Practicing ideas needed for soldering

@Martin

Yeah I do that. Got a sponge right here. I could eat with my tip its so clean. Still solder just falls off of it.

Buddy
 
UBotBuddy said:
My iron was up against the wire on one side and my solder was against the wire on the other side and the two would not interact. So what was going wrong?

The heat bridge was not correct. This is where a picture is worth a thousand words.

For me, that bridge is a tiny bubble (if you will) of molten solder so when it touches the wire or lead it spreads out a little bit so when the solder in the other hand touches it then it melts almost instantaneously.
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This is one of the most important soldering techniques to understand. Interaction between the soldering iron and the component should almost always be via a small amount of solder to ensure a quick and balanced heat transfer. You don't really solder with the iron, but with a solder bridge.

Now another question is how wide should a tip be? My tips touch the joints of the leads next to what I am working on and sometimes the solder from the new joint merges with the previous.
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What type of solder are you using? It sounds like the flux isn't there or isn't effective. The solder tip width will be one of the least critical aspects of your setup.

Oh...what diameter of solder do you use.
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This is what I use - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005T8N8B6/ It's 0.025" - small, but still very manageable - 60/40 Rosin Core Leaded Solder. It works great!
 
UBotBuddy said:
Isn't Flux the tinning stuff?

Buddy
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No it is not. Flux is the cleaning agent. The stuff I use has a different type of cleaning agent and has embedded solder. Also, If you have used high lead solder at some point and then switch to high tin solder, you can get solder rejection.
 
Hey Apollo,

Yeah I finally got it that the solder bridge is the key. My main problem at the moment is my tip is not retaining any solder. I add a touch of solder and it drops clean off. Even with a magifying glass there is nothing there.

The tip itself is stupid clean.

I am thinking it is the flux. I ordered the Radiant Holidays soldering station so hopefully I will be on a better track next week.

My practicing has been with my older tips that are scarred and worn (cheap).

Thanks for the solder link. That is WAY smaller in diameter than what I can get around here.

As far as the width of the tip. I hear what you are saying but I don't have the steadiest of hands so I would feel better with a tip not as wide.

Buddy
 
Hey Martin,

Is there better name to search for in regards to "tinning stuff". I would love a link.

Thanks again everyone.

Buddy
 
The DIGWDF engineers designed a couple super-easy-to-assemble kits that are good for soldering practice and at the end of it, you have a couple very useful diagnostic tools that can help you with other DIY blinky-flashy projects. One is the Simple Signal Tester that allows you to visually see the ZC signal, a comm signal and a clock signal -- three digital signals that you normally can't see without an oscilloscope -- and the SST is a cheap way to verify that these signals exist on your controllers. The other kit is the SSR/CAT-X tester that you can use to manually fire virtually any DIY SSR, you can test the cat5 cables you use to make sure they work and are pinned right and it will also test the outputs from controllers that use external SSRs.

Just a couple ideas to add to the already great list of things others have added...
 

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UBotBuddy said:
Isn't Flux the tinning stuff?
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The flux is embedded in the solder strand and creates a liquid or paste as the solder melts. It helps the solder attract to the metal stuff and not to the PCB or other stuff. If you have solder that is spanning or jumping across the PCB between joints, this typically indicates insufficient flux. It can also indicate too low of heat or too long heating the joint which eventually makes the nearby joint hot enough to take solder. With thin strand solder that melts very quickly and a good soldering iron, most PCB joints will be hot enough to take solder a fraction of a second after you touch it.

For very small or difficult solder jobs (like ICs or surface mount items), you can use extra external flux or solder paste to enhance this characteristic - it really helps the solder go where it's supposed to quickly.
 
always apply the solder between the iron and the item you want to solder. never touch the iron and solder on the opposite side of the item'

Correct, Iron/Solder/Item

Never, Iron/item/Opposite solder
 
stallionent said:
always apply the solder between the iron and the item you want to solder. never touch the iron and solder on the opposite side of the item'

Correct, Iron/Solder/Item

Never, Iron/item/Opposite solder
Click to expand...

Jeez, don't confuse the guy. I have been soldering (somewhat successfully) for over 55 years and I do it both ways (no snide comments please). Sometimes you kinda have to sneak the solder up to the tip to get it to flow the way you want, sometimes not.
 
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I am now getting near perfect joints. I even cleaned up my E1.31 bridge with better joints.

All I need now is thinner solder so hopefully my amazon order will get here next week.

Buddy
 
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