Learning to solder...

[brandonhackler]

...NO EXPERIENCE. What kind of tools should i pick up? I mean there's the OBVIOUS tools I should pick up but what should I look for? Also going to try to keep the cost low on this little endeavor because it may not stick and I am prone to abandon things Im not good at...like bowling.

 

Brandon-

[hooya]

Get some kind of soldering station with alligator clamps that hold things in place. You can't be touching anything you solder to because it gets too hot. So you need something to keep things in place. Radio Shack sells one that's not too expensive that also holds a sponge and your iron.

 

Do NOT get a Radio Shack iron. Home Depot sells some relatively good irons. You probably don't need something with a variable station, just a solid iron with a good tip interface (The tips should be very long and fit into the shaft of the iron a good way, not just a screw in nub at the end of the iron). Mine is 25 watt and I've never needed more for basic soldering jobs.

 

A little tin of iron tip cleaner/tinner is very handy.

 

A jar of flux paste is usually helpful to solder grounds if you ever solder ground to a larger metal surface (like an enclosure).

 

Obviously solder - not silver solder. I use a lead based solder as it's easier to work with, but it's sometimes tricky to find. You want something that's "flux core" in order to be somewhat easy to work with.

 

I assume you already have things like needle nose pliers, a few razor blades for stripping wire, wire cutters and something like toothpicks to apply flux.

 

To get started I'd suggest getting some old piece of electronics, like an old walkman, computer part like a soundcard or something and just start soldering wires to the contact points that are already there. Once you get the hang of that try buying a perf board with copper contacts and start making your own initial connections. There are plenty of youtube videos that clearly outline the procedure to show you proper technique.

 

You can probably get started with less than $100 investment total depending on how much you spend on your iron.

 

It's not rocket science, but like everything it takes a bit of practice.

[Secret Seasons]

thanks for that info, i'm gonna be doing my first BYOC pretty soon and was gonna start a similar thread at some point so I just bookmarked this one.

[brandonhackler]

That's exactly the info i was needing. Thanks man.

 

Brandon-

[brandonhackler]

It's just one of those skills, as a guitar player, Im always having to ask friends "Hey man, can you solder my input jack" or whatever. Figured it was high time to learn it for myself. Now, if I could only skip to just making cool analog delays...stupid learning...and practice...and work.

[ryanwekwert]

Soldering is really awesome. Its easy. I did it for years on computers and radios. Don't push down. use the heat instead. Damaging the board is bad news. Hard to repair when starting out. I had a post awhile ago. You can get a good rig for like 60 bucks. Solder and de-solder also.

[PKTrono]

I've been wanting to get into it for quite a while now too, and just today found out my mom (for whatever reason??) has a soldering iron. I kind of just went for it and desoldered the old pot on my Foxx Fuzz Wah. I ordered a replacement off PPP. One with a much smoother taper. Very excited about making it a much more usable wah. Anyway...

[iamthearm]

thread bookmarked

[BoredGuitarist7]

Don't do what most people do when they start out. That is, heating up the solder and dripping it on. Heat up the place your applying solder, then quickly put solder on it so it melts around it. Doesn't make cold joints.

[Jeremy Skrenes]

I have a radioshack iron, no problems. If you're just soldering jacks and cables, it'll probably do. If you want to start soldering circuit boards and other sensitive parts, a higher quality one is nice. I also have a radioshack butane-powered iron, useful for when I can't be close to a power supply. Desoldering braid from the shack is also a must--so much easier than trying to use a bulb and accidentally blowing solder all over your circuit.

 

Oh, and a 'cold joint' is when the solder cools and contracts, forming microscopic breaks that can interrupt signal flow. Difficult to impossible to spot. Not a big deal if you're just repairing a cable, but a royal pain if you're working on a BYOC board. Bored had the technique right.

[BoredGuitarist7]

The Radioshack ones are nice... for cheap ones.. In my experience, it didn't last too long. I'd recommend a soldering station instead. I have a Elenco Soldering Station from Fry's Electronics. AMAZING for the price. Adjustable heat, gun holder that attaches, sponge... It heats up in about one and a half minutes too. You're also going to need a desoldering bulb or desoldering braid. Bulb, you melt the solder and suck it up, where it hardens. Lasts basically forever. That's what I'd recommend.

http://shop3.frys.com/product/3055439;jsessionid=hHoKtCctM5YNiuOPlLQUIA**.node1?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG for the soldering station

[smrz]

That elenco iron looks nice. A cheaper 25 watt weller iron would also do you fine.

Desoldering irons come in handy. Way easier to use than a sucker or braid, imo. The radio shack one is fine.

Alligator clips are helpful, but not essential. The fancy ones look great, but I can't justify the cost.

If you want neat, quiet builds that don't short, shrink wrap is helpful. Zipties are good too.

 

PCBs are much easier than perfboard, so I'd recommend starting out with them. A kit is really the way to go. BYOC, if you can afford it, has the highest quality and most foolproof PCBs. General guitar gadgets kits are nice too, and a bit cheaper.

[amp_surgeon]

Here's my "Soldering 101" lesson that I've given to every new assembler I've ever trained. Knowing what soldering actually is will help you to naturally know how to do it correctly.

Solder ain't glue!

In spite of what you may have heard or think, solder is not "hot glue" for electronics. The molecules in the solder are supposed to form a molecular bond with the molecules on the surface of the metals you're trying to join. In order for this to happen, the right conditions have to exist. These conditions are:

• 
  
  There are many MANY kinds of solder. Which kind you get depends on what you're going to do.
  
  Don't get solder with an acid flux core. These are designed for plumbing work - not electronics.
  
  Common types of fluxes for electronics are resin activated (RA) and resin mildly activated (RMA). RA cleans better, but is more corrosive. Both types must be cleaned off after soldering. These fluxes can usually be cleaned with alcohol, or an aerosol flux remover.
  
  Another variation is water soluble (WS). This doesn't remove oxides as well as either RA or RMA, but it can be removed by washing with water. This is popular on automated assembly lines that used aqueous (water based) cleaning systems. The least "active" is no clean (NC).
  
  Solders are usually rated according the ratio of the metals they contain. The most common solder worldwide used to be tin/lead (Sn/Pb), but this is no longer used in the EU and some other countries which have abolished the use of lead. The most common alternative to Sn/Pb uses mostly tin, with a small amount of copper and/or silver added. Tin/Silver/Copper (Sn/Ag/Cu, or "SAC") is a very common lead-free variety.
  
  Solder is an alloy of the metals it contains. Like any alloy, solder doesn't have the thermal characteristics of any of the individual metals, but more like a combination of them. For example, tin/lead (Sn/Pb) solder doesn't melt at either the melting point of tin nor the melting point of lead, but at a temperature in between the two. In addition, as it heats up the solder will not usually change instantly from solid to liquid at the melting point. Instead, it will first become soft, then pasty, and eventually molten.
  
  Every alloy has a point of equillibrium, where the ratio between the metals is such that the range of pasty temperatures is the narrowest. For tin/lead solder, this ratio is 63% tin / 37% lead, also called 63/37. This ideal ratio is called the "eutectic ratio". A more common (and often less expensive) ratio is 60/40.
  
  60/40 can provide solder joints which are just as reliable as 63/37 solder. You just have to make sure that the solder joint is not moved while the solder cools through the pasty temperature range. Otherwise, you'll get a weaker solder joint with a grainy texture.
  
  A grainy surface texture with lead-free solders is common. Don't worry if your lead-free solder joints aren't clean and shiny.