General soldering tips

[Moonbus]

A really simple, cheap and flexible extraction system can be made using similar to the following...

Fan..
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Boat-Bil...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Pipe..
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/All-size...var=580997257558&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

A 12v dc power supply is also needed, i use a bench power supply as its variable like a speed controller.

I have 10m of pipe with 3m on the in side and 7m on the out side meaning one can just stick the outlet out the window wherever I end up working. I don't have a dedicated work space so this setup works if I'm working in the kitchen, dining room, bedroom, yada yada.Just make sure the local cat is not sitting outside the widow you stick the hose out.

 

[Vimtoman]

I would not worry too much about the lead in solder considering the amount of soldering you are doing.
Lead based solders do solder longer lasting joints.
Use the brass swarf type tip cleaner. Not water and sponge.
Use solder 60/40 with flux core.

A few tips.
Twist wire prior to soldering.
If the strands are not twisted it will expand and heat up the sleeving quicker making a real mess.
Solder/tin the wire and the item the wire is being soldered to prior to soldering the joint. Post etc.
Wrap a a length of solder round the wire prior a few times for added solder.
Lean the wire against the said post and place the soldering tip against the wire (with solder wrapped )
Add pressure and watch as the solder melts.
Remove the soldering tip and hold the wire against the post until the solder cools.
Dont reheat the joint. This will produce a dry joint.
If you need to re heat add more solder.

If you have excess solder on the wire or post heat up and gently tap to knock off excess solder and start again.
Hot solder is like thick water and will drip off.

Reheating solder is the last thing you should do without adding more solder.

 

[PBrookfield]

Most solder already has Flux in. Sometimes additional flux is useful.. however flux only improves the flow of the solder by cleaning the joint and removing oxidation.

True but not the whole story - if you get the truly great stuff then it also works to improve thermal conductivity, which is the secret ingredient to soldering - it truly is. All the things people do and describe above regarding tinning, soldering iron wattage, tip shape etc. are to do with getting heat from your iron to the solder.

The very best stuff is sadly expensive but absolutely worth it, and it's the stuff you get in a syringe - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00425FUW2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Reheating solder is the last thing you should do without adding more solder.

To explain this: this is because the relatively tiny amount of flux that is in flux-core solder is only really enough to get the job done for 'one shot' at soldering. If you have an external supply of flux then you have a lot more flexibility - well, within the boundaries of the amount of heat you can subject the work items to.

EDIT: Wow this leaded solder is SO much easier to work with. Is there a downside to using it?

Yeah - if you breathe it too much, you become stupid and violent.
Not even joking lol - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_poisoning

But in summary: It is not so much because it is carcinogenic, it is because it is heavily neurotoxic, and acutely toxic in many other ways, and it is an environmental pollutant, which is a major concern in our disposable gadgets world of today.
As we're actively trying to prevent things from ending up in landfill, we're exactly the kind of situation that should have nothing to be ashamed of by using lead solder.
The real problem for lead-free solder is that it is absolutely worse in nearly every single way, except for environmental safety, than leaded solder. The fact that the RoHS specifically excludes military, space and medical devices - including implantable devices such as pacemakers - tells you all you need to know about which solder type is the better solder for actually doing the job.


If everything seems a bit counterintuitive with soldering, remember fundamentally what you're trying to do - you're working with a metal alloy, and trying to heat it into just beyond melting point, and are trying to use the surface tension of a liquid metal to form a useful blob between two unrelated pieces of metal. In addition to that bit of fluid ****ery, you're also dealing with a liquid that will rapidly oxidise when exposed to air - which is called rusting when it happens to just iron - and your soldering iron also oxidises as well. It's a science, but it's also an artform.

 

[Paul]

True but not the whole story - if you get the truly great stuff then it also works to improve thermal conductivity, which is the secret ingredient to soldering - it truly is. All the things people do and describe above regarding tinning, soldering iron wattage, tip shape etc. are to do with getting heat from your iron to the solder.

The very best stuff is sadly expensive but absolutely worth it, and it's the stuff you get in a syringe - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00425FUW2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I tend to use this stuff (for both build and rework), and have had great success with it...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RF800-Li...MA-Rework-50ml-bottle-with-brush/122898694748

Have had much success with leaded and non-leaded solder (obviously prefer the Leaded type as it just "works" better and has a proven track record, as opposed to lead free which has a track record of being brittle and not really up to the job in most cases).

It is very much about having the right tools for the job... If soldering a large tag use a larger tip... etc

 

[PBrookfield]

I tend to use this stuff (for both build and rework), and have had great success with it...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RF800-Li...MA-Rework-50ml-bottle-with-brush/122898694748

Had a look at the datasheet for that - that's some good stuff for sure. Arguably better than the one I linked, but a tradeoff of going halide-free for a flux is that you can't have it as a paste, from what I've seen.

...once you get down to this level of splitting hairs, you know whatever you pick is going to be excellent!

 

[Nickoss II]

Thanks everyone in this thread - This has been superhelpful! - Difference has been marked from my dimly remembering soldering at school.