Soldering Tips (no pun intended) for Beginners! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: WyverntekGameRepairs
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2019, 03:46:06 pm
content: I've been soldering for about 2 and a half years now, and having visited my Circuit Fabrication teacher's workshop to work on my projects such as my NES controller prototype, I've seen beginners learning how to solder. It is torture to see them blob solder onto joints and say "That looks okay" and then get rejected by the instructor and told to try again.So I've decided to give back to the community a bit and provide some helpful tips that I've learnt to beginners who will definitely need them.Experts, feel free to add your own tips as well, as this post will be hopefully read by many beginners in soldering and they will need these tips to help them out.- You can get a cheap soldering iron, but be aware of its temperature range or set temperature.This is very important, especially if you are planning to work on boards that have lead-free solder. Lead-free solder typically has a higher melting point than leaded solder, so you will need a soldering iron that can get up to around 350-400°C.- Use leaded solder wherever possible.You may have heard that leaded solder kills you, but this is very exaggerated. Yes, you do have a chance of getting poisoned from leaded solder, but only if you stick your nose right up in the fumes every time you solder for about a year and then lick your fingers of the stains the solder leaves behind when you touch and rub it. You have to really ingest it and absorb it into your body for it to cause you harm. I know plenty of people who have used leaded solder their entire lives, but never had any significant health problems from it. Leaded solder is far better and safer than lead-free solder. Lead free solder has carcinogenic (cancer-causing) chemicals to make it melt better. Unlike Thallium, Antimony (one of the metallic elements used in lead free solder) is not poisonous on its own. However, when mixed with the other chemicals found in lead-free solder, it can and will become carcinogenic enough to poison you from the fumes alone. Lead-free solder is also more brittle than leaded solder, and does not make good joints unless you have melted it at the proper temperature.ANYONE LIVING IN EUROPE OR THE UK, OR ANY OTHER COUNTRY THAT HAS BANNED LEADED SOLDER: There is no law that bans you from using leaded solder in your hobbyist projects. However if you plan on manufacturing boards or selling any of your items that you assemble, you are REQUIRED to use lead-free solder. Also, you cannot buy leaded solder from other countries, as the import laws forbid imports of goods that contain "hazardous" chemicals or chemical elements.- Do NOT carry solder from the tip of the iron directly to the joint.Doing so will result in something called a "cold solder joint." Cold solder joints may look okay to the beginner's eye, but it is actually very bad and possibly dangerous in some situations.You must warm up the joint to the melting point of the solder, then introduce the solder. This allows the solder to actually adhere to the contact points and/or leads of the component(s).- Always clean your tips!This is very important. You mustalwaysclean your soldering iron tip after. I usually clean mine after every joint using a brass-shaving soldering tip refreshment sponge. Cleaning your soldering iron's tip cleans it of contaminants and oxidation that could severely weaken the next solder joint. You can get these handy and very long-lasting sponges (that are far better than those yellow sponges that come with the soldering iron stands) for about $5, and they are definitely worth the investment. If you want a link, here is a good place to get them, though you can find them on Amazon and eBay as well. ->https://www.elexp.com/0603460xytronic-tip-cleaner-base-and.htmlThere is one very important point to remember here though: Before storing your iron away in the stand, always be sure to put a little solder on the tip. Not too much, just enough to keep the tip tinned up. This will prevent the degradation of the tip, and make your tips last far longer. When I use a brass sponge, I make sure to wipe the tip on the areas with a bit of solder in them, that way it coats the tip in a tiny bit of solder. Just don't put too much solder on, otherwise it will eat away at the tip.- Use a soldering iron tip refresh block whenever possibleAlongside the brass sponge, a soldering iron tip refresher block removes contaminants and re-activates the soldering iron tip by re-tinning it. Keeping your soldering iron tip tinned is very important to make good contact with the points which you wish to solder.- Always tin your soldering iron tips when you replace or first use them.As I said earlier, you must tin your soldering iron tips to actually be able to solder. "Tinning" is when you let the tip of the iron heat up, and apply solder to it before cleaning it off and repeating that step. You will eventually have a silver tip that melts solder easily on contact, and the solder sticks easily to the soldering iron tip. If the solder rolls off of the tip, you need to re-tin the tip again. If the solder sticks to the tip only and not the solder joints, this is because the joint is not getting enough heat or you need to clean your tip.- Whatever you do,DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CATCH A FALLING SOLDERING IRON!If you accidentally drop your soldering iron, do not try to be a hero and catch it. I know a person whose iron fell off of their workbench because they didn't put it in their stand, and they tried to catch it. They ended up grabbing the hot side and burning the hell out of their hand.If you drop your iron, let it fall and hit the ground before quickly picking it up by the cool side and unplugging it.- Invest in a soldering iron stand.If you don't want your soldering iron sitting precariously on your workbench and becoming a fall hazard or burn hazard, you'll definitely need a soldering iron stand. They are not expensive, and you can get them anywhere soldering irons are sold.- Solder in a work area with a hard floor, not carpet.If you don't want solder particles melting your carpet around the workspace or a big burn / melt mark if you drop the iron, work in a place that has a hard floor, preferably concrete. Laminate is okay, but if you drop your iron it will damage the floor. Hot solder blobs or flux will probably stick to the floor. Hardwood is also okay, but I do not recommend it. If you drop your iron and aren't quick, the floor could go up in flames. Solder blobs will leave burn marks on the wood. So concrete is definitely your best bet.- Use flux!Soldering flux is the best. Get a bottle of No-Clean solder flux, it isn't expensive, or you can get a flux pen for more controlled administration of flux. Either way, not expensive. Flux is your best friend, along with your iron. Flux is used to make the solder flow much easier, and this is vital in making good joints. Trust me, I only recently started using flux and the difference is night and day. Dunno why I haven't started using flux until now, it is truly a lifesaver. Use it on any joint you are making.- When soldering multi-pin components, use an IC socket whenever possible and bend the corner leads.The reason you will want to use an IC socket is so that you don't have to risk damaging the IC from the heat of the solder. You can use heat sink clamps usually found in soldering care packets to help draw the heat away, but it is still an excellent idea to use IC sockets for ICs. When you are soldering these in, you can keep them in place by bending one or two of the leads out on each corner after you've put the socket / multi-pin component's leads through the board. This will hold the component in place while you turn the board upside-down to solder the joints, and makes it a lot easier to work on.- Don't make your own tips.Trust me, making your own soldering iron tips is not a good idea. I used copper grounding wire salvaged from an old electrical utility pole (given to us by the city because it was being replaced with a new one and so it was no longer in service, do NOT salvage anything from utility poles that are in use, as it is both illegal and dangerous!) and formed my own soldering tip after my original tip disintegrated. Well, despite being a good heat conductor, it was a terrible tip. Mainly because it disintegrated easily. I also used an aluminum wire from the old utility pole (the wire that holds the electrical wire to the insulator) and got the same results. I think they disintegrated quickly mainly because I was not cleaning them properly, but it could also be due to them not being plated with a protective metal. Basically, use the right tool for the right job, and make sure to replace your iron tips with proper iron tip replacements.- If you are planning on working in a confined space, invest in a fume extractor.This could be the most life-threatening scenario, is if you are soldering in a confined and / or not-so-well-ventilated space. Investing in a fume extractor willsave your life.You don't necessarily need one if you are working in a large or well-ventilated space, so if you are working in your toolshed or garage and you have the windows / door open (and even better, a fan blowing the air out of the area) you don't need to worry about it. If you work in your bedroom or a corner of the house, you should consider purchasing a fume extractor. These can be costly, but are worth the investment. If you can't afford one of these, you can actually build your own with a filter material and PC fan. Go check out GreatScott's tutorial on that if you are interested! ->Also yes, I know that the video is for deciding what is worth desoldering and salvaging from old electronics. But the video has the tutorial inside of it, so don't yell at me and call me an idiot please- There is such thing as too little and too much.Using too little solder results in a dry or incomplete joint that will break quickly. Using too much solder will result in something called "solder bridging," where the solder blob overflows onto nearby pad(s). Unless you are intentionally connecting pads by linking them with a blob of solder, this is a bad thing and will require you to wick or suck away the excess solder using a desoldering braid or pump.- Patience is key.Soldering is not a fast-paced job or hobby, and you cannot speed through it easily, at least not without consequences (i.e. accidentally stabbing yourself with an IC socket from fumbling around with it trying to quickly insert it into the PCB). You must take your time and take it easy. Patience is key, and will make it far easier for you to work. Let this be a warning to the impatient or fast-paced persons out there, because if you don't like taking your time and paying close attention to detail, soldering is probably not for you.- You learn as you do.You cannot learn how to solder easier or faster by looking up a tutorial online and expect to be able to instantly do it faster and easier. You have to actually do it if you want to get better at it. Soldering is a hands-on learning experience, so the best way to learn is to get out there and do it!- Learn to enjoy it.I've grown in love with this hobby because it is theraputic. I love to sit down with a project, put on some music in the background, and just solder. It gives me time to think, and it really helps clear my mind. It is really satisfying to see a completed project. Soldering is one of those things you either love or hate, and I found that once you find the right things about it and really begin to get better and understand it, it is something to love. And the more you enjoy it, the better your work tends to be. So my suggestion is to enjoy it, and look at it as a hobby for relaxing. You can set your own pace, and take time to think and clear your mind.This is the list so far, I hope you enjoyed reading itI will probably add more in the future, and I will be adding links to supplies as soon as I can. Keep in mind that you can buy supplies anywhere, you do not need to rely on my links to get your tools from. Everyone has their own taste and budget. If you want to learn how to solder, here is a link to a playlist on YouTube that has all the basics you would need. Just remember, you can only learn by doing it - so I suggest you put the video on while you practice.->https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL926EC0F1F93C1837I hope this helps any of you who are interested in soldering or are a beginner in soldering. Even if you aren't any of those and I manage to help you out, I'll be thankful. Either way, thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoy the fun, simple, and relaxing art of soldering.

author: andy3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2019, 05:32:09 pm
content: You have taken a great effort to write this up.Just after skimming through, I noticed one thing.You said "- Always clean your tips! " Yes and no. The method you mention for cleaning the tip is accepted but what you did not mention is to get some solder on the tip before you put the iron back in the stand. This is very important. Never leave the tip completely clean of lead because that will make the tip life much, much shorter.Just my opinion.

author: agehall
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2019, 06:08:55 pm
content: Very nice write-up. I do agree with andy3055 though - there should always be fresh solder on the tips before putting the iron back in the stand.

author: WyverntekGameRepairs
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2019, 06:55:50 pm
content: Quote from: andy3055 on December 14, 2019, 05:32:09 pmActually, you are right! I forgot to put that in there. Yes, you are supposed to have a little leftover clean or fresh solder on the tip before you store it in the stand. Dunno how I forgot about that, thank you so much for reminding me! Editing post now.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2019, 08:14:01 pm
content: I'm not normally a fan of videos, but these are good, partlybecausethey are old. Back then it was expensive to create and distribute training films, so peoplethoughtandplannedwhat wasnecessary, and didn't have a lot of talking heads um-ing an ah-ing.https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL926EC0F1F93C1837

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2019, 09:04:11 pm
content: Excellent write up. You have covered all bases.Very difficult to add anything meaningful to this comprehensive list, but here I go:I also use no-clean flux for virtually everything.However for low leakage circuits, or the ones which one requires to conformal coat to use on very humid environments, I then use water washable flux.Wash them first with very warm tap water, and then rinse them with DI water.

author: WyverntekGameRepairs
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2019, 10:30:36 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on December 14, 2019, 08:14:01 pmThanks for the link! This is great for anyone who needs basic lessons. While my post is not meant to be a lesson and just be tips & tidbits, I'll still stick this link in there so people can go get some lessons if they feel like they need them. Great find!Quote from: schmitt trigger on December 14, 2019, 09:04:11 pmAwesome, I'm glad you found my list to be comprehensive and full, as I want to make sure I cover as many bases on it as I can so I can give as much help as possible.As for your tip, I may add that in. The only thing that I'm hesitating about is that this tip is for more advanced soldering, where a person takes into consideration the little details and environmental limitations - whereas my list is for those who don't care too much about the tiny details yet and just want to solder. I will say though, I will take your tip into consideration. Thanks!

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2019, 11:59:15 pm
content: You are welcome.As previously mentioned, I struggled to add a meaningful addition to your comprehensive list.Another tip (he, he, this was intentional):Perhaps you would like to add an advanced tips sidebar, for those occasions where you may want to discuss an advanced technique.

author: JustMeHere
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2019, 03:12:39 am
content: Solder from the tip to the joint is fine as long as you do it right. Soldering SMD almost requires this. Just use flux.

author: not1xor1
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2019, 05:49:41 am
content: Quote from: WyverntekGameRepairs on December 14, 2019, 03:46:06 pmAfaik the boiling point of metals is much higher than the melting one, so lead, which unlike antimony is bioaccumulative, has been banned for environmental reasons (due to poor waste management) rather than for direct toxicity. The health risk of solder fumes comes from the flux vapors and degradation byproducts.