Soldering

[Cevin]

So my soldering pretty much sucks. After watching some YouTube videos, I'm wondering if part of the problem is my equipment. I'm using a walmart $10 soldering iron, and 60/40 solder from Walmart. My question is, what kind of solder (brand, size, makeup, ect) are some of you veterans using and what kind of soldering iron/station? Should I invest in a variable voltage or variable temperature soldering station? Which one?

[copachino]

soldering its about being patient, i used to suck but now i use a chinise iron and even big plumbing solder, and they are neat, just remember, you need to heat the pad and the element to solder, you need to have a clean tip on your solder, and you need to clean the pads of the pcb,

apply heat until solder melt, never apply the solder on the iron ant then to the pad, and pratices on bad pcbs that will make you better, even if you have the best solder and the best iron, you will suck until you practice

[icecycle66]

Don't get too worried about the equipment just yet.

I've used this thing since I started and it's great.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062737&numProdsPerPage=60

Yes, there are much better.  But, technique before equipment will usually payoff greater than equipment first.


Having a clean tip is important.  While the little wet sponge can work, spend the few bucks on that little copper scrub thingy.  It's leaps and bounds better than the sponge.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=15693336&numProdsPerPage=60

[copachino]

Don't get too worried about the equipment just yet.

I've used this thing since I started and it's great.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062737&numProdsPerPage=60

Yes, there are much better.  But, technique before equipment will usually payoff greater than equipment first.


Having a clean tip is important.  While the little wet sponge can work, spend the few bucks on that little copper scrub thingy.  It's leaps and bounds better than the sponge.
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=15693336&numProdsPerPage=60

also i forgot, there are many cheap solder irons that have a chrome tip, buy one of that, and always clean the tip with resin, the one that its used on violins, its the same that have the solder and cleans really well the tip, afer passed on the resin just finish to clean with toilet paper or a sponge and you are ready, and remember to clean the tip when you are soldering the most time you can

[Cevin]

K. Thanks for the info... I'll keep trying!

[davent]

I'm a firm believer in buying the best tool you you can afford, the right and decent quality tool for the job can make a world of difference in how easy the job becomes and how well the job is completed. Weller and Haiko make very good workstations/irons for reasonable amounts of money and Weller, at least for me, easy to source tips for when they do wear out or need a different tip better suited to the next job.

Kester is a good brand of solder, lots of types and sizes tailored to different jobs, have seen lots of people happy with Radio Shack solder.

(Walmart... I wouldn't even buy socks there.)
dave

[rullywowr]

also i forgot, there are many cheap solder irons that have a chrome tip, buy one of that, and always clean the tip with resin, the one that its used on violins

It's actually ROSIN type solder you want. Resin is found in smoking pipes (bongs). 

While plumbing solder may work, you have to be very sure it is FLUX based (ROSIN) solder and not ACID core.  Acid core will eat away your electronics and should never be used for electronic soldering.

A Kester flux pen is ideal.  They are about $5 USD and you simply "paint" on the flux before soldering.

An adjustable temp iron is very useful, but you should be able to solder a joint in about 3sec or less.  Any more time than that and you risk destroying parts.  Get in, get out...don't bake the part.

I like the Kester "no clean" flux solder...about .030" diameter.  It cleans up easily and isn't as sticky as the regular 60/40 stuff.

[jimilee]

I got a 14.00 multi temp iron from parts express, same one byoc sells. Been using it for about 2 years. Brass scrubby thing and tip cleaner make a huge difference.

[copachino]

also i forgot, there are many cheap solder irons that have a chrome tip, buy one of that, and always clean the tip with resin, the one that its used on violins

It's actually ROSIN type solder you want. Resin is found in smoking pipes (bongs). 

While plumbing solder may work, you have to be very sure it is FLUX based (ROSIN) solder and not ACID core.  Acid core will eat away your electronics and should never be used for electronic soldering.

A Kester flux pen is ideal.  They are about $5 USD and you simply "paint" on the flux before soldering.

An adjustable temp iron is very useful, but you should be able to solder a joint in about 3sec or less.  Any more time than that and you risk destroying parts.  Get in, get out...don't bake the part.

I like the Kester "no clean" flux solder...about .030" diameter.  It cleans up easily and isn't as sticky as the regular 60/40 stuff.

im not english speaking and had forgot the name jejeje, and i was compraing to say, when you practice its eadier than buying and expensive kit, i have temperature regulated solder iron, from JBC, its amazing, but i like my MIYAKO iron as well and i get the same results so, its practice and practice to me

[alanp]

I just use a 40W pencil iron (no regulation or fancypants stuff, just plug it in and wait a couple minutes for it to warm up) and 60/40 solder.

Soldering is like any manual job -- you couldn't write perfectly the first time a pencil was placed in your hand, could you? Luckily, soldering doesn't take anywhere near as long to pick up. It's more like riding a bike. If you work with your hands for a living (as opposed to paper pushing), you may find it easier to pick up than otherwise, perhaps.

[dont-tase-me-bro]

I have a hakko fx888d-23by, and kester 63/37 solder

I saw some Weller irons the other day that had amazing heat up time

[ggarms]

Had my dads old weller, which lasted for 30+ years until it pooped out on me last week. I could have probably replaced the heating element, but it was time to upgrade. I researched, and found the weller WES51 to be suited to my needs. I'm really impatient, so having an iron that goes from cold to ready to hit joints in 20 seconds is a big plus. I've had no problem using a cheap rat shack iron in the past, however I found I was changing tips every few weeks. My weller tips give me a good 6 months (if not longer). Stick with it and you will figure out what works best for you.

[m-Kresol]

I basically second the comments above. Good gear makes a difference, but it doesn't have to be a super expensive high-tech solder station. There are plenty midrange priced soldering stations out there. Or try to get a used one fwiw.
Anyhow, practice is more important than the gear. Take a piece of vero and just solder some leftover scrap parts or wires to it. It's the same process on fabbed boards. When I started, I had an experienced friend of mine showing and guiding me through the process, that helped A LOT. He told me to apply a little solder to the tip (make sure its with flux) to make the heat transfer to the part and pad easier. Just both parts up simultaneously and apply some more solder. Should take 1-2 seconds. You can always reflow and add more, if it didn't work properly the first time, but just make sure not to overheat the parts and pads for long times or they will die on you.

[davent]

To keep the solder tip in good shape tip conditioner/tinner has worked wonders for me. I'm using Weller Tip Activator from Digikey, from the picture i was envisioning a shoe polish sized tin but it's a tiny little can, goes a long, long ways.

http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?vendor=0&keywords=tip+tinner

[copachino]

To keep the solder tip in good shape tip conditioner/tinner has worked wonders for me. I'm using Weller Tip Activator from Digikey, from the picture i was envisioning a shoe polish sized tin but it's a tiny little can, goes a long, long ways.

http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en?vendor=0&keywords=tip+tinner

i use my own flux on non fabbed pcbs, its maded with ROSIN (the one for violins) and thinner, that its an amazing flux, after etching the pcb i always clean it and apply solder mask, then a touch of my diy flux to make avoid the solder pads to get dirty or oiled