goal for 2023: use a conical solder tip and enjoy it

Regarding #1, this is why I occasionally solder something with my left-hand. (I'm right-hand dominate.)

It is good practice to try something new and it helps for the times I need it!

Seems that my post convinced more people to abandon conical than to learn it 

Often in videos one sees people taking care to solder, and then snipping the excess length off the component leads. I'm fairly sure the component leads should be snipped _first_ (no idea what NASA do, but I imagine they do the same). At least in a firm making military stuff, they snipped component leads first, since it minimises shock, and also I think there's less risk of corrosion on the exposed cut end (I could be wrong - I know almost nothing about metals and chemistry). Since then, it's always been a habit for me to cut the leads first, even though my prototypes are never going to be exposed to mil environments.

shabaz said:

cut the leads first

Interesting! Does that mean snipping them afterwards could cause a break in the solder joint?

shabaz said:

Often in videos one sees people taking care to solder, and then snipping the excess length off the component leads.

Me . That's how we learned it at school:

• clean the leads
• insert
• bend slightly at the underside to keep in place
• solder
• clip
• repeat 100x

I find that's the easiest way. But I'm by no means an expert. I grasp for any opportunity that makes things easier 

Perhaps, if it corrodes there. Or it could shock the entire board (although most components are a lot more rugged these days than they used to be).

I don't know the chemical reasons for it, but I guess the exposed copper/plating/solder could interact all together with moisture and air.

I doubt it matters at all with modern components being used indoors, but it's a habit (and does mean the joints visually look nicer with solder all over them!

It's seen a lot in videos from (say) Adafruit etc. Wrong though! (I mean if they are going to teach, they may as well try to do it properly, since it's little effort).

Also depends if the cut is to be coated afterwards or not.

https://workmanship.nasa.gov/lib/insp/2%20books/frameset.html

I think it is still cut first, i.e. this was a scenario where the soldering didn't cover the top of the joint despite it being cut beforehand. Not sure! 

I guess this shows it must be a chemical reason, e.g. corrosion.