soldering questions
 

Ok I'm new to soldering and I picked up an iron from home Depot but I guess I should have done a little more research on them first. So before I go and get the wrong solder what type and what thickness should I be using and do you guys use flux.

thanks for the help
Jeff

Re: soldering questions
 

I use Radio Shack rosin core, 60/40, .062 diameter. Whichever solder you use, be sure that it's for electronics.

Re: soldering questions
 

I like to use flux on top of rosin core. I recently bought a Hakko FX888D soldering station, and I love it.

Re: soldering questions
 

Now that's a bad ass solder station ^^!!! I have a clone of it and works great.

Re: soldering questions
 

I use the novak silver solder stuff. Got it from my local hobby shop. Works good and doesn't have lead in it so I won't die in 5 years from lead poisoning.

This stuff: Novak Lead-Free Silver Solder - 15g [#5832] - $9.95 : Novak Electronics: Products, Novak or Nothing!

Re: soldering questions
 

Ok guys this is what I found in the basement lol Radio Shack .32" 60/40 rosin core and some bernzomatic .062" rosin core lead free (silver bearing). I'm looking at the trekpower soldering station at tower hobbies this one I saw in a post that Lockup rc uses 60 Watt Soldering Station from Circuit Specialists or this aoyue AOYUE 9378 Programmable Digital Soldering Station 60 Watt with 10 Tips | eBay and I think I've seen these on ebay Hakko FX888D soldering station not sure which one to go with.

Re: soldering questions
 

I have to admit I had a little buyers remorse up until I used it, then I never missed that money at all. I have always used cheaper irons until I got the Hakko, I love it.
I use 23ga 63/37 solder, and Radio Shack soldering flux. I feel the flux makes the joint a little stronger and the solder flow a little faster.

Re: soldering questions
 

for a station, the hakko-fx888 is very hard to beat for the price. the interior design on the chinese knock-off 936's is sub par. you get what you pay for. assembly techniques are not really up to any standard except the factory's own. leads can be left hanging in air, grounds get loose over time, the plugs usually suck, etc.

for solder, i'm primarily using kester 63/37. some .062 water wash for things like plugs, and .015 63/37 no-clean for board repairs. the water wash is way easier to clean than crusted on rosin, and the no-clean should be named minimal clean really. it leaves a white, powdery residue that you can just dry brush off.

for flux, i really like the kester zx flux in the marker pen form. only problem is that the pen is hard to find.

also do a little bit of lead-free every now and then, the joints are always more hassle than a leaded solder. use .032 kester (forget exactly what alloy) there. stock up on tips if you want to go lead free. you have to run a hotter temp, as well as the intermetallic layer that forms on the tip. this eats away at the plating until you're staring at the bare copper, think of it as really quick rust. in an hour of hardcore board assembly with lead free, you can easily go through a tip. also goes for board re-work, pretty much everything now is rohs compliant, which means no lead (along with a few other metals, but this is solder talk). i like to batten down the mix a bit by adding a touch of leaded in while removing say a cap or resistor, helps the rest of it flow a little easier.

solder is again a you get what you pay for situation. radioshack solders do work, but the kester provides a better joint, especially in through hole work. the radioshack 60/40 would take longer to flow at the same temp on the same size hole. this may be due to the flux, may be due to the alloy. one thing that royally pissed me off about radioshack solder was the flux cleaning. have to blast and soak it with the 91% iso alc., then scrub like hell after putting a board together. the kester water wash is a small squirt of the 91%, a small scrub, and dry. way easier.

other good companies to look for solder and flux at would be multicore, mg chemicals (if they're still around) and duratool.

for soldering stations, weller and hakko are the real players in the $100-200 market, beyond that you get into the more advanced stuff from hakko, then companies like metcal and jbc. i've used a metcal auto-temp unit, its strange to say the least, but these things are built for production, not home use. basically it has a magnet in the base that tells the iron its there. the iron tells the head unit and turns off the heat. you take the iron out of the base and it comes to temp. coming from the hakko i have at home, i didn't like that i couldn't manually set the temp, but even with lead-free, it performed well.

Re: soldering questions
 

Here's a very good tutorial, everything you might want to know:

How to solder correctly (a not so brief lesson) - R/C Tech Forums

Re: soldering questions
 

thanks for the link I'll check this out at lunch time

Re: soldering questions
 

I'd say get an iron that gets at least 600°+ (I run 630-650 for 12 gauge , and I use a small jar of rosin flux to sort of prime the surface and/or wire to be tinned. Then tin both with 60/40 rosin core. .063 diameter I believe. About 1/16".
My soldering station is an older radioshack digital I found at a pawn shop for $25. Goes to 800°+. The rosin and solder I also get at radioshack. Less than $15

Re: soldering questions
 

680* is the sweet spot for me.

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thanks everyone for the help I think this is the new unit I'll be getting AOYUE 937 Digital Soldering Station | eBay

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I get my 63/37 solder at orchard supply. Its about $5 if I remember right. RadioShack for flux.

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That's the same one I have. Been using it about a year now. It works awesome and takes Hakko tips. From when you switch it on until it gets to temp (mine's set at 360*C) takes less than 30 seconds!!

Re: soldering questions
 

should have looked on here before I spent half that at home depot (dam noob)

Re: soldering questions
 

I usually dip my wires in rosen flux. it allows the solder to melt like butter into the strands.

Re: soldering questions
 

I usually use slightly larger solder than most. but Im usually not considered the best solderer either.