumbing section of a hardware store? If so, that's a bad sign. The flux in it is pretty seriously corrosive/acidic, and is bad news for electronics...but it's great of you're soldering copper water pipe.

The stuff I use is really skinny...the roll I've got handy is of Kester "44" Rosin core. It's .031" in diameter, made for electronics work. I know people who use even skinnier stuff. There's a newer "no clean" variant that I also use, same maker and diameter. I get them from electronics shops.

Jon Nolan · Post by **Jon Nolan** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 12:09 pm

The gun may well be the wrong tool for the job. The temperature control is pretty imprecise, and the tips are pretty large. Then again, if you've really got a knack for this stuff, you may be able to make it work.

knack? eh. we'll see!

I don't have a knack for it, so I try to buy tools that don't make the job any harder than necessary. I've got a Weller WCC100 soldering station that's maybe 12 years old, finished stacks of projects, and still goes like the day it was new. I've also used some newer Weller stations that were pretty nice. Pace, Hakko and Metcal also make stations that people like...I think the current favorite of many is the Hakko 936 (963? Something like that, about $100).

i'll prolly go this route and return my gun. exactly what i was looking for thanks.

Once you start soldering stuff, eventually you'll make a mistake and need to unsolder it. So while you're looking into solder stations, get a decent solder sucker tool...Sodapullt makes the ones that I like.

ok, cool.

Tell me about the solder you got. How fat is it? Did it come from the plumbing section of a hardware store? If so, that's a bad sign. The flux in it is pretty seriously corrosive/acidic, and is bad news for electronics...but it's great of you're soldering copper water pipe.

The stuff I use is really skinny...the roll I've got handy is of Kester "44" Rosin core. It's .031" in diameter, made for electronics work. I know people who use even skinnier stuff. There's a newer "no clean" variant that I also use, same maker and diameter. I get them from electronics shops.

the stuff i have is supposed to be for electronics, and it's pretty thin. but does the flux mean that it's definitely bad? it says 'electrical repair solder' right on it. hmmm...

thanks for the help 'scum.
Jon

rodabod · Post by **rodabod** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:10 pm

Get a common pencil-style soldering iron in the range of 20W.

The Scum · Post by **The Scum** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 2:56 pm

but does the flux mean that it's definitely bad?

No, that sounds like the right stuff.

The reason for flux is that the the metals being soldered build a thin layer of oxidation on the surface. That oxidation can make it hard to heat things up, and hard for the lead to bond, leading to what they call "cold solder" problems.

The flux/rosin is a mild acid that will clean off the oxidation as you solder, and help you make a better join.

After soldering, you might see a cruddy brown film on the board. That's flux residue...and still mildly corrosive. On some really old boards, it can eat through traces and cause failures, so it's best to remove it. Denatured alcohol, a toothbrush and elbowgrease can go it, or there are commercial spray-on flux removers that cut it pretty easily.

Jon Nolan · Post by **Jon Nolan** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 4:20 pm

sweet. ok, well, i have to go to home depot for a little wood anyway (HF/LF absorbers), so i'll pick up a pencil gun and try my hand at this stuff.

thanks for the help guys!

best,
jon

The Scum · Post by **The Scum** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 4:59 pm

I don't know if your Home Deopt is set up loke mine...but mine has a Radio Shack across the parking lot.

Last time I looked, RS stocked Weller irons. I really don't know what HD has, but it might not be the best tool for the job.

brianroth · Post by **brianroth** » Fri Sep 22, 2006 11:52 pm

Being an "olde school phart", my main soldering pencil is a Weller W60. It has a crude, but reasonably effective, temperature control via the tips you install. Since the W60's require no "base station", they take up little space in my tool kit...hence the reason I use the W60. I carry two in my tool kit..one as a backup.

OTOH, I also carry a Weller gun (model 8200 from Home Depot) for those times I need higher heat. Typical examples would be banana plugs and perhaps some older tube type gear.

No single tool solves every possible problem!

As for solder, I prefer 63/37 "eutectic" wire in a 0.031" diameter. The "no clean" rosin core means less mess when reworking cirrcuit boards, but Kester "44" rosin is better for older/funky connections...but it leaves a brown mess.

Bri

Jon Nolan · Post by **Jon Nolan** » Sat Sep 23, 2006 8:37 am

hey gang,

i never made it to Home Depot last night, but I'll get there today ( i hope). thanks for chiming in Brian. I read some threads where you talked about eutectic solder and it's advantages (cooling/hardening faster right?) is this kind of solder marked as such on the package, or is this something i'll have to snoop around for?

thankee thankee
Jon

snuffinthepunk · Post by **snuffinthepunk** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 10:25 pm

hey man, I'm pretty much a noob as well but I've been doing nothing but soldering for the last month and wanted to chime in with the best thing I've learned....your solder tip and temperature are hugely important as well. When you're soldering a component to a board, if the hole is connected to a metal trace, that will suck up a lot of the heat that your iron is giving it, which in turn makes it take longer to get hot enough to pull the solder down into the hole (the solder will just sit there on the tip of the iron and not go where you want it to). I personally hate using those pencil tips, I prefer to use one with a blade, a flat end with two sides on it as opposed to a round sharp pointy tip. there's more surface area there on the end which leads to more heat being transferred faster. That makes it much easier to solder cleaner and faster for me. Of course a big fat tip would prolly be bad for what you're doing, so if you want to try a flat tip you can get them pretty skinny and they work great (for me at least). As for temperature, all i can say is that running the iron too hot can damage your board or at least make your work look less than aesthetically pleasing. Repitition made me a lot better, if you want to do well then why not buy some cheap pc boards from radio shack and a 5 dollar bag of resistors and practice soldering them to the board? It could help =) Good luck dude.

brianroth · Post by **brianroth** » Mon Sep 25, 2006 10:37 pm

Jon..."eutectic" describes a property of solder that depends upon the alloy. 63/37 solder has that property.

The "trick" is that the solder "clicks" from a liquid to a solid within only a few degrees of temperature versus hanging in a "pasty" state for dozens of degrees as it cools. Solder is in the "pasty" stage is when cold solder joints can happen.

You can actually watch 63/37 alloy "click" into a solid once you learn to watch for it.

Other alloys have that same property. Look at the Kester website for more info.

Besides...saying the word "eutectic" just SOUNDS way cool...lol.

Bri

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