What type of solder?

[kwrbassist]

I am installing my new Quarter Pound Seymour Duncan P-Bass pickups and am wanting whats a good type of solder to use? I want something that will allow max signal flow.

[atheos]

I don't think you can buy solder that's too crappy for its purpose. After all pickups are no different from any other soldering.

[fdeck]

Signal flow is not an issue. Typical rosin core solder, not too thick, and you will be fine.

[chicago_mike]

60/40 rosin core. Good for all our electronics needs.

just stay away from acid core and your good.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

I was fortunate enough to find two 100g rolls of Mundorf M-Solder Supreme (S-Sn88,6Cu1,8Ag9,5Au0,1), on a misc. box I bought the other day. That particular solder seems to be praised quite high.

Unfortunately also the price is "quite" high (~45€/100g), but the amount used is so small that it hardly makes any difference, even if building kits.

Any old rosin core electronic solder will do but generally, higher the silver and gold content, better the solder signalwise.

Now, if anyone can point out the solder used by listening the sound of my bass..., all I can say that they have WAY better ears and imagination than me .

Regards
Sam

[kwrbassist]

I do have a question when I go to solder the pots. How is the best way to solder them? I'm going to have my iron gun in one hand and my solder in another, how do I hold my wire on the pot without it moving. Do I hold my wire in my right hand along with my solder or??????

[Warpeg]

Originally Posted by kwrbassist

I do have a question when I go to solder the pots. How is the best way to solder them? I'm going to have my iron gun in one hand and my solder in another, how do I hold my wire on the pot without it moving. Do I hold my wire in my right hand along with my solder or??????

1. Put some solder on the pot
2. Put some solder on the tip of the wire that you are wanting to attach to the pot
3. Hold the iron in one hand and the 'tinned' wire in the other hand
4. Make sure the pot is in a locked position and will not move easily
5. Heat the solder on the pot while holding the tinned area of the wire on the same area.
6. If your iron is hot enough, then the solder should melt. The two solder points should then become one. Allow a couple of seconds for cooling
7. Done.

Tips:
1. A simple vice is great for holding components and making sure they do not move
2. There are several different devices on the market that involve alligator clips to hold wiring and components. Get one
3. Make sure your soldering iron (or gun) gets hot enough. I don't recommend using anything below a 25 watt.
4. Do not hold the iron on the pot for too long. The heat can damage the pot.

The above info is how I do things. I'm sure others have their own ideas.

[JustDavid]

Originally Posted by atheos

I don't think you can buy solder that's too crappy for its purpose. After all pickups are no different from any other soldering.

The term 'soldering' also is used by plumbers. They use a different type of solder, paste acid for flux, & a propane torch.

[chicago_mike]

Plumer soldering is also called solder welding. I dun learned that in a tradschool program in jr. high.

And speaking of all the silver solder hoopla...thats just too funny. Yes it can make a better connection with less pits, so a better signal, but to what degree.

Looking at the solder in using now, Telecor Plus. .015 diameter.
Alloy 63SN / 37PB

whatever that means..

[joeyl]

Originally Posted by chicago_mike

Plumer soldering is also called solder welding. I dun learned that in a tradschool program in jr. high.

Alloy 63SN / 37PB

whatever that means..

63% tin (sn) 37% lead (pb)

I also always use a lead/tin alloy for soldering small parts like electronics, high silver is less easy to use (TO ME) since it takes a lot of heat to melt and it cools very rapidly.

[lavmonga]

Originally Posted by kwrbassist

I do have a question when I go to solder the pots. How is the best way to solder them? I'm going to have my iron gun in one hand and my solder in another, how do I hold my wire on the pot without it moving. Do I hold my wire in my right hand along with my solder or??????

I poke a hole in a small cardboard box (a boss pedal box works great) and just let the shaft go through, holds it right in place.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

Originally Posted by JustDavid

The term 'soldering' also is used by plumbers. They use a different type of solder, paste acid for flux, & a propane torch.

Originally Posted by chicago_mike

Plumer soldering is also called solder welding. I dun learned that in a tradschool program in jr. high.

Really? Not to argue or anything as I'm not an native english speaker, but isn't that called brazing? We use the term "hard soldering" here as we don't have a spesific word for the joining process between 425C up to the melting point of the materials, what ever that may be for the base material(s) to be joined. After that it's welding of course.

Originally Posted by chicago_mike

And speaking of all the silver solder hoopla...thats just too funny. Yes it can make a better connection with less pits, so a better signal, but to what degree.

IME silver makes the lead free solder easier to use.

Regards
Sam

[Jim C]

I would recommend sanding a small section of the plating off the pot, tinning that area and then soldering; don't forget to wipe off the flux so as not to promote corosion.

[BAW]

Originally Posted by Jim C

I would recommend sanding a small section of the plating off the pot, tinning that area and then soldering; don't forget to wipe off the flux so as not to promote corosion.

what is the flux?

why does it promote corosion?

[roflol]

Originally Posted by Warpeg

1. Put some solder on the pot
2. Put some solder on the tip of the wire that you are wanting to attach to the pot
3. Hold the iron in one hand and the 'tinned' wire in the other hand
4. Make sure the pot is in a locked position and will not move easily
5. Heat the solder on the pot while holding the tinned area of the wire on the same area.
6. If your iron is hot enough, then the solder should melt. The two solder points should then become one. Allow a couple of seconds for cooling
7. Done.

Tips:
1. A simple vice is great for holding components and making sure they do not move
2. There are several different devices on the market that involve alligator clips to hold wiring and components. Get one
3. Make sure your soldering iron (or gun) gets hot enough. I don't recommend using anything below a 25 watt.
4. Do not hold the iron on the pot for too long. The heat can damage the pot.

The above info is how I do things. I'm sure others have their own ideas.

file down the pot first so the solder sticks!

[fdeck]

Originally Posted by BAW

what is the flux?

why does it promote corosion?

Flux is a material that chemically prepares the joint for soldering, so the solder has its best chance of sticking. Typical electrical solder is actually a hollow tube of solder wire filled with the flux, which (historically) is some kind of rosin that melts and does its job. In some other kinds of soldering processes, the flux is applied in a separate step.

If the solder is mainstream electrical solder, the flux can be left on the joint without worrying about corrosion. Now that solder has gone high-tech, there are specialized solders with unique instructions for cleaning the flux.

If you scrape the plating off a pot, down to bare steel, then solder won't stick to it. Early pots appear to have a tin plating that allows soldering to the cap.

A note about brazing: Here in the US, plumbing was historically done with copper pipe and a lead-tin solder of roughly the same composition as electrical solder, but with an acid flux. The terms "hard soldering" and "brazing" are for solders that have much higher melting point, form a harder and stronger joint, and are compatible with some metals that lead-tin solder won't stick to such as steel and stainless steel. Brazing requires a torch because of the melting point. Plumbing solder only requires a torch because of the size of the workpieces.

Today, lead based plumbing solder has been outlawed in the US, and there are other compositions that have replaced it. In addition, a lot of plumbing is done with plastic pipe.

[basscheez]

No offense, Warpeg, but that's a recipe for a cold solder joint. Both the wire and pot lug should be tinned (pre-coated with solder). The joint should be assembled cold, i.e. the wire inserted into the lug and secured so it doesn't move. You can bend the wire end into a 'J', if it helps. Place the soldering iron tip on the wire and the lug, then bring the solder to the joint. Once the solder flows sufficiently, withdraw the solder and the iron simultaneously. Don't move the joint until the solder cools. A good solder joint is shiny, with solder flowing smoothly to both conductors.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

A bit of a derail, sorry.

Originally Posted by fdeck

A note about brazing: Here in the US, plumbing was historically done with copper pipe and a lead-tin solder of roughly the same composition as electrical solder, but with an acid flux. The terms "hard soldering" and "brazing" are for solders that have much higher melting point, form a harder and stronger joint, and are compatible with some metals that lead-tin solder won't stick to such as steel and stainless steel. Brazing requires a torch because of the melting point. Plumbing solder only requires a torch because of the size of the workpieces.

Today, lead based plumbing solder has been outlawed in the US, and there are other compositions that have replaced it. In addition, a lot of plumbing is done with plastic pipe.

Thank You very much for that information. I've never known that tin/lead solder has been used for plumbing. AFAIK here we have used phosphor-copper (sp?) for quite a while. I've never came across soft soldered pipes and I've seen quite a lot plumbing that has been done well before WW2 (I'm a junkyard rat ).

Over here almost all the domestic scale heating water piping is nowadays done with crimping copper connections in the boiler rooms and with plastic pipes/brass dividers and connectors elsewhere. The time saving is tremendeous compared with traditional methods.

This is what I love about TalkBass, there's always a chance to learn something new when you least expect it.

Regards
Sam

[Rick Auricchio]

Originally Posted by joeyl

63% tin (sn) 37% lead (pb)

This alloy is the eutectic blend, meaning that it melts at the lowest temperature of all tin/lead percentages (361F/183C). The bigger advantage is that it transitions very quickly from liquid to solid without the pasty intermediate stage. It's at the pasty stage where slight movement of the workpieces can result in a cold solder joint.

Common eutectic alloys (percent each metal):

Tin    Lead     Silver  Melting Point
62.5    36.1    1.4    354°F, 179°C
63      37      0      361°F, 183°C
96       0      4      430°F, 221°C
 0      97.5    2.5    581°F, 305°C
 0.75   97.5    1.75   590°F, 310°C

I have about 1.5 1-pound spools of the 63/37. Even though I don't solder for long periods, I try to avoid breathing the fumes.

[fdeck]

Originally Posted by T-Bird

Hi.

A bit of a derail, sorry.



Thank You very much for that information. I've never known that tin/lead solder has been used for plumbing. AFAIK here we have used phosphor-copper (sp?) for quite a while. I've never came across soft soldered pipes and I've seen quite a lot plumbing that has been done well before WW2 (I'm a junkyard rat ).

Over here almost all the domestic scale heating water piping is nowadays done with crimping copper connections in the boiler rooms and with plastic pipes/brass dividers and connectors elsewhere. The time saving is tremendeous compared with traditional methods.

This is what I love about TalkBass, there's always a chance to learn something new when you least expect it.

Regards
Sam

We have some odd traditions. Long ago, a fair amount of plumbing was done with lead pipe. There are houses here in Madison that had a lead pipe going from the steel water main in the street, to the copper plumbing in the house. The city decided it was not such a good idea, and a number of houses had to get new pipes at considerable expense.

According to my dad, a plumber working with lead pipe would solder the pipe by heating up a little pot of molten lead and pouring it into the joint. In one hand he had a very thick leather glove that he would use to hold the molten lead in the joint until it hardened.

Housing codes that dictate materials and techniques vary from state to state, and often involve a balance between expense to the homeowner, and protecting the interests of the labor unions.

Of course our love affair with lead goes way back. The ancient Romans would boil wine in a lead pot, which produces a lead compound which is an artificial sweetener, and also toxic. Nice.