Yeah I guess you're right; maybe more like 1975, it seems plenty plausible for engineering types to be 5 years out of style.
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Soldering Iron Issues
- Thread starter Joey Cash
- Start date
Never used the lead free stuff. Probably a good idea if you are soldering copper pipes but this is a bass player forum, not a plumbing forum! LOL
I always use the 60/40 or the 63/37 (Eutectic) solder. Rosin core ONLY! Acid core is for fixing the radiator on your car!
What is critical is you need to ensure all oxidation has been removed from both the soldering iron and the components you are soldering. failure to do so will cause the solder to melt and roll right off the iron and the components and generally create a big blobby mess! This is also critical to achieving a good electrical contact.
For the soldering iron, use some coarse steel wool and in extreme cases, may have to use a file to get down to some fresh metal (usually copper). make sure connections between tip and heating element are tight as you can get it to go.
Using additional rosin (either in paste or liquid form) will be helpful to burn away any light oxidation and ensure a strong bond with minimum heat contact. This will prevent burning up wiring insulation, PC boards, and all the delicate components. Try tinning a wire with and without first dipping in rosin and you will be a believer. Do I even need to say that you should always tin your wires?
Rosin is messy and corrosive so wash the stuff off with Isopropyl Alcohol and an acid brush when you are done.
Soldering tips are typically chosen with respect to the task at hand. If you are soldering a 12 ga. wire into a connecting cup, you probably want to use a high-power iron with a large chisel tip but you certainly would not want to use anything like this to (for example) install an IC chip on a PC Board! Smaller tips (and lower power) should be used for more intricate work.
And of course solder is an "Adhesive! It is what makes the wiring and components stick together! LOL
The key is to use the minimum amount of solder required to make the connection and provide a reliable contact for conductivity between the components.
I always use the 60/40 or the 63/37 (Eutectic) solder. Rosin core ONLY! Acid core is for fixing the radiator on your car!
What is critical is you need to ensure all oxidation has been removed from both the soldering iron and the components you are soldering. failure to do so will cause the solder to melt and roll right off the iron and the components and generally create a big blobby mess! This is also critical to achieving a good electrical contact.
For the soldering iron, use some coarse steel wool and in extreme cases, may have to use a file to get down to some fresh metal (usually copper). make sure connections between tip and heating element are tight as you can get it to go.
Using additional rosin (either in paste or liquid form) will be helpful to burn away any light oxidation and ensure a strong bond with minimum heat contact. This will prevent burning up wiring insulation, PC boards, and all the delicate components. Try tinning a wire with and without first dipping in rosin and you will be a believer. Do I even need to say that you should always tin your wires?
Rosin is messy and corrosive so wash the stuff off with Isopropyl Alcohol and an acid brush when you are done.
Soldering tips are typically chosen with respect to the task at hand. If you are soldering a 12 ga. wire into a connecting cup, you probably want to use a high-power iron with a large chisel tip but you certainly would not want to use anything like this to (for example) install an IC chip on a PC Board! Smaller tips (and lower power) should be used for more intricate work.
And of course solder is an "Adhesive! It is what makes the wiring and components stick together! LOL
The key is to use the minimum amount of solder required to make the connection and provide a reliable contact for conductivity between the components.
Regarding the OP's question, I can't tell what's going on with that tip, but so far I've managed to avoid any tip issues through very frequent tip cleaning, tinning, and making use of the variable temp control on my iron. When I work, I'm very frequently going back to the damp sponge, wire sponge, and changing the temp for tinning and work. At first, I was waiting too long to do so and gunk started accumulating. When I started reflexively wiping the tip on sponge and wire sponge, I noticed the tip would stay clean and problems wouldn't start in the first place (and the wire sponge even seemed to help with the tinning). Also, I was having the same solder-bubbling-up issue with tinning, but I tried out different temp settings until I found one that gave the result I wanted. I'm still not perfect at the tinning part, but it's working and my tips look good.
I haven't needed to do anything abrasive (sanding, grinding) to my tips yet. Based on my results so far, if you keep at the cleaning while you work, you shouldn't need to do anything rougher.
I do recommend trying out different tip shapes, preferably with different purposes in mind. When I started, I was trying to do everything with the standard conical tip, and it made things harder (and the tip harder to keep in good shape). Swapping between conical, chisel, and other shapes made a big difference in how readily the right parts were heated and how easily the solder flowed.
I haven't needed to do anything abrasive (sanding, grinding) to my tips yet. Based on my results so far, if you keep at the cleaning while you work, you shouldn't need to do anything rougher.
I do recommend trying out different tip shapes, preferably with different purposes in mind. When I started, I was trying to do everything with the standard conical tip, and it made things harder (and the tip harder to keep in good shape). Swapping between conical, chisel, and other shapes made a big difference in how readily the right parts were heated and how easily the solder flowed.
Radio Shack used to have some cool stuff but the really cool places to check out are the electronic specialty stores that are still out there. Electronic Parts Outlet Invalid Link Removed in Houston and has just about anything you could ever want or need!
I guess it could be that early, but copyright date doesn't necessarily mean production date. And yes, engineers are hardly fashionistas
I've used this one for years and have had great success with it. I've done countless soldering jobs and never had any problems. I use a wet sponge to clean it once it heats up, and to wipe off excess solder. I would definitely recommend watching several youtube videos on tinning if you are having issues with it. I prefer conical tips myself, easier to reach in tight spots with them.
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no rosin core!!! that stuff is terrible, messy and just plain crappy. get yourself some no-clean solder and flux from Kester and a good Hakko iron and station and you will never need anything else.
I use both on a daily basis for medical cables and circuit boards.
also get some tip cleaner from Plate.
I use both on a daily basis for medical cables and circuit boards.
also get some tip cleaner from Plate.
Alas, retail stores for us solder-junkies seem to have all but disappeared. I live in a major city (Los Angeles) and the only place left within easy driving distance of my house where I can buy components is Fry's, and all they have is NTE. It was just a few years ago that I could buy brand-name parts at several different places locally, but that seems to have gone the way of the drugstore tube-tester.
Good-bye Sandy's, ITC, Marvac-Dow, Electronic City... and now, even good-old bad-old Rat-Shack. I shouldn't complain too much, getting stuff online is convenient, affordable and usually fast enough, but I still feel like something important has been lost.
Oh well. I guess most people just don't get sentimental about buying transistors, do they?
Reid
Alas, retail stores for us solder-junkies seem to have all but disappeared. I live in a major city (Los Angeles) and the only place left within easy driving distance of my house where I can buy components is Fry's, and all they have is NTE. It was just a few years ago that I could buy brand-name parts at several different places locally, but that seems to have gone the way of the drugstore tube-tester.
Good-bye Sandy's, ITC, Marvac-Dow, Electronic City... and now, even good-old bad-old Rat-Shack. I shouldn't complain too much, getting stuff online is convenient, affordable and usually fast enough, but I still feel like something important has been lost.
Oh well. I guess most people just don't get sentimental about buying transistors, do they?
Reid
I love the smell of rosin in the morning, it's the smell of victory.
I just order my stuff from Mouser or Digikey.
Yeah! The newer no-clean solders work well but the smell is completely wrong. Maybe I should just get some pine incense to burn at the bench.
Same here, and from some of the specialty sites like smallbear and electronicsurplus when necessary.
Reid
??
rosin core is standard issue for electronics.
you're using solder with no flux in it and what, just always adding it separately?
That's less true than it used to be (see my comment above about missing that wonderful fragrance).
He's talking about flux-cored solder made with a low residue ("no-clean") flux, like Kester 245.
Reid
yes , rosin is "standard". I use no clean solder and no clean flux, pro stuff. I build medical cables that meet FDA compliance and circuit boards for the past 20 yrs and this is the best to use on ANYTHING! use a small paint brush with flux on it, apply it to what you want soldered, tin it, repeat. cleanest way, no messy clean up. you might want to spray it with some 91% alcohol to avoid meg ohms.
huh.
so there is flux in the solder, just a "milder" form? and the idea is what, less residue around the joint? (not familiar with this at all)
how easy is it to use for the newbie fixing a guitar compared to the regular stuff? (the point of this thread)
wait, is this the stuff that smells like the flux was made from processed fish scales and cat hair? i ran into that once :***:
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your not supposed to inhale it!!! lol. it does make you cough if you catch a whiff of it though.
the solder is on a spool and the flux I put in a baby food jar and dip my brush in it(plastic ones only, wooden ones will dissolve after a while).
I "wet" my tip with a little solder and then touch it to the part I pre tinned and your done!!!
quite easy, very easy if you have a steady hand too. no messy rosin to clean up. its quite nice.
the solder is on a spool and the flux I put in a baby food jar and dip my brush in it(plastic ones only, wooden ones will dissolve after a while).
I "wet" my tip with a little solder and then touch it to the part I pre tinned and your done!!!
quite easy, very easy if you have a steady hand too. no messy rosin to clean up. its quite nice.
If you happen to live near a Fry's Outpost, it's a veritable candy store for electronics...aisles and aisles of tools, components, accessories...if you're starting from scratch and want to bust your bank account, go there with a shopping cart...you can even take a break at the cafe in the middle before the final push to spend all your money...seriously, makes RS look like a five-and-dime...
That's the idea. It does leave a little bit of residue, but much less than rosin. Ironically, some of them leave residue that is harder to clean off than old-school rosin, so it's a good thing there's less of it.
Very easy, and the results generally look better, especially if the newbie doesn't clean off their excess rosin after soldering (and a lot of them don't).
There are different types with different odors, but that's probably what you had. I was only half-kidding about the pine incense.
Reid
I've never had an issue, usually have a big roll of 60/40, I think from Radio Shack.
