Soldering Basics

            To accompany my most recent video on soldering, I will go over some of the basics.

          

            First thing first, SAFETY is the most important thing. When I am giving safety advice it is because I did not follow other’s safety advice and now it’s first hand information.

• ·      Wear safety glasses; I wear my normal everyday glasses, but as long as you have something protecting your eyes when you are clipping leads.
• ·      Wear shoes; this may sound silly, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been soldering in my room and I get a solder splatter that lands on my foot, let’s just say its not pleasant.
• ·      So to add to that, let’s just say wear sleeves or clothing that protects your skin.
• ·      Properly ventilate your room; you really don’t want to breathe in the lead fumes, it will mess with your nose.
• ·      Don’t play with the iron, it is hot; when you are done using it, put it back in the holder, there is no reason to try to hold onto it while you put your next component on the board (I have many burns that support this).

  Now that I’ve gone over some basic safety guidelines, lets discuss the most basic things you will need to get started soldering.

• ·      Soldering iron. There are many kinds (mine was $50) and it all depends on what you will be doing with it. Just make sure it fits your needs (I like mine because it has a variable temperature setting and a stand).
• ·      Solder. I personally use lead solder because when you soldered something in place, it will become shinny if you did it correctly. With lead solder, if you have a cold solder joint (not properly making connection between the lead and the trace), you will know it by its dull appearance.
• ·      Desoldering tools. There are multiple kinds but I like to have a static free pump and a roll of copper braiding which happens to be more gentle in my opinion.
• ·      Various tools. Drill, screwdrivers, pliers, wire cutters and strippers, files, and what ever you deem necessary. Over time you will figure out what you need the most.
• ·      Other things that make you life easier include: helping hands, tip tinner, sponge, tip cleaner, magnifying glass, and a light.

             Over the past few years I’ve had some good teachers in terms of soldering. So here are some of the tips and tricks I’ve learned.

• ·      Don’t hurry. Hurrying leads to burns and broken components. Unless you are talking about transistors and ICs in which too much heat damages them, then hurry.
• ·      When soldering, touch both the lead and the trace with the iron to heat them up equally for a nice even solder.
• ·      Don’t fret. If you mess something up, chances are it can be fixed.
• ·      Practice. It’s a skill that takes time and dedication.

This is not an all-encompassing guide, but merely a way to get your feet wet. Soldering is fun, so take the time to enjoy it.

Soldering can be fun or frustrating; it is all what you make of it.

...My mistake in "Player Piano" was my failure as a futurist. I did not foresee transistors, and so imagined that super computers would have to be huge, with bulky vacuum tubes taking up a lot of space. -Kurt Vonnegut in "Letters"