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Posts: 56
Location: New Thermopylae | I promised this guideline a while back. So, having taught USAF High Reliability Soldering based on NASA curriculum standards, I’d like to share some critical soldering guidelines for the membership.
BTW, there was a study that determined that there was, on average, 200 lbs of excess solder on a typical B-52 at the time. Ergo, the soldering course!
- Use 60Sn40Pb rosin-core solder (most common).
- Only use rosin flux for electronics.
- Prep all wires and the soldering tip by using a rosin paste flux and a small amount of solder.
- Dip tip in flux, apply solder, then thermal shock the tip by lightly wiping tip on a watered dampened sponge. This will ‘blow off’/shed tip contaminates.
- Apply a small amount of solder twix the fluxed lead(s) and the tip to build a heat transfer bridge.
- When solder flows, move the solder away from the lead tip to within 1-1 ½ lead diameter of the insulation.
- Remove all flux residue from the lead(s)/connection with Denatured Alcohol (DA) using a lint free cloth/wipe. DA does not leave a residue. Rubbing alcohol will suffice, but can leave a slight haze.
- Add solder to the soldering tip while it’s resting. This minimizes oxidation/erosion of the tip. When you’re finished soldering, just let the blob harden as the tip cools. You will re-prep the tip prior to your next project.
For de-soldering (i.e. circuit boards, speaker lugs), use de-soldering wick to remove old solder. The main difference is to flux the wick prior to applying the prepped soldering tip. Remember to clean the contact point(s) to remove the flux residue.
Do not abrade/scrape the soldering tip to remove solder.
Do not cut your solder. Use your soldering iron/gun. This seals the solder and prevents rosin 'weeping' and evaporation.
In high vibration and/or stressed environments, take extreme care in stripping the insulation. Any nicks that scrape strands and/or removes pre-tinning can be a 'weak link' and a possible failure point.
NEVER reapply heat to a solder joint without following the steps above. Failing to do so is a common cause for a cold and hazy solder joint. All proper joints should be shiny when using 60/40 solder.
Use an appropriate wattage iron/gun for the job. For cabling you can use higher wattage. If you use a very low wattage iron on cabling, you may not have enough heat to melt the solder before contamination occurs, especially for grounding braids. For circuit boards and small leads, use a low wattage iron. The larger ones can and will fry smaller components.
For circuit board connections, follow the same basic steps outlined above.
In critical heat sensitive areas, you can use clip-on heat sinks to protect adjacent circuitry.
In the absence of good ventilation, aim a fan to blow over, not on, your work to remove fumes/smoke. Do not blow on molten solder! That's another common way to get a cold solder joint. The solder must cool at its own rate for the best connection and maximum integrity.
Cleanliness and proper heat transfer using minimal solder is the key for the best connection! It’s all in the physics, preparations, cleanup and ‘touch’.
Hopefully these guidelines should lead you to zero resistance and reliable connections. |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | why??? |
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March 2005
Posts: 5567
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | I tried to install an upgrade in a Boss pedal once...Besides needing a magnifying glass, my soldering was just plain ugly...it worked, but I'll only buy upgraded pedals or have the experts (ala Keeley, etc.) do it for me...but this is the most intensive how to on the subject I've seen...never fear...spring is coming...lol |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | I think you meant "Blob"... But Thanx for the info.
I do have a soldering kit, but I have never used it.
A man's gotta know his limitations. :D |
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December 2010
Posts: 56
Location: New Thermopylae | Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
I think you meant "Blob"... Quite right! Just flip that 'g' 180°.
I was nervous with my 24th post... ;) |
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May 2006
Posts: 4236
Location: Steeler Nation, Hudson Valley Contingent | Originally posted by Slipkid:
why??? Because some of us can't solder for beans. :cool: |
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December 2004
Posts: 1673
Location: SoCal | Originally posted by Slipkid:
why??? because I prayed for a soldering refresher course this weekend after Paul Rivera Jr. said it was an easy solder job and that they'd just send me the parts for my TBR1-SL :confused:
thanks Iffy! |
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December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | Don't look at me... I got Nuth'in! |
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December 2004
Posts: 1673
Location: SoCal | you've been there? |
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December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | Yes, I have had my soldering permit taken away on several occasions. |
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December 2004
Posts: 1673
Location: SoCal | What's a good soldering iron to get? |
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March 2005
Posts: 2793
Location: Atlanta, GA. | Originally posted by noah:
What's a good soldering iron to get? That's like asking what the best strings to put on a guitar.
Many different irons and guns for many different jobs.
All I would say is, it MUST have replaceable tips. |
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December 2010
Posts: 56
Location: New Thermopylae | Originally posted by cholloway:
Originally posted by noah:
What's a good soldering iron to get? it MUST have replaceable tips.
Check out this VID for a practical demonstration of different wattages.
I have 15W, 25W, 40W irons, a dual 100/140 wattage gun, plus a resistive temp control station. The 25W iron is my go-to for 90% of my soldering. Assuming you follow the guidelines, timing (aka 'touch') is the 'holy grail' if saddled with one iron. Just watch for clean solder flow.
I just rewired two mics that had 24 gauge wires (re very small). Had to use the 15 watter to prevent insulation burn off.
And yes, Jack is correct (for a change)... |
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December 2009
Posts: 686
Location: Route 66, just east of the Cadillac Ranch | Great guide. This obviously isn't your first rodeo (or B-52). I worked as a switching technician for the phone company for several years and learned a couple of lessons the hard way:
1) Always wear eye protection when soldering.
2) Never sling excess solder off of the tip of your soldering iron. Instead, wipe excess solder off of the iron with a damp sponge or damp cotton cloth. |
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December 2010
Posts: 56
Location: New Thermopylae | Originally posted by Nick B.:
1) Always wear eye protection when soldering.
2) Never sling excess solder off of the tip of your soldering iron. Especially 1) if you 2)! :D
BTW, in an emergency de-soldering situation, if ya don't have any de-soldering (wicking) braid, pull some ol' braided shielding off a coax cable (guitar/speaker/TV), stretch it taunt, flux it and suck 'er up. |
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August 2006
Posts: 3145
Location: Marlton, NJ | Originally posted by Slipkid:
why??? Because a good number of us try to do our own repairs and are interested in this. |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | okay, okay, okay already.
I stand corrected. |
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August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Oh, boy. I thought MolonLabe was all about professional soldiering. Damn public schools. |
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November 2009
Posts: 152
Location: Corpus Christi, TX | For desoldering I prefer to use a Solder Sucker
Informative and well done post |
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May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by MolonLabe:
I was nervous with my 24th post... ;) I bet you were ... |
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March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | I think the last time I soldered was on a frozen copper pipe under the cabin. Couldn't get the water out (hadn't heard the bread trick) and had to lay on my back with about 6 inches of space above me and porcupine quills and crap below me. Finally gave up and put in an expansion fitting. I had solder burns for weeks.
This stuff looks easy. |
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December 2010
Posts: 56
Location: New Thermopylae | Originally posted by Glen C.:
For desoldering I prefer to use a Solder Sucker
Addendum: I've yet to find a suitable battery powered iron. If anyone finds one, please LMK.
Another handy iron to consider for your auto/boat is a 30 watt 12VDC plug-in or clamp-on! |
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December 2010
Posts: 56
Location: New Thermopylae | Originally posted by MolonLabe:
Originally posted by Glen C.:
For desoldering I prefer to use a Solder Sucker
Addendum: I've yet to find a suitable battery powered iron. If anyone finds one, please LMK.
A handy iron to consider for your auto/boat is a 30 watt 12VDC plug-in or clamp-on! |
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Joined:
December 2010
Posts: 56
Location: New Thermopylae | Originally posted by Glen C.:
For desoldering I prefer to use a Solder Sucker
Addendum: I've yet to find a suitable battery powered iron. If anyone finds one, please LMK.
A handy iron to consider for your auto/boat is a 30 watt 12VDC plug-in or clamp-on! |
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December 2001
Posts: 7247
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I thought I'd weigh in on this topic. I too went the mil-spec soldering route so now when I do it wrong, I at least know I'm doing it wrong.. LOL...
As far as a Solder Sucker... I use one to get the big stuff, but if you really want to clean the contact area, wick is the way to finish it up.
As far as irons go.. If you are not getting something like a Weller.. than can whatever is cheapest. I've gone through a dozen irons at least of my own, and used many others. I picked up a nice (looking) variable 0-30 watt station a year ago. I might as well have just gotten a 30 watt cause I pretty much have to turn it on full anyway and the extra cords to the station are a pain in the butt. I should have just gotten a pencil.. but I thought I would splurg a little. But..... I didn't get a weller. I have used weller stations... they are nice. They feel nice, they are sturdy, they last.
I guess what I'm saying is.. if it's a choice between a $20 and a $50 unit.. and the name weller isn't on it... get the $20 cause either way it's not a good iron. And while you are thinking to yourself that you can't tell the difference... after about an hour or twp of soldering, you'll be good enough to notice the difference.
Thanks for posting this MolonLabe.. |
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Posts: 1445
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Good info, LM...thanks! |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Thanks for the Lotion Mable. |
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March 2010
Posts: 486
Location: Suisun City, Ca | I learned soldering to NASA spec's about a hundred years ago in the Marines. Very good post and...
Nice work bumping the post count with the double posts! J/K
Dan |
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March 2010
Posts: 370
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba CANADA | Thanks MolonLabe for the excellent soldering tutorial. Being somewhat 'challenged' in my soldering technique, this will come in very handy.
Anything worth doing is worth over doing...
;) |
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December 2010
Posts: 56
Location: New Thermopylae | Originally posted by Mr. Ovation:
... wick is the way to finish it up. Especially when a circuit board solder pad has a hole for component mounting! Don't forget to check both sides of the board.
BTW, I only use wicking braid for desoldering.
In the case of re-wiring a speaker lug or surface mounting, by following the guidelines, more than satisfactory results can be obtained just using a solder sucker for desoldering.
Beal, if you're using 'Lotion Mable'® for lip balm, don't lick your lips! ;) |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | For the last decade I've been using propane irons. They can go up to 400 degrees in a matter of seconds and you don't need to be tied to a power outlet, so great for mid-gig repairs. I bought a mini fume extractor for the workbench at the store, solder fumes are seriously carcinogenic |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | OK, I won't lick. Must have misread the motion lable. |
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Bigger da Blog, Better da Job... NOT!