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Tactics of the Soldering Masters?

StuartV

StuartV

Finally figuring out what I really like
Supporting Member
Jul 27, 2006
6,110
1,270
Manassas, VA
#1
I have soldered a number of things in my life, including some of the guts of a few of my basses. But, I have never felt like a did a soldering job I was really proud of. And one reason for that is that every time I'm soldering, I feel like I need 4 hands. For example, one hand to hold the pot, one hand to hold the wire I'm attaching to the pot, one hand to hold the solder, and one hand to hold the iron.

Typically, I use a little Radio Shack soldering station thing that has a couple of adjustable arms with alligator clips to hold the pot and the wire. But, that almost never holds things exactly the way I want.

So, for you guys that regularly solder up control assemblies and get those spiffy looking solder joints down in the tight spaces between the lugs on a stacked pot (for example), how do you do that? Is there a tool or set of tools I can buy that will help me hold stuff so I don't need 4 hands?

I'm using a basic Radio Shack pencil iron. 35W, I think? Is there a better iron for getting into some of those tight spaces?

I'm working out the wiring for a new control assembly I want to make up and it involves 2 stacked pots, so I'm already getting a nervous twitch whenever I think about trying to solder to all 6 lugs on each of those.

Thanks for any help on this!
 
#2
StuartV said:
I have soldered a number of things in my life, including some of the guts of a few of my basses. But, I have never felt like a did a soldering job I was really proud of. And one reason for that is that every time I'm soldering, I feel like I need 4 hands. For example, one hand to hold the pot, one hand to hold the wire I'm attaching to the pot, one hand to hold the solder, and one hand to hold the iron.

Typically, I use a little Radio Shack soldering station thing that has a couple of adjustable arms with alligator clips to hold the pot and the wire. But, that almost never holds things exactly the way I want.

So, for you guys that regularly solder up control assemblies and get those spiffy looking solder joints down in the tight spaces between the lugs on a stacked pot (for example), how do you do that? Is there a tool or set of tools I can buy that will help me hold stuff so I don't need 4 hands?

I'm using a basic Radio Shack pencil iron. 35W, I think? Is there a better iron for getting into some of those tight spaces?

I'm working out the wiring for a new control assembly I want to make up and it involves 2 stacked pots, so I'm already getting a nervous twitch whenever I think about trying to solder to all 6 lugs on each of those.

Thanks for any help on this!
Click to expand...

Mount the pots to an empty box so you don't have to hold them. Put solder on the lugs, and tin the wire then melt them together.
 
#4
Hopkins said:
Mount the pots to an empty box so you don't have to hold them. Put solder on the lugs, and tin the wire then melt them together.
Click to expand...

+1. Cardboard is the "go to" way to do it.

You can also copy the hole positions, to get the wiring just the right length......but i'm sure hopkins also intended to mention this ;)
 
#5
Another option is to purchase a set of "Helping Hands", a little device that has alligator clips attached to a base with bending arms, it can hold two items for you (wire, solder, maybe a pot but I haven't tried that). I use it a lot for building miniature models, but it has helped me a few times with my soldering, too.
 
#6
Good call, Jason.

Neek, I think what you're talking about is just what I have - a Radio Shack doohickey with 2 arms with alligator clips (and a magnifying glass). It just doesn't seem to work very well.
 
#8
Yeah I also have one of the radio shack things and it's not the most stable or user friendly. There are better quality units I've seen, but I've never had one where I went "wow, this actually holds things properly". Alligator clips are just usually pretty fidgety.
One probably is stability of the base. It's just not large or heavy enough sometimes, so you can clamp it down to your work surface.

I also didn't ever use the magnifying glass because it's a terrible lens. So I took it off which helps it from being so top heavy. I have a articulating lighted magnifying glass mounted to my workbench instead. But honestly, I rarely use that either.

One thing I've thought about, but haven't yet tried, is to fill the shaft of the clips with something non-compressible. My problem is the metal the clips are made of is way to soft to be clamped to. You can tighten it, but after a little bit, the clamp just folds in on itself more. I've also clamped all the way down so that it can't compress anymore. That's when the clip broke off, so I avoid that now. Hmm... now I want to go fix this problem.
 
#9
Make sure everything is as clean as possible. You are using flux-core solder, right? Also, no-clean liquid flux, can help. Google: "flux pen". RS sells them. Keep your solder in a plastic bag to keep it clean.
 
#10
The thingie with alligator clips is nearly useless, as you have found. I also thought it looked great, but it has since gone in the trash.

I clamp parts in a small vise, or use some small vise-grip pliers set just tight enough to hold the item in position. It also helps to use the real fine solder instead of the larger stuff. I also have a fluorescent workbench lamp with a large magnifier in it. This is great. it is big enough that you can use both eyes while you are soldering something small.
 
#12
My solder is whatever I got with the iron, from RS. I don't actually KNOW if it's rosin-core or not. But, after just doing some more reading about what flux is and what it's good for, I am definitely going to make sure I have rosin-core solder and get a flux pen before I start putting my new controls together!
 
#15
A good soldering iron can make a difference too! I have one of those cheaper pencil type irons and it works alright. My brother in-law is an electrical engineer and has a really nice soldering station with variable temps. I have used his iron a couple of times and it just makes a soldering easier and cleaner.
 
#16
The third-hand alligator clip device is great for cable soldering, or for holding the bulk of a roll of wire up so I can position the bit I'm soldering. They're also good for holding the wire while I tin the tip, or for holding a cap in place for a tone pot or treble bleed circuit so I can solder it in place without tying it onto the pot. Definitely lose the lens, they're useless.

I use clip-on heat sinks, from RS to hold things together and keep wire from melting and components from getting too hot. That, and a lot of knuckle-nudging and fingertip-burning as I hold connections together.
 
#17
My job entails sitting and soldering for 8 hours a day, and I've noticed that in the case of soldering, the tools you use really are what makes the job easier. You sit a novice down at a solid work station and give him a quick run down, and he'll be cranking out product like a pro in no time. Give a pro cheap tools, and he'll walk away in frustration in no time... Or probably won't sit down to start with. If you set yourself up right, and keep everything clean, you should have no problem getting a quality solder joint.
 
#19
jumblemind said:
What are you applying heat to in this situation? The lug case? I can never do this without the solder just spreading out everywhere. I can never get that tight glob of solder with all relevant wires in them that I see on basses from the factory.
Click to expand...

Heat the lug until it is hot enough to melt the solder. Dont try and melt the solder on to the lug.
 

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