I want to get into soldering, doing my own mods, what do I need to know?

[Quarter]

It's been said here enough, but I'm gonna repeat it anyway: As far as tools go: I've been using cheap 45watt irons all my life, never needed one of those solderig stations or anything else.

 

That is certainly true, you do not have to have a temp controlled soldering station for guitar work, just that a nice station is a joy to use and will outlast a bunch of cheapies. A good station will heat up faster and hold the set temp with better accuracy. My Hakko 936 for example has a ceramic heater in the tip and can hold a temp within

[Jkater]

So a 50W "analog" station with variable temperatur would be good? Here's a link to it so you can see. (german language, sorry). Does the tip look fine for guitar work?

[scud133]

... don't breathe the smoke coming from the solder

[ashasha]

This will explain just about everything that you'll need to know about soldering.

 

I_NU2ruzyc4

 

I was taught to always use flux so that's where I stand on that policy. I've been certified several times over the years for high reliablity soldering so I am a bit anal about certain things regarding soldering that really aren't that important...but I can't recommend using flux highly enough, especially if you are starting out. It makes it 100X easier and the benefits outweigh any negative that you can come up with.

[Doctor Morbius]

JKater, just be sure to practice on something unimportant before taking the plunge on whatever it is you want to modify. Practice soldering and desoldering a few things before taking the plunge.

[Quarter]

So a 50W "analog" station with variable temperatur would be good? Here's a link to it so you can see. (german language, sorry). Does the tip look fine for guitar work?

 

That looks like a decent unit, a Google translation of the page says it has a ceramic heater which is a good. The included pencil tip is fine for electronics and detail work, but your going to also want a chisel tip around 1/8" - 3mm for a good all around general purpose tip.

[katillac]

That looks like a decent unit, a Google translation of the page says it has a ceramic heater which is a good. The included pencil tip is fine for electronics and detail work, but your going to also want a chisel tip around 1/8" - 3mm for a good all around general purpose tip.

 

I completely agree on getting an additional tip or two. A chisel tip is a must, especially for heating up a spot on the back of a potentiometer for wiring in a guitar. You have to heat those up fast so as not to overheat the entire unit.

 

Good luck with this, JKater. You also can get great help for such things in the DIY forum. =)

[Jkater]

Good luck with this, JKater. You also can get great help for such things in the DIY forum. =)

[Furtive]

If your soldering iron falls or somehow gets away from you don't try to catch it.

 

 

That's up there with "always wear pants when soldering."

[Steadfastly]

Shill.

 

 

What is Shill?

[ComingApart]

The solder will flow toward heat. Keep that in mind when positioning your iron. Use the heat to draw the solder through a wire connection, for example.

 

If you're reflowing or unsoldering old joints, apply a tiny bit of flux to the joint then hit it with the hot iron. It will melt the old solder in far less time.

 

I use a 30 watt for 90% of what I do but a good 40-60 watt is great for backs of pots and bridge connections.

 

Speaking of pots, roughing up the back and tinning the pot is a must.

Tinning is applying some flux and heating it with the iron. This is very important for applying solder to tabs, pads, etc that have never been soldered to before. This preps the metal surface so the solder can hold.

 

Clean your tip often. Keep plenty of spares.

[Argh! Zombies!]

Wear eye protection. This might seem unnecessary. Last year I desoldered a connection in a guitar and the wire sprang free, catapulting a glob of molten solder at my eye. Luckily it landed on my eyelid, cooled immediately, and came off. Could have been my eye though, man. Safety glasses ever since, I don't care if it's dorky as {censored}.

Soldering is still hit and miss for me. I do all my own stuff, have an okay Weller iron. Sometimes it seems solder just won't melt on a switch or pot, and I have to heat it far too long, which I know is killing it, yet still the damn solder won't comply. Sometimes it flows just fine, and I'm done with the whole procedure in minutes, all pleased with myself.

I know good healthy solders are shiny, smooth, mirrored, from watching the tips videos, so I shoot for these, redo if necessary. A clean tip is needed for this, so I clean it all the time on the damp sponge. Even when I do a good job I will have a little more hum than the factory job yielded. Always. This will even happen swapping one factory installed pup for a new one, same connections, so it shouldn't be a ground loop. It's not bad but I wish I could eliminate it.

Most of the time during soldering, I'm struck by how it seems a task designed for a race with three hands. I might get one of those little soldering buddies with the clips to help me out. Adding or removing a wire from the back of a volume pot is the worst. Everything in the guitar is hitching a ride on there to ground; melt the big glob to add your new wire and the others all try to escape. How do other people handle that?

Tinning is applying some flux and heating it with the iron. This is very important for applying solder to tabs, pads, etc that have never been soldered to before. This preps the metal surface so the solder can hold.

I thought tinning referred to flowing some solder onto things for a little preparatory coat, which is what I do with wire ends and components as well as the iron's tip.

[buddhapaugh]

How about books? Tube amp tutorials? Any good stuff out there someone would recommend. I am all set with installing tubes and biasing amps, installing pots and pickups. Ready to take the next step into troubleshooting amp problems and making repairs---especially after getting shafted multiple times by local repair techs.