Well, it's official. I can't solder.

[Jonno_aus]

Have ordered a kit from a guy here in oz. The whole works. Pots, caps, wire, switches. So I had grandiose plans to solder it up all by myself. I mean how hard can it be?



Bloody difficult! Solder ran everywhere. All over the guitar. On floor. Burn spots all over the place. Pots burnt and black with solder burning up into thin air quicker then a laxette goes through a budgie. And not a wire connected anywhere.

Yep. I officially suck. But before you get worried, I was practising on a VERY old guitar that hasn't worked in years.


In grade 6 (10-11 yrs old?)in a maths comp, I beat the teacher. I've actually flown a aeroplane solo on nav flights many years ago. I've squatted 150kg in the gym. All no problem! But I can't solder to save myself.


So my suspicion is correct. I'm about as handy as a handyman with no hands.


Think I'll just leave it to the experts when my kit arrives........

[-=[Shifty]=-]

Don't worry, it takes some time to get the hang of it, especially if you don't have someone to show you how it's done.
For future reference, use one of these. You can easily make one for yourself out of cardboard or something. With such a template you can do most of the soldering outside of your guitar. When your done, pop the harness in, solder the pickups, switch and jack and your good to go.

[MrRhoads]

I know there are different solder irons or what they´re called.
Some use lower temperature making the metall stay on the soldering stick in melten shape.
But it´s a little tricky in a small cavaty to solder

[Paragon]

I love soldering. Never had any issues of it running on the floor

What solder and iron are you using?

[5F6-A]

Originally Posted by Jonno_aus

Solder ran everywhere. All over the guitar. On floor. Burn spots all over the place. Pots burnt and black with solder burning up into thin air quicker then a laxette goes through a budgie. And not a wire connected anywhere.

.

that'd be difficult for most people

[Paragon]

Originally Posted by 5F6-A

that'd be difficult for most people

I could see difficulty with improper technique or tools.. but soldering is really easy!

[SKATTERBRANE]

maybe you used the wrong solder?

[Pink_Floyd]

On of the big things already mentioned is solder irons and temps. One of the things I was told years ago when I was given an intro to soldering through work was matching things up. There is no point in trying to use an iron if it is flawed and does not get hot enough to melt the solder properly.

All that will happen is the joint will get really hot and you will end up with lumpy solder. Likewise if it is just too hot then the solder will flow very quickly.

I like to use a gas iron now and find it great, no silly electrical cord flex to get in the way. The other thing to remember is you only have two hands, one will hold the iron, the other the solder. So who or what is holding the parts? I use a third hand device to hold things and you can improvise with all sorts of clips.

Ideally you want the two items settled in place and together with your hands free before you even turn on the iron. That way once it is on it is a case of just worrying about holding the iron, the solder and carrying out the proper technique.

[MrRhoads]

I get the 3rd hand from my girlfriend
I´m realy lucky

[type0]

It would be interesting if there was a soldering iron with a thumb operated lever that will feed the tip with solder.

But heres some techniques:

Twist the wires together to make them stick. And then use the soldering iron to heat the joints and apply the solder. Maybe cover the tip of the iron with some solder to help with the heat transfer.

It's also a good idea to prepare the copper wires before you start soldering. By just adding a slight bit of solder into it. Then you know exactly when to apply the solder.

People tend to say that a powerfull iron can cause problems. But I would say the other way around. Using an underpowered soldering iron will cause you to use much more time to get the joints up to the right temperature. And maybe burn some other components meanwhile as copper is a good heat conductor. A powerfull soldering iron will heat up the joints much faster before the heat has time to escape elsewhere and do any damage.

Low power iron: "Heating the copper... waiting.... waiting... almost there... waiting... waiting... oh no! I burned the cap!"
High power iron: "Heating the copper.... that's it. Applying solder. Done"

And don't use too much solder. Use just about enough to saturate the joints in solder or you can easily end up having your whole work piece looking like the end shot of a bad porno.

[Paragon]

True about an underpowered soldering iron.. that is why it is better to get a good temperature controlled iron. I can easily solder most joints (except larger grounds) with my iron set to around 650-700°F.

The problem with cheaper irons especially on larger connections is that the heating element cannot react fast enough to the decrese in tip temperature causing the increased heating times. A cheap 15W iron will always put out the same 15W of power to heat the tip, reaching a certain temp. Once you start soldering, that temperature will drop and will not raise back up until you let the iron sit.

A temp controlled iron will always try to keep the tip at a set temp. It has been ages since I used a cheap iron.. but I know that they take forever to heat up. Imagine trying to solder with an iron that takes a few minutes to heat up to a low temp. A ceramic heater is much better and can heat the iron to 700 in 40 seconds.

This was interesting to actually see how low the temps really are even for me I'd go with at least a 25watt in that case for most general work but after seeing the vid, probably go with the 40W. Keep that tip temp hot enough
15W = 540° resting (soldering temp 450-500)
25W = 680° resting (soldering temp 620-670)
40W = 740° resting (soldering temp around 700)

YouTube - Soldering Iron Wattage vs. Temperature

YouTube - Soldering Iron Wattage vs. Temperature

It is when you get to some of the smaller passives like transistors etc that you have to be careful with the temperature you apply. Most datasheets will say what temp the leads can handles for a small amount of time during soldering.

**It is important to note that a good iron like a Weller will have a hotter temp with a given watt rating. (info from weller site, basic SL series pens not temp controlled so the temp will drop a bit like the radioshacks but not as bad.)
The SL325 is a 23W with tip temp of 700°
SL335 is a 33W 800°
SL345 is a 45W 900° iron.
The WP series are temp controlled.

[Leo]

imho a 40 watt iron makes it easier to solder,...not one of those high wattage ones ,....

[The_Sentry]

I'm no grand master of soldering...that's for damned certain. What helped me out?

Smaller solder. .022 gauge to be specific. That .014 stuff they sell with the cheap guns? Ah man...fail every time....

[Pink_Floyd]

+1 on putting solder on the iron tip, you must ALWAYS tin the solder tip. Every time I finish a joint I clean the tip and then re-tin it.

And you have to tin the wires otherwise you will not get a good flow of solder on the joint when you come to combine the wire with whatever you are soldering it to, be it a plug or something else.

I found that if I am building a patch cable and I do not tin the wire when I come to solder on the jack plug then the solder will not flow and set properly under the wires so you end up with a blob of solder on a wire that is not stuck to the jack.........

[Paragon]

Pre tinning may be good for beginners if they are having troubles. Also, make sure you use a flux core (rosin) solder. I usually use like a 0.25 diameter.

I don't bother to tin the wires. My joints are fine. The main thing to do is to heat both the wire and the lug using that bit of melted solder on the tip and make sure you apply the solder wire to the joint and not the tip. This will help direct the flux to clean the area allowing the solder to flow. Another thing you can do is use a flux pen to preflux the larger joints like plug connections, pot lugs and especially the case of pots for grounds.

I usually pinch the wire around the lugs so everything stay in place without solder so your hands are free for the iron and solder.

[Leo]

for making the job easier,... i have something they sell for soldering that has 2 arms with a weighted base, with alligator clips on the ends of each of the arms, to hold the wire on one end and pot or plug on the other , it holds everything in place and makes soldering MUCH easier.

[alligatorbling]

Originally Posted by Leo

for making the job easier,... i have something they sell for soldering that has 2 arms with a weighted base, with alligator clips on the ends of each of the arms, to hold the wire on one end and pot or plug on the other , it holds everything in place and makes soldering MUCH easier.

i use one of these, much like what you are describing.... they are AWESOME

[Leo]

Originally Posted by alligatorbling

i use one of these, much like what you are describing.... they are AWESOME

Thats it!!,....great tool for the job ,...thanks alligatorbling for posting a pic of it ,...