soddering

[hon30critter]

Mark!

Great advise!!

Dave

[Forty Niner]

crisco1

 

 Can anyone give me pointers on soddering?  I have the hardest time soddering

                                                                                              Chris

Sure thing..................."green" side up!!!!!

Mark

WGAS

[DrgnTrappr]

great thread I can sure use this.

Ron

[JSperan]

 

dstarr

Use only 60:40 tin lead solder

Actually, if you can get 63:37 tin/lead it has a slightly lower melting point than 60:40.

Also use small diameter solder, I use .032" myself.  Yes, ONLY resin, (rosin) core solder.

The smaller diameter solder will also melt a bit quicker than thick solder will.  It is also supposedly of better quality, (I can't say about that) and it is easier to control the amount of solder applied.

[IRONROOSTER]

howmus

...

For anyone who would like to see the technique, here are a couple short videos of me doing soldering during a clinic a week ago at RIT.

I will try your technique the next time I am soldering.  It looks a lot neater and easier than what I have been doing.

Thanks for sharing

Paul

[JSperan]

.

howmus

JSperan

EXCELLENT ADVICE!  I follow the same sort of procedure and it works very well.

 

Thank you sir!

For anyone who would like to see the technique, here are a couple short videos of me doing soldering during a clinic a week ago at RIT.

No thanks necessary, Ray.  I'm just happy to find someone using techniques that have served me well for years.

Am I mistaken or were the two video clips the same?  My only critique would be that the shot was a bit wide for my old eyes.  A closeup of the action would be good but your dialogue explained what was going on very well.

I use additional flux in my soldering too, although it is just a liquid in a bottle that I apply with a mini-brush applicator from Micro-Mart.  I don't have one of the flux pens which I imagine are very handy.  I typically follow up with a shot of non-flammable contact cleaner to cleanup the joints when I am finished.

I do see in your video that you have a helping hands vise.  Something that everyone who solders should go and buy, IMO.

One other thing I do, particularly if there is a chance of damaging a component or plastic ties, is to use a heat sink.  The best material for a heat sink is aluminum but even a steel alligator clip will work.  The heat sink helps to draw excess heat away, helping to avoid damage.  In soldering track, if one can get in and get out as quickly as you describe, a heat sink is not really required.

In regards to wire type.  In the smaller gauges I prefer stranded wire because it handles flexing without breaking, better than solid wire does.  Other than that, I do prefer solid wire too.

[howmus]

JSperan

EXCELLENT ADVICE!  I follow the same sort of procedure and it works very well.

 

Thank you sir!

For anyone who would like to see the technique, here are a couple short videos of me doing soldering during a clinic a week ago at RIT.

[JSperan]

howmus

I do much of the above, but also use extra rosin core flux when soldering.  After the area to be soldered is cleaned and the parts to be soldered are placed as tightly together as possible, I add a bit of the rosin flux.  Then I put a drop of solder on my tinned iron.  The iron (no I don't drop the solder on the cold surface!!!) is then placed on both parts to be soldered.  The molten solder quickly transfers the needed heat to the surfaces and will flow into the joint when hot enough.  This shortens the time it takes to make a good joint, and reduces the chance of ties or other things being damaged.  usually I do not need to add any more solder to complete the job.

 

EXCELLENT ADVICE!  I follow the same sort of procedure and it works very well.

BTW, I can tell from the photos that the joint in question is a solid electro/mechanical joint.

[duckdogger]

 "Lazy"?  Or did ewe meen layzee?

 

[P5se Camelback]

First, stop playing with the grass out in the back yard ... then please follow the splendid directions for how to solder two pieces of metal together provided by several of those who have not yet lost patience with not learning how to "axe, how du u spel soddering?" 

    

Sorry, guys, but I've heard and seen so much of that "lazy" English lately ... it drives me crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[crisco1]

  Hi Ray,   

            I would like a copy of your clinic.

 

                                                                                                                     Chris

[howmus]

Some good advise already given.  At the risk of opening up the hornets nest, I will offer a technique that was taught to me by a professional electronics repairman who learned it from his father (who also owned a business repairing electronics) who learned it in the Air Force.....  I just gave a clinic on the subject at a NMRA Meet this last weekend.

I do much of the above, but also use extra rosin core flux when soldering.  After the area to be soldered is cleaned and the parts to be soldered are placed as tightly together as possible, I add a bit of the rosin flux.  Then I put a drop of solder on my tinned iron.  The iron (no I don't drop the solder on the cold surface!!!) is then placed on both parts to be soldered.  The molten solder quickly transfers the needed heat to the surfaces and will flow into the joint when hot enough.  This shortens the time it takes to make a good joint, and reduces the chance of ties or other things being damaged.  usually I do not need to add any more solder to complete the job.

Here is a photo of a rail feeder joint I did at the clinic.

Notice no melted ties.  Only the spike head on the track directly below the soldered joint was damaged and that was minimal.  The iron (25w BTW) was in contact with the rail and wire less than one second.  And yes, it is a solid joint and well soldered.  (I only have 5000+ of them on my layout.  None of them have ever failed!)

Top view:

If you send me your email address I will send you a copy of the handout for the clinic.  It also explains the science behind the technique.

Good luck, and practice, practice, practice!

[alco_fan]

One thing that really helped when I was learning lo these many years ago was a lot of practice on scrap materials. I must have soldered 25 feeders to one piece of junk flex track. I got a lot better by the end.

[AntonioFP45]

crisco1

 

 Can anyone give me pointers on soddering?  I have the hardest time soddering

                                                                                              Chris

 

I've posted this before, but this is my "all time" favorite soldering video. Though the technique show is for soldering rail joints, the same can also be used for soldering feeder wires to rails.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HFoER_5UBk&feature=PlayList&p=742895E088C8A2F4&index=21

[markpierce]

selector

Edit - Dave mentions it in his third paragraph.

You're forgiven.  Anyway, the point needs to be emphasized and is worth repeating!

Mark

[selector]

Like any activity, certain circumstances must be in place for the operation to have a lasting intended effect.  All the above is good information, but one key condition not mentioned in my very quick reading is that the rail surface must also be clean and free from pollutants to the solder.  Bare metal is a must, but also it must be free of waxes, finger oils, paint, etc.  Therefore, wiping the affected area with a Q-Tip soaked in either alcohol or acetone would be a good first step.

-Crandell

Edit - Dave mentions it in his third paragraph.

[dstarr]

Some principles.

1.  The work must be hot enough to melt the solder.  You cannot drop molten solder onto a cold workpiece and have anything good happen.  You must heat the workpiece until the solder melts for just touching it to the work.

2.  The iron or soldering gun tip must be bright and shiny (tinned we call it) with molten solder.  Heat transfers from tip to work faster when the tip is wet with molten solder.  If the tip is dry and crusty the crust serves as an insulator, slowing the flow of heat from tip to joint.  

3. The molten solder must wet the workpiece.  Any trace of oil, grease, crud, rust, oxidation, paint,  will prevent the solder from wetting and soaking into the joint.  Start by polishing the work with a wire brush, steel wool, sandpaper, or gritty ink eraser until it is bright and shiny.  After the joint is clean, apply rosin flux.  The flux has chemistry that turns metal oxide back to solid metal.  As you heat the joint, the hot metal grabs oxygen out of the air to make a film of metal oxide on the surface of the work.  The flux reverses this process turning the metal oxide back to pure metal.  

4.  Soldering works on copper, brass, nickel silver, tin, silver, gold, lead and with care, iron and steel.  It does not work on aluminum or Zamac or pot metal.

5. Use only 60:40 tin lead solder.  Avoid 50:50 solder, lead free solder, and silver solder.  Do not use acid flux or acid core solder.  Rosin flux and rosin core solder is OK.

6.  The soldered joint must cool bright and shiny.  If it has a white and frosty appearance (a cold solder joint)  it must be reheated and allowed to cool without moving the joint until the solder is cold and solid.

 

 

 

[Butlerhawk]

Learn how to "Solder" is good reference - worth keeping; thanks for posting

[Geared Steam]

 This may help you learn how to "Solder".

 

[crisco1]

 

 Can anyone give me pointers on soddering?  I have the hardest time soddering

                                                                                              Chris