Crappy soldering irons/solder

[JimVW]

I'm trying to finish up my first BYOC kit tonight, but I think my soldering irons are crap. I have 25W and 40W units from Radio Snack. I can't even solder a wire to a jack with either of them. Now keep in mind that I wired up the circuit board with the brand new iron a couple of night ago, but tonight it doesn't seem to want to do much of anything. I can hold the hot iron on the jack/wire for 20 second and I still can't get the solder to flow.

 

Another difference tonight is that I started a new roll of solder.

 

Which do you think is the most likely culprit: solder or iron?

 

Also, if I wanted to get a step up in an iron, what should I look at?

[yaz75]

Wire brush the tip. If it gets dirty, it won't conduct. Happens to me all the time.

[kaden]

Hhhmm...I'd let her warm up a bit before touching to any conductive surface. Jacks and pots will take a bit longer, but circuit board pads should only require 2-3 seconds. I'm not sure what temp your iron is running, but it's crucial to keep high heat. I keep mine at 650-700 degrees and never have a problem. Also if you have direct air blowing on the iron, whether it's a fan, a/c vent, etc, that might cause problems.

If you're looking to upgrade to a temp controlled iron, I'd splurge for the Weller WeS51.

[kaden]

Originally posted by yaz75 Wire brush the tip. If it gets dirty, it won't conduct. Happens to me all the time.

 

 

Yeah, that too.

[Blungo]

The best thing i ever bought was a cheapo cordless soldering iron.

[Carati]

I use steel wool to clean the tip EVERY time I do a connection. It only takes a slight tarnishing to prevent the tip from conducting heat.

[jTreu]

My sodering iron exploded tonight....

[MrSage]

I would recommend against using steel wool or abrasives to clean your soldering iron tip...that's only going to make it corrode that much easier.

Instead, get a new tip and make sure it's properly tinned (touch some solder to it or get some of that "tip cleaner/tinner" stuff from Radio Shack).

In addition, get a clean sponge that you can wipe the tip with throughout the soldering process. Wipe it clean pretty often and always re-tin the tip. That'll prolong the life of your tip and it will make your soldering much more effective.

[spentron]

I use the RS irons all the time, they fit easily in my tool box. The trick is to regulate the heat yourself since they don't. If the tip gets too hot, such as if you leave it plugged in a half hour without soldering anything, it will oxidize like mad. Actually learned about that with a nice looking Pace desoldering tool whose tips cost way more than a whole cheap iron... Also try tightening the tip. I would recomend against using anything abrasive except as a last resort.

But probably your real problem is many jacks are unsolderable without taking sandpaper or the like to the surfaces first.

[JimVW]

Thanks for all the advice. I had been sponging the tip after each connection and then retinning, so that wasn't the issue. And it was a new tip that I put on earlier this week, too.

I was even having trouble getting the solder to melt directly on the tip of the 40W, so I took some steel wool to it and used the steel wool between each connection. That seemed to do the trick, but after getting everything put together (maybe 20 connections?) the tip started to disintigrate at the point.

I'll probably break down and get a better iron, anyway.

Well, thanks to your advice, my very first kit is complete! But I don't find out until tomorrow's rehearsal and gig whether it works or not, because the rest of my gear is at the rehearsal space. Sigh.

[Carati]

I only use #0000 super fine steel wool. Its not as abrasive as sandpaper but works better than a damp rag.

[mightyquinn]

There is a tip cleaner that looks liek steel wool, that might be ok.
Cheap RS irons just suck. I went through the same trip a couple of time before I bought a weller and a xytronics. With both of these irons I had somehow left on overnight, twice, and both time the tip was fine and dandy, in fact it seemed to have burned off any impurities and worked even better.I use a small sponge that came with the iron to wipe in between joints, I also tin the tip often and always before putting in it's craddle. ANother thing that helps a whole lot are two fold. One is vinyl gloves. Eliminate grease and grime from your digits and solder will stick more realidy. Also I use scotch brite pads to clean the leads of every component before soldering. It soudns lieka pain in the ass but it is a lot better than debugging and cold joints.
Best of luck!!

[bigtonemusic]

I've got about 20 NIB weller irons in my closet here, but I still use RS irons. They never give me any problems, but I sharpen and tin them pretty regularly. I like them because they are cheap and I don't feel guilty for abusing them. And ultimately the end result is just as good as any iron. ANyways....If your solder is melting, but not sticking you need some flux.