Burnt Pad!!! What the heck am I doing!?

[stephenb_h122@yahoo.com]

I'm attempting my first build and I'm building the eternity neutrino. As with every new adventure, there's a learning curve. I've made a few mistakes on this project, mostly with the soldering iron. I have two questions:
1. The soldering iron tip was too dirty to transfer the right amount of heat to the ground pad. So while I was waiting for the solder to melt, the pad way too much heat for way too long and now looks as though it's ruined. It looks burnt and there's hardly any pad left. Is there anything I can do to use it? or can I run a ground from the switch to the ground on the "volume pot" ground?
2. And any tips for cleaning soldering tips... and keeping them clean? Thanks in advance!!!

[madbean]

You can run a ground wire from the switch to the volume pot as a workaround.

For a clean tip, let it heat up then wipe it on a damp sponge. Apply a bulb of solder to the tip and let it melt first. Then wipe it clean again and reapply solder to the tip.

If this doesn't clean it sufficiently then you should replace the tip.

[gtr2]

You may still be able to use it.  I'm assuming that a small metal ring lifted on only one side.  I've had this happen during desoldering.  Just run your ground wire through the opposite way and solder it with the pad on the top.  Double check for continuity between the lead on r6 and the end of your wire.  If the pad is shot on both sides solder your ground wire on to r6's lead.

A tip should last a LONG time if you take care of it.  The biggest thing is just keeping the tip tinned.  There is a lot of info on the web about soldering.  Radio shack sells tip tinner/cleaner that I use after every couple minutes soldering.  I'd just start with a new tip because it sounds like yours is toasted.  You can sand them lightly but they just never quite work as well as before.

This link is a really good start to understanding soldering/pedal building it's from the byoc forum by forum mod Stephen.  http://www.buildyourownclone.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=6401

Josh

[bigmufffuzzwizz]

Steel wool/brillo pads work very well as an alternative/alongside a sponge. Cleanliness is key for producing clean solder joints!