Soldering Hell

[adam2]

Yes plumbers do still use soldered joints, though less than in the past.

Soldered joints in copper pipes can be made with much reduced fire risk by use of the "antex pipemaster" or similar tool that heats the joint with electrically heated tongs rather than a blow lamp.

 

This product was invented by a relative of mine ! who sold the patent to Antex. AFAIK the patent has now expired and similar tools can be made by anyone.

[David Duffy]

I use 63/37 alloy solder which is even nicer to use than 60/40 alloy. Not a lot of people sell it these days, but Digikey and Mouser do.

[Deep C]

Last Tuesday I had nightmare job trying to resurect a pcb with probably lead free solder that had been attacked previously. With the Weller iron, I couldn't get leaded or lead free solder to melt or mix or stick to solder wick, I was short of enough pcb to rebuild the whole board, six little dots of solder took hours.

the board may have been manufactured using a resistance soldering unit which may have damaged the copper pads on the pcb due to excessive heat or just badly used to fix the components to the board

 

Cheers

Colin

 

 

[Jivemaster]

I think I'll need some new tips for the iron, can they be filed to a good surface or is loss of the iron plating terminal?

 

What is the most economical method of determining the real tip temperature? Would a K type thermocouple read it adequately (I have a few)?

[musht]

Iron clad bits cavitate after filing, not reccomended but gets a job done.

 

Multicore tip cleaner, tiny tin is about 7 quid, great at getting what wet sponge won't shift.

 

Lead free ,silver loaded, flavour is more expensive but flows better. Lead is better unless it's lead free already.

 

Big fan of Rapid Electronics own brand solders.

 

Flux pen, helps a lot.

Edited March 16, 2021 by musht

[indyld]

Does the iron have any temp control or just a readout? If the former, I'd just whack it all the way up and go from there depending on the type of job. If it doesn't get hot enough at that point, it's bust. The only times where an iron alone won't do most jobs is if you are up against a massive ground plane or other heat sinking design.

 

When soldering, there are only really two temperatures : the right one, and the wrong one. Similarly, the exact temperature readout of a hot air station isn't all that useful a lot of the time especially on the more affordable units which is probably wildly inaccurate. These things are either hot enough, not hot enough, or too hot.

 

The other potential thing is needing a new tip. I wouldn't bother filing a tip, it just makes things worse in the long run.

 

I use a range of flux solutions depending on the job (tacky, no clean etc) but a good 'ol tin of rosin is still pretty good for a lot of things plus you can dissolve in IPA to make your own flux.

 

I use both leaded (still easy to buy, just comes with a ream of paperwork with it) and lead-free, plus some jobs also require low-melt alloy (often known as Chip Quik).

 

Oh, and does the PCB seems to have some kind of anti-moisture clear conformal coating on it? That can play havoc with both testing and soldering.

 

(My plumber stil uses end-feed fittings. I wouldn't go anywhere near plumber's solder or flux for electrical stuff.)

Edited March 17, 2021 by indyld

[Don Allen]

I use Solder Flux Gell on all old joints to improve heat transfer and to get the solder flowing. I still use leaded solder on older electronic equipment and use a Fume Extractor Fan when soldering. For lead free solder joints I flux, then reheat with leaded solder then use a Vacuum Desoldering Station if doing multiple joints such as an ic or Desoldering Braid if only a few joints. Then I use PCB Cleaner or flux remover , it is easier to use bulk with a Dispensing Bottle and a tooth brush, followed by a Conformal Coating depending on the application. Those are retail prices, I buy wholesale or you may be able to find clones.

[bigclive]

I still use a soldering iron, it's an Antex 50w with temperature display. I'm having problems with making good solder joints with modern solder. What bit temperature do people suggest please? I have old solder, I use it, but I still get bad issues with bad joints. I've been trying to repair a small pcb and three good solder joints took over an hour! Do I really need a soldering station?, or just a new tip for the iron?

 

Let's do the simple checklist.

Is the soldering tip clean and shiny? If not, use a tip cleaner which is basically a mixture of flus, solder and a very mild abrasive.

If the tip is pitted then get a new one. Never file a tip, as it's usually a copper core with iron plating to ensure longevity. As soon as you file the iron off it will pit very quickly.

 

Always apply solder directly to the heated joint. The flux is very important to ensure good mating of the solder to the surfaces being soldered.

If you melt solder onto the tip and then carry it to the joint, the flux evaporates and you apply "dry" solder to the joint. It can be "fixed " by reflowing it with a touch of fresh solder (with the important flux) or just some raw flux.

 

Note that some solder sold on eBay is an unknown alloy and some is factory reject solder with a missing or intermittent flux core.

 

Although lead based solder has been banned by the eco-hippie-wanktards there's a reason lead was used in the first place! It forms an easy flowing malleable solder joint. Don't use lead-free solder as it is just a disaster.

 

If your supplier tells you that they can only supply lead based solder to companies then tell them you are a company to tick their box. They are just looking for you to say that so they can supply you.

 

Oh, and ignore the digital readout on your soldering station. It's wrong. Go by soldering-feel.

 

The traditional irons like the Antex XS25 were thermally balanced and just did a random temperature affected by ambient temperature. I did tens of thousands of flawless solder joints with my old Antex XS25.

[sunray]

Although lead based solder has been banned by the eco-hippie-wanktards there's a reason lead was used in the first place! It forms an easy flowing malleable solder joint. Don't use lead-free solder as it is just a disaster.

 

I'm sorry Clive it pains me to say I disagree with you.

I agree I find lead solder is much easier however there is nothing wrong per se with lead free as long as the work is prepared properly and the proper tools are used. I was asked to inspect a youngsters work recently for his amateur radio licence and marvelled at the high quality of the soldering. He had never used leaded solder and I asked him to try it on another board, oh dear what a mess he made which is totally the opposite of my abilities.

Edited March 23, 2021 by sunray

[Junior8]

How nice to hear that youngsters are still entering the amateur radio field. You know I think that has helped make my day...

[paulears]

It's more interesting he was actually building stuff. Most new hams cannot even put a mains plug on, and I had to stop one the other day cutting off the 2 pin Euro charger and fitting a 13A plug to the DC cable coming out of it. Thank goodness he emailed to ask which of the the two black wires was the live one! Ham radio is actually very busy - but has changed focus to concentrate on digital comms - which does tend to make thing very complicated. I programmed one the other day, got a digit wrong and ended up talking to a guy driving down the old Route 66, not the small village just across the border in Norfolk.

[Junior8]

But did you send a tray of Bread Pudding to KIngs Lynn rather than Kuala Lumpur? Edited March 24, 2021 by Junior8

[Whiskers]

But did you send a tray of Bread Pudding to KIngs Lynn rather than Kuala Lumpur?

 

"Jakarta" "No she went on the bus"

 

[indyld]

But did you send a tray of Bread Pudding to KIngs Lynn rather than Kuala Lumpur?

 

It is are raining not here also.

[sunray]

It's more interesting he was actually building stuff. Most new hams cannot even put a mains plug on, and I had to stop one the other day cutting off the 2 pin Euro charger and fitting a 13A plug to the DC cable coming out of it. Thank goodness he emailed to ask which of the the two black wires was the live one! Ham radio is actually very busy - but has changed focus to concentrate on digital comms - which does tend to make thing very complicated. I programmed one the other day, got a digit wrong and ended up talking to a guy driving down the old Route 66, not the small village just across the border in Norfolk.

It's a requirement for one of the levels to build something, there are suggestions for suitable kits.