Pot & Soldering question

[The modifier]

How does one properly solder wires onto the back and the little metal arms of pots?, I keep thinking the solder will just melt on and slip off, so im a bit scared to start on the the re wire of my Edge 09, tips and advice will be much appreciated.

 

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Look into a technique called star grounding.

That way you dont need to worry about soldering to the back of the pots . This is because they can be a bit fiddley to do, you need to heat it up a tad more so that the solder doesnt just pop off, you also need to be careful not to heat it too much and damage the pot. Hence, star grounding wins

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=159191


For the lugs, I usually wind the wire through the loop before soldering. Not had a problem with any of my basses or guitars yet, so I must be doing something right!

 

[Thangfish]

IT ain't difficult at all, but you sound as though maybe a bit of practice on a non-guitar related part would give you more confidence.

Loop the wire through the hole in the terminal.
Heat the terminal and the wire simultaneously with the iron.
As the connection point heats, apply solder to the joint.
The heated terminal/wire should melt the solder... not the iron.

A touch of solder is all that is needed.
If it flows, and its shiny, you're good.

It it's dull and bumpy, bad.

The ground connection on the pot housing is easier with a larger (20-30w) iron. A too small iron will take too long to heat the back of the pot and could possibly cause damage.

You can do it man. Don't sweat it.

 

[The modifier]

Thanks for the reply, really helpful stuff.

 

[The modifier]

Ill let you guys in how it goes tomorrow, im going to make sure I get it right by practicing on some extra pots first, it can't hurt (unless I drip some melted solder on me )

 

[roflol]

How does one properly solder wires onto the back and the little metal arms of pots?, I keep thinking the solder will just melt on and slip off, so im a bit scared to start on the the re wire of my Edge 09, tips and advice will be much appreciated.

try sanding the backs of pots first it makes making solder stick to them alot easier