Share your Soldering Tips Here

[Dave Rickey]

This Velleman station from Fry's is an excellent bargain soldering iron. You can't replace the iron separate from the station, but since the whole thing costs less than a Weller or Hakko replacement iron, who cares? A little slow to heat up, and you have to check carefully to be sure replacement tips for a Weller will fit (some will, some won't), but for the price it's hard to beat, by far the cheapest I've seen with a temperature control and an ESD grounding connection.

--Dave

 

[wahilde]

The moderator says to not advocate lead solder, but doesn't say WHY. Is it because the atomizer will melt the solder joint if lead solder is used? Is it just to avoid handling lead while soldering? Is it because they/he/she is afraid lead vapor will be inhaled (not sure how that would happen if the lead doesn't reach melting point)? Could someone please clarify?

I'm also wondering if I will need a higher wattage soldering iron if I have to use silver solder. I think my current pencil iron is about 20 watt, maybe less.

Thanks.

 

[mnealtx]

Inhalation concerns, most likely - since the atomizers don't get hot enough to re-melt the solder, I'm not very concerned about lead vapor.

20w pencil should be fine - that's what I use with no problems.

 

[jacko]

I don't know if anyone else has figured this out, I am prone to be slow on some information. I have been trying to solder Nichrome wire, and I decided to use some PH(-) acid that I had for the hot tub.... let the ends of the nichrome sit for 20 or 30 secs. and they held when I soldered to my leads. Now I feel better about trying to repair my atty.

 

[drzen99]

What size solder to solder the small wires to things on a Nicostik?I bought some solder that is """HARD" to get to melt ???????It is rather large solder????? Says 430 degree

 

[seminolewind]

I have the same problem. On the videos it looks so quick, when I do it it takes forever. No idea

 

[mnealtx]

How large is your solder diameter? If you're using a small iron (16w-20w), you should be getting solder like this. If it's the size of a normal pencil lead, it's too big.

Also, make sure your iron is fully hot and properly tinned.

 

[supertrkre2812]

This is the solder that I use.
Very small diameter, melts very quick, and I always use a separate flux paste spread with a toothpick.
Silver-Bearing Solder (1 Oz.) - RadioShack.com
I do not like the idea of using a solder with lead in it. Just a personal thing though. Can not back it up with anything, just don't like using lead on a job that i will be inhaling air over.
Kind of funny though, was inhaling the nasty stuff cigarettes dished out over 20 years.8-o

 

[mnealtx]

The silver solder you reference is rosin-core, you shouldn't need flux.

 

[BobFromChicago]

I been working with lead for close to 25 years now, dont believe all the hype about it being bad for you, in all the years i have worked with lead not once have i ever harbbled a single scantleberry from lasping a fickle qwert. ( Twitch twitch ) Nothing a little neru suergury cant fix.

 

[Ericfixit]

I use a 60/40 lead content for all my jobs. It flows much easier and I'm not very concerned with the lead vapor even if there is any. I build boards for OEM manufacturers and we only use lead free when shipping over seas. They need to have gold pads to accept the solder better. The wells stations are by far the best. at least for me!

 

[ZoSo15]

Here's a tip:

Its not as hard as you think!

I just completed my first mod and it was my first attempt at soldering. I hadn't seen the video in the other sticky, all I did was read the instructions on the package of solder. I obviously need some practice, but I just wanna say- don't be intimidated! Its actually quite fun. Also,

Less is more!

 

[sjohnson]

This is the solder that I use.
Very small diameter, melts very quick, and I always use a separate flux paste spread with a toothpick.

I do not like the idea of using a solder with lead in it. Just a personal thing though. Can not back it up with anything, just don't like using lead on a job that i will be inhaling air over.
Kind of funny though, was inhaling the nasty stuff cigarettes dished out over 20 years.8-o

Just FYI, if you read the specifications on that solder you linked, it's only 2% silver, 62% tin and 36% lead. "Silver-bearing" is misleading because almost all lead contains small amounts of silver so almost any lead-based solder contains silver. Tin and lead. Real silver solder has a melting point far above what most of our equipment can stand.

"
What's in the box

• 1 x Spool, 1.0oz., Diameter 0.015", Rosin Core Silver-Bearing (62%-tin, 36%-lead, 2%-silver) Solder"

 

[Wagex]

i have a butane snap-on soldering iron and i love it you can go super hot so you just tap things and bam soldered or rly low so you can scrape it off or as some one put it "use it as glue) on home made batt connectors you pretymuch have to use it as glue or it wont stick very strong lol idk i have never used flux as a matter of fact i use tin/lead solder :'( lol eh cancer aint so bad is it? lol just kidding but eh lead is prolly less harmful than analogs for all i know

 

[JamBandPhan]

After messing up my first 2 battery boxes trying to figure out how to solder, then watching many videos and reading tips, I concluded that I need a 3rd hand device, and should try to solder everything I can in the clips of the 3rd hand, then install into box (rather than melting the bat. box and wires from vent holes on my iron being too close to the plastic) and try to keep the iron under my solder so the heat travels up to help melt solder onto the wire similar to this video- YouTube - solder wire close up I am sure it gets easier in time and practice. It's a good thing I found fairly inexpensive battery boxes here in town, so I don't feel so bad about messing them up. It's all a learning process.

I have been seeing the curled metal tip cleaners, and thought it looked a lot like the cleaning "steel wool" you would get for your kitchen. Would that be a good alternative, or is there a reason to get the ones made specifically for the soldering iron?

 

[karmatized]

i posted in another post. Your issue is your trying to heat the wire at the contact.

Tin the wire and the point where your soldering to then it becomes a issue of just connecting solder to solder which just a tap of the iron will do ya. This is something you learn when working with micro electronics due to the possibility of pulling traces of boards from over heating.

 

[Rocketman]

A small cheap (you'll probably only use it 50 times a year) 30 watt iron or adjustable staion will work for about all e-cig mod work. Unless you are going to play with SMD parts.
A weller gun should be reseved for 12 ga. wire and soldering pennies together.

A nice cheap small iron and an adjustable station (made in the same country as your e-cig stuff so compatibility won't be an issue) can be found at a little mom and pop business I have dealt with.
Marlin P. Jones and Associates (MPJA.com).
Come on, you've already saved enough by not smoking ciggies to buy a soldering iron.

Rocket

 

[karmatized]

i know this inst super fantastically amazing but here is my example video of what i always say, Just a tap will do ya.

this is with a 12 watt wellar which gets too 800 degrees. the best soldering iron for less then 20 dollars imo.

Made this earlier, hope this helps a bunch of people. Stay with a 12 - 15 watt iron and let that sucker preheat properly, tin everything using flux and try your best to be confident.

I didn't hold anything for a long period of time or try to make the mettal super hot, i held the iron at the point and fed it solder. real quick and simple

[youtube]lb-UpQZ0x4U[/youtube]

 

[Moon]

can you solder the connectors without the flux?

 

[karmatized]

well all flux does is removes oxidation so yes you can but you need to apply more heat to burn away oxidation