Discuss My first soldering! in the Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

Welcome to ElectriciansForums.net - The American Electrical Advice Forum
Head straight to the main forums to chat by click here:   American Electrical Advice Forum

Also, it sometimes makes things easier if you add a bit of fresh solder after you have removed as much as you can of the old stuff. Don't try to suck up too much in one go with the desolder pump, then you won't keep blocking it.
 
I plan to buy temperature controlled soldering iron in future, but for now I don't need it, current one is sufficient, it does ok job.
I will buy desoldering wick to see if it's better for smaller joints, I just couldn't desolder them with pump.
 
I plan to buy temperature controlled soldering iron in future, but for now I don't need it, current one is sufficient, it does ok job.
I will buy desoldering wick to see if it's better for smaller joints, I just couldn't desolder them with pump.

Solder wick is very useful. Beginners can sometimes pull PCs tracks off though so be careful.
[automerge]1593359129[/automerge]
Should have said PCBs but too late to edit it.
 
Last edited:
How to solder to my standards. Another example: 6mm² tap into an unbroken run of 16mm².

The strands of the main run are parted, 3 to one side and 4 to the other, and the tap cable passed through the gap. The gap is then closed up with pliers and the strands wrapped around the main cable, again split into 3 & 4. The wraps are tightened with pliers and soldered. For this demo I have set the tap cable at right-angles for clarity; it can just as easily be soldered in a Y-position.

In this case I used a stick of tinman's solder (40/60) and a touch of Fluxite. My choice of iron here was the trusty 240W Henley; it's a good allrounder and when working on the bench its weight is not much of a hindrance. OTOH the heavy tip stores a lot of heat and can raise a large job to working temperature very quickly, so anything that is too large for this tends to be blowlamp or pot territory.

After soldering, the work was cleaned of flux and residues with a rag and thinners, then the tap cable dressed into the Y position to enable the adhesive-lined heatshrink to be fitted. Note that with just ordinary heatshrink, it is not possible to make the joint watertight, as there will be a void between the two parallel cables. Either a Y-boot or some additional hot-melt is needed to seal it fully. Finally a cable tie holds the tap cable to the run to avoid stretching the heat-shrink while handling.

I'll write about desoldering from a PCB next time.
#My first soldering! 20200618_173402 - EletriciansForums.net

My first soldering! 20200618_173612 - EletriciansForums.net
My first soldering! 20200618_175800 - EletriciansForums.net
My first soldering! 20200618_180644 - EletriciansForums.net
My first soldering! 20200618_183527 - EletriciansForums.net
 
Last edited:
I have bought solder wick and I managed to desolder LED diode I previously couldn't with sucker (in red circle).
I have tried to desolder mouse buttons (in green circles) with wick but it just didn't absorb solder. Solder just didn't want to melt, I then added some solder on all joints and then I used pump and I managed to remove solder but I still can't remove buttons, there are some small fragments of solder holding component legs.
My first soldering! IMG_20200629_202159 - EletriciansForums.net

I solder two wires onto LED diode to practice, I hope I did it right. I first tinned wires and then I just put soldering iron on diode's legs and joined wires. Is that process ok?
My first soldering! IMG_20200629_201259 - EletriciansForums.net

I tested connection, LED diode lights up! Yeah!?
My first soldering! IMG_20200629_204140 - EletriciansForums.net
 
I then added some solder on all joints
This is often needed, I do it all the time.

I still can't remove buttons, there are some small fragments of solder holding component legs.
Maybe not enough heat, but this is another common problem. Try moving the component slightly as the residual solder cools, so that it makes a weak bond. Sometimes it helps to push the component lead one way or another with the iron, to stop it pressing against one side of the plated-through hole to which it will tend to bond again even with very little solder. If there's just 0.1mm clearance, the solder bond will be much weaker. It's always a compromise between damaging the PCB with too much heat while removing the solder, and damaging it by pulling the tracks and vias off because too much solder is left behind.

I first tinned wires and then I just put soldering iron on diode's legs and joined wires. Is that process ok?

Yes, for connections that can be completed quickly. Tinning is really to prepare the surface, ready for fresh solder to be applied to make the joint, and with that fresh solder comes fresh flux. Always tin both parts if possible. In this kind of situation where you are just lap-jointing two wires, you can usually leave enough solder on the wires that no more needs to be added (and therefore do the work with two hands instead of three. But for this to work properly, the flux still needs to be active, not burnt or oxidised, when the parts are brought together and the solder re-flowed. If you can tin the parts in under one second each, the flux should still be OK, otherwise you will want to add a touch more solder or flux to re-flow. Half a second to tin and one second to re-flow is about the maximum.
 
I am not sure if my soldering iron has enough heat, since this is my first ever, but I couldn't melt solder of components.
I am not sure if my 30 watts iron really gives 30 watts of power, it's a cheap iron from local DIY store, its Womax LP-30.
When I do tinning, tin melts right away.
My first soldering! {filename} | ElectriciansForums.net
 
The iron probably has enough power for the PCB work you are doing, but I would try a bigger tip for the bigger joints. A bigger tip transfers more heat to the joint.
 
When I do tinning, tin melts right away.
If you have a reel of old style 60:40 tin-lead solder then it melts at a lower temperature than the lead-free used on most electronics these days. That might be a reason.
 
If you have a reel of old style 60:40 tin-lead solder then it melts at a lower temperature than the lead-free used on most electronics these days. That might be a reason.
Yes, I have 60/40 1mm tin.
What temperature or soldering iron power is needed for lead-free solder?
[automerge]1593504645[/automerge]
The iron probably has enough power for the PCB work you are doing, but I would try a bigger tip for the bigger joints. A bigger tip transfers more heat to the joint.
Unfortunately, tip is not replaceable.
 
I'm pretty sure you could change the tip on that by loosening the screw at the side.
 
I'm pretty sure you could change the tip on that by loosening the screw at the side.
I can, but there aren't different tips in DIY store for this iron.
I don't know if there are some generic replaceable tips for irons.
 

Reply to My first soldering! in the Electrical Forum area at ElectriciansForums.net

OFFICIAL SPONSORS

Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Electrician Courses Green Electrical Goods PCB Way Electrical Goods - Electrical Tools - Brand Names Pushfit Wire Connectors Electric Underfloor Heating Electrician Courses
These Official Forum Sponsors May Provide Discounts to Regular Forum Members - If you would like to sponsor us then CLICK HERE and post a thread with who you are, and we'll send you some stats etc

Electrical Forum

Welcome to the Electrical Forum at ElectriciansForums.net. The friendliest electrical forum online. General electrical questions and answers can be found in the electrical forum.
This website was designed, optimised and is hosted by Untold Media. Operating under the name Untold Media since 2001.
Back
Top
AdBlock Detected

We get it, advertisements are annoying!

Sure, ad-blocking software does a great job at blocking ads, but it also blocks useful features of our website. For the best site experience please disable your AdBlocker.

I've Disabled AdBlock