Do you hate to soldier?

16 Apr 2015

I seem have have a phobia or mental block when it comes to soldiering. First there is the iron heating up and waiting. Later I have to be careful not to burn me or the table. Ouch! So now to check was it a good joint. Oops! Try again until it is correct. So what am I to do? Here is a new tool that I am going to use:

Well to jog my memory... Oh where is that pen? Oh well next I need that string around the finger. LOL

Clem

Top Comments

johnbeetem over 11 years ago +4

I hate soldiering too. But I don't mind solder ing You've got to have the right power, temperature, and flux to make soldering a pleasure instead of a frustration. I haven't used lead-free solder, so maybe…
e14 Contributor over 11 years ago +4

I find soldering quite relaxing just sit back, put on some music or a youtube video, get a coffee (or glass of wine if you're feeling adventurous about the future!) and take your time to enjoy it.
jw0752 over 11 years ago in reply to johnbeetem +3

Hi John, I agree with you 100% on the intoxicating quality of the solder from the kit building era. Once in a while I will be taking apart an old piece of equipment and I will catch a whiff of that smell…

e14 Contributor over 11 years ago

I find soldering quite relaxing just sit back, put on some music or a youtube video, get a coffee (or glass of wine if you're feeling adventurous about the future!) and take your time to enjoy it.
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e14 Contributor over 11 years ago

I actually first used a solder to engrave wood and leather as a child. It is best to get one with a stand so you can allow it to sit and heat up. Yes, one must learn properly the first time. Schools are useless these days. I tend to not have many projects that require solder, the last one I think was with some trickle charge solar kits.
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4ringfan over 11 years ago in reply to screamingtiger

Ah yes, the "waste gate" It has caused some damage for me before as well. Usually rotating the iron 180 degrees solved that problem though. The heat waste does have some use however! It works wonderfully to shrink heat shrink tubing!
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mcb1 over 11 years ago

Soldering is an art ....
Like riding a bike there are both good and bad ways to get the job done, but once mastered it becomes easy.

We teach 11/12 yr olds to solder the components onto our electronic Xmas Tree, but we also show them a bad solder joint and how to fix it.
The biggest issue is when they have learnt somewhere else or by someone else.
Rather than heating the wire and pcb and applying solder to the junction, they apply it to the top of the iron ... hence the flux burns off and the joint is not very good.

Mark
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screamingtiger over 11 years ago in reply to 4ringfan

I like the butane one but also the exhaust has burned up things before. really nice in a pinch but yes, either too hot or too cold seems to be the story.
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