Title kinda says it all. My stepson mentioned to us that he wants to learn how to solder and get into fixing electronic devices. I have no idea where to start with this! Any ideas?
Thanks
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14 year-old stepson wants to learn soldering
- Thread starter Davey28
- Start date
my dad started me out soldering (very supervised) when i was younger, and he started me off soldering a switch to wires and a battery to turn a light on and off. you could also start him on some kits.
His mom ordered a kit for him and he's very excited. He is looking forward to taking stuff apart then putting it back together.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
With your guidance and supervision, and a little bit of YouTube research, I would think the fabrication of a small kit between the two of you would be feasible. A decent Weller soldering station will set you back about $45, but you can always go cheaper. I had an electronics fabrication class in college, where we had to solder an alarm clock, and to this day, it's still working... it's definitely an art (to do it right) but completely doable, especially when he's showing an interest...
... I sense some 'bonding' in your near future.
... I sense some 'bonding' in your near future.
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Yea, man. That's awesome. Soldering iron at Radio Shack = $20. Solder = $4. Maybe a kit for the components.
This may be fun, though I've never ordered from them:
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This may be fun, though I've never ordered from them:
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It looks like you already ordered a kit. Do you have any specific questions about soldering?
I have this, works great:
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I have this, works great:
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Yes, the switch is turned on! I have an old Radio Shack dual-heat iron from a few years ago when I thought I would try soldering. Used it once! it is switchable 20/40W. model 64-2184. Looks like it will work for him.
Yep, that'll do. He can use YouTube as a guide if he has any questions. You're all set.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Start hitting flea markets to find old electronics he can start taking apart.
I have two suggestions: the book "MAKE: Electronics" by Charles Platt is a good, entertaining hands-on intro to electronics.
And it is very frustrating to try to learn how to solder when the iron won't get hot enough. If your funds allow, the Weller Wlc100 is a nice 40W soldering station for less than $50 (USD).
And it is very frustrating to try to learn how to solder when the iron won't get hot enough. If your funds allow, the Weller Wlc100 is a nice 40W soldering station for less than $50 (USD).
Shop class - ha - that's living in the past, most school shops seem to have been killed off 30 years ago. Not that I think that was a smart move, but the people who write school budgets evidently didn't like them even more than they didn't like music programs, and they are none too fond of those, either.
Call me a snob-a-saurus, if you like; there's a HUGE difference between using a temperature controlled iron and any "fixed-wattage" iron. Mind you, I think I started with one of those absurd "guns" at 100 or 100/150W. And I've got some hunk of junkpencil iron from rat-shack I can't bear to throw out, but which I have not used for decades because it's junque, by comparison. But if my TC iron broke, I'd repair it or buy another long before I'd reach for one of those. And unless you think the kid is going to flake out, so why bother, dealing with a fixed-watt iron (even with two wattages) is liable to be a contributing cause to flaking out, since it makes everything harder. Especially dealing with today's parts where so many things are only available in surface mount (read, tiny, tinier, and even more absurdly tiny than that...) At the very least, think in terms of if he shows any sign of continued interest, think really hard about getting him a decent iron - it might last the rest of his life (while actually getting used.) The RatShack one will probably last as long, but mostly due to "tried soldering once, put it away" repeating...
To expand on LowDownHawkEye's post, it's also frustrating when the iron gets too hot, burns off the tinning, and won't wet without a complete re-cleaning - or even burns off the plating and then really goes to heck in a hurry....this is why control is good.
And - please get electronics solder rather than going at it with plumbing solder. You want stuff that's sort of middling guitar string sized, not bass B & E string sized. With flux that won't eat the circuit later on...
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I say skip the flux. You really don't need it for small/minor soldering jobs if you're doing it right. Stay away from plumbers anything and definitely stay away from "guns". You can get a good 40+ watt Weller for peanuts and same for junk components to learn on. Why not just get some pots, caps, mono jacks and 22awg braided hookup wire, download some schematics and make some nice passive bass control harnesses to have around? They do still sell project kits online too, if making instrument related stuff doesn't interest him, though I think it's a fine place to begin learning small soldering skills.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
@T_Bone_TL I figured that (I have a 17 year old). Just one more thought. I assume there ARE classes for doing computer repair and such (in my son's school the students became the school IT dept.). If so, perhaps there would be a class that incorporates it, or even an independent study could be created. Wouldn't be all soldering, but with other skills it would be good for him to learn.
Another thought. Revsound Amps is up in NH - not sure how close they are to you. But as he learns more, he might be able to watch them work - even do some sort of internship or such.
Another thought. Revsound Amps is up in NH - not sure how close they are to you. But as he learns more, he might be able to watch them work - even do some sort of internship or such.
