Soldering: The basics - Equipment - Do's and dont's

[Beerzerker]

Starting this thread because first, I looked and didn't see one like this for guy to learn about soldering, any tips and tricks, info and so on.
Figured we need a thread like this for just that purpose and hopefully one day this will get pinned instead of going down the forum's rabbit hole.

 

So..... If folks want to ask questions to learn about it, do so and hopefully you'll get some answers.
I don't know nearly everything myself but will help as I'm able to. I too and still learning and it's always great when we can not only help others but also learn from each other.

 

Let's do this!

 

I'll start off with a safety tip, something I learned the hard way...... But luckily it wasn't THE hard way.
 

If you have to do a repair to your soldering station, know that you cannot use the station on itself!

 

The pen for example is grounded and if you happen to let it make contact with another conductive part of the station, you'll get a nice light show that's well capable of being lethal. I got lucky in that when I discovered this it didn't get me. I was trying to replace a burned out heating element in my airwand and had to reconnect the wires on the board so it would work and was like "I can just use the soldering pen to do it"... And that came close to being my "Famous last words".
 

Long story short you can't do this, you MUST use another soldering iron, pen, setup or whatever or you'll get what's in the pic below. Look closely at the circuit board and the tip of the soldering pen itself, you'll see what I mean.

I got lucky on that too because I was still able to fix the board, get the wires soldered in and it worked.

[Aimi]

I guess I could ask some things.

What all equipment would I need as an absolute beginner?

What would be good for practice if I plan to do soldering with electronics?

[The_russian]

1 minute ago, NZgamer said:

don't burn yourself

Lol easy to say, sometimes a little harder to actually do

[Beerzerker]

11 minutes ago, Aimi said:

I guess I could ask some things.

What all equipment would I need as an absolute beginner?

What would be good for practice if I plan to do soldering with electronics?

 

Most any soldering station such as a 2+1 setup is great to start with. Quick heatup times and maintains the heat you set well plus it's capable of doing most anything you'd want it to do. Best of all thay aren't as expensive as you'd think yet will be useable well beyond the beginning stages of just learning how. Fleabay has them for well under $100 US and be sure to get one with an actual tip assortment for the pen and a few different nozzles for the airwand.

 

For practice, if you have an old, dead piece of hardware that's what you want to start with just to get a feel for it. Use that to learn how it all behaves and so on. One tip I can give already is to always use flux, even if the solder roll says it's rosin/flux/whatever, just use it anyway.

[The_russian]

3 minutes ago, Beerzerker said:

 

Most any soldering station such as a 2+1 setup is great to start with. Quick heatup times and maintains the heat you set well plus it's capable of doing most anything you'd want it to do. Best of all thay aren't as expensive as you'd think yet will be useable well beyond the beginning stages of just learning how. Fleabay has them for well under $100 US and be sure to get one with an actual tip assortment for the pen and a few different nozzles for the airwand.

What are some budget companies that you would recommend? Also what should you look for when comparing different soldering irons/stations, other than watts and temperature, and what should the minimum watts and temp be?

[Pickles von Brine]

Close call there boss. Glad everything worked out. 

[Pastorcasper 2.0]

so what other things (if getting an easy 2 in 1 heat and solder setup) would you want for a "starter kit" obviously at least
1) solder (what kind?)
2) flux (types?)
3) shrink wrap
4) ??

 

and what would be a recommended work space, as in would it be fine to work on like a wooden table? or what?

[mariushm]

I wrote a long answer here, because I didn't like how this thread was started :

 

To answer you questions

 

Go with leaded solder if you can still buy it.  Ideally 63/37, if not the most common 60/40 variety. Recommend 0.7mm or lower (i use 0.56mm) , with 2-3% rosin based flux or no-clean flux (avoid water soluble or organic fluxes)

 

Fluxes : rosin based rosin, rosin activated RA, rosin mildly activated RMA , or no-clean fluxes

For beginners 2% or more is recommended...

 

It always helps to have a bit of liquid flux even if the solder wire has flux inside. You don't have to get those expensive flux pens, you can find small bottles of liquid flux.

I use this : https://www.tme.eu/en/details/flux-tk_50/fluxes/ag-termopasty/art-agt-044/

 

You can make your own by buying soldering grade rosin and isopropyl alcohol ... basically mix around 80-85% isopropyl alcohol (97% or better) with up to 20% rosin chips/granules and mix until it's fully dissolved in alcohol.

If you want add a few drops of food grade glycerin (if i remember correctly it reduces sputtering, which happens when alcohol is burnt by the iron tip)

Some formulas use a tiny bit of adipic acid (also known as food additive E355) as gelling aid, makes it less liquid and a bit more paste like.

The flux I linked to is <85% isopropyl alcohol, <25% rosin, <5% adipic acid and <5% benzoic acid

 

[Beerzerker]

I've been using "Ruby Fluid" as flux, it's a paste type flux that's commonly found (Here) and works well. I know in certain parts of the world paste type flux is basically not avaliable, Japan being one for example that finding a paste type flux is almost impossible.
Where I am the liquid type flux is hard to get locally if it can be found at all, plus just finding stuff for electronics soldering is difficult too.

Ruby Fluid or it's equivalent can be found in the plumbing section of most hardware stores that sells anything related. Even though what I use is intended for plumbing it's still flux and works all the same.

Most of the time rolls of solder you'll see are silver but the 60/40 stuff can still be found, you just have to look for it.

Online shopping is much easier on finding things such as desoldering braid which is something I can't find locally at all. There is a Radio Shack within driving distance but it's well over an hour away and I don't know what their inventory is, would have to know they have some of the soldering stuff before I go to the time and trouble to go and see what they've really got.

The cheap soldering pens you can buy will work BUT they are underpowered - Slow to heat up, normally "Just" hot enough to melt solder when they do and lose heat almost the second you use it. They are also slow to recover heat and overall just not worth it. A real soldering station is much better, more expensive but definitely worth it plus you have temp control so you know about how hot it's getting.

After fighting with the cheap pens I finally got myself a station and I'll never go back to those.

[Pastorcasper 2.0]

so does anyone have links for good solder (prefferably 63/37 i heard that is easier because no plastic state), flux, and the whatever desoldering soak up stuff??

[Beerzerker]

2 minutes ago, Pastorcasper 2.0 said:

so does anyone have links for good solder (prefferably 63/37 i heard that is easier because no plastic state), flux, and the whatever desoldering soak up stuff??

Normally 60/40 solder is what you'd want but 63/37 is fine too.

The "Solder soak up stuff" you refer to is called desoldering braid. Don't get one of those solder sucker things you'll see, they don't work well, will clog up regularly and overall, just a waste of time and money.

[Pastorcasper 2.0]

yea desoldering braid, and what is the biggest difference between 60/40  and 63/37 (other than 60/40 is faster to say) and why would one be preffered?

1 minute ago, Beerzerker said:

Normally 60/40 solder is what you'd want but 63/37 is fine too.

The "Solder soak up stuff" you refer to is called desoldering braid. Don't get one of those solder sucker things you'll see, they don't work well, will clog up regularly and overall, just a waste of time and money.

 

[Beerzerker]

There is really not much difference, one (63/37) just has a slightly higher tin content than the other (60/40). It's not enough to really worry about for most anything you'd do yourself.

[Pastorcasper 2.0]

Just now, Beerzerker said:

There is really not much difference, one (63/37) just has a slightly higher tin content than the other (60/40). It's not enough to really worry about for most anything you'd do yourself.

i saw something talking about like plasticity temperature i think, and it said the i think 63/37 has no like plastic state so it cools and hardens faster and easier and doesnt have to sit as long, and then any links??

[Beerzerker]

You may be thinking about the hardness of it once it cools down, silver solder is a harder, more brittle solder than either one we've mentioned. The plastic state could well be how it can tolerate heat and cooling cycles before the obvious microfracturing of the soldered bond takes place.
This affecting things to the point they just quit working one day, the Sony PS3 is a prime example of it.

They used leadfree (Silver) solder and after so many heating and cooling cycles it developed these fractures and one day, they would just quit working.

Reballing is the only real way to fix one and it's highly suggested to use a 60/40 solder to do the fix with, typically with those tiny balls of solder you can buy in a bottle just for that kind of work with a stencil.

[Pastorcasper 2.0]

by the plastic state im talking about when it goes from solid to liquid and back to solid there not one set temperature it kind of like like slowly liquefies?

[mariushm]

63/37 solder is EUCTETIC , it has no plastic region.

60/40 is regular solder, and has a transition region where it's semi-liquid, and if the solder joint is disturbed while that solder is in that region, you get a poor quality solder joint.

 

60/40 becomes liquid (starts) at around 180 degrees celsius and is fully liquid at around 190 degrees Celsius, and there's a range or around 10 degrees Celsius until it becomes fully solid.

63/37 melts at 183 degrees give or take a degree or so, and pretty much snaps to solid the instant you go below 183 degrees.

 

 

I would basically recommend eBay, looking for new old stock or stuff like that.

In Europe, distributors are no longer allowed to sell leaded solder except to companies, due to RoHS and other regulations, so brand name solders with lead become harder to source.

 

I personally prefer Multicore solder, because they have flux in several strands inside the solder wire, which makes the flux spread nicer when you solder tiny things.

 

Jump to around 3:45 and listen for a few minutes for a more thorough explanation :

 

 

[Pastorcasper 2.0]

https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/henkel-multicore/386844/82-117-ND/2498915?utm_adgroup=Solder&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping_Soldering%2C Desoldering%2C Rework Products_NEW&utm_term=&utm_content=Solder&gclid=CjwKCAjwp-X0BRAFEiwAheRui3s7CbBP287o5kQm5JS-OgDHxsVGFoBMgxhp1gxbJK3L2st6wj0giBoCwM8QAvD_BwE
would this be good for solder, and last a while??

[mariushm]

It's very good and if you don't want to spend a lot of money it's fine, my only issue with it is that for a hobbyist/beginner, 0.38mm is a bit too small and may make soldering bigger leads and wires a bit difficult.

 

I'm using this one which is almost 38$ (but double the quantity) : https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/multicore/386851/82-129-ND/2498927

 

It's more quantity (450g) so a bit more expensive, but the diameter of 0.56mm is just right for most uses.

 

This one's cheaper at 31$ but 0.81mm which is a bit thicker than ideal (0.56..0.7mm) but perfectly fine for leaded parts : https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/multicore/386862/82-128-ND/2498926

 

It will make soldering tiny surface mounted parts (0603 and so on) a bit difficult, but once you get more confidence, you could buy a smaller spool of thin solder wire (or get 100g of 60/40)

 

If you're in US / Canada, see also Newark :

 

30$ 0.635mm Kester solder , with RMA flux (no clean needed) : https://www.newark.com/kester-solder/24-6337-9718/solder-wire-63-37-sn-pb-183-c/dp/34C5667

31.8$ 0.56mm Multicore, RA flux (no clean needed) : https://www.newark.com/multicore-loctite/mm00975/solder-wire-63-37-sn-pb-1lb/dp/32M7025

29.9$  0.81mm Multicore C400 (same as the 31$ one on Digikey) : https://www.newark.com/multicore-loctite/mm01001/solder-wire-63-37-sn-pb-1lb/dp/72C1198

 

[Pastorcasper 2.0]

7 minutes ago, mariushm said:

It's very good and if you don't want to spend a lot of money it's fine, my only issue with it is that for a hobbyist/beginner, 0.38mm is a bit too small and may make soldering bigger leads and wires a bit difficult.

 

I'm using this one which is almost 38$ (but double the quantity) : https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/multicore/386851/82-129-ND/2498927

 

It's more quantity (450g) so a bit more expensive, but the diameter of 0.56mm is just right for most uses.

 

This one's cheaper at 31$ but 0.81mm which is a bit thicker than ideal (0.56..0.7mm) but perfectly fine for leaded parts : https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/multicore/386862/82-128-ND/2498926

 

It will make soldering tiny surface mounted parts (0603 and so on) a bit difficult, but once you get more confidence, you could buy a smaller spool of thin solder wire (or get 100g of 60/40)

 

If you're in US / Canada, see also Newark :

 

30$ 0.635mm Kester solder , with RMA flux (no clean needed) : https://www.newark.com/kester-solder/24-6337-9718/solder-wire-63-37-sn-pb-183-c/dp/34C5667

31.8$ 0.56mm Multicore, RA flux (no clean needed) : https://www.newark.com/multicore-loctite/mm00975/solder-wire-63-37-sn-pb-1lb/dp/32M7025

29.9$  0.81mm Multicore C400 (same as the 31$ one on Digikey) : https://www.newark.com/multicore-loctite/mm01001/solder-wire-63-37-sn-pb-1lb/dp/72C1198

 

thanks, is newark better than digikey or?? and any suggestions on the other things? flux and desoldering braid

[mariushm]

18 minutes ago, Pastorcasper 2.0 said:

thanks, is newark better than digikey or?? and any suggestions on the other things? flux and desoldering braid

It's a good distributor of electronic components. Digikey may have free or cheaper shipping.

Newark.com was the US/Canada website of a distributor that used Farnell.com in Europe and some regions and element14.com in other places like Australia. I ordered parts from farnell.com and received orders as expected, very fast and everything correct. 

This company was recently bought by a big company/distributor (AVNet) which also has Arrow.com , another distributor of electronic components ... so they're quite safe to order and buy from

 

For flux, i buy mine from tme.eu, an european distributor ... not sure they'll ship to us due to difficulty of shipping by air (liquid flux has isopropyl alcohol, which is considered fire risk)

You'd have to make account and check, but I doubt they'll ship by boat to US, with weeks of shipping time, but maybe you can find this brand somewhere in US.

ART.AGT-044 AG TERMOPASTY - Flux: rosin based | No Clean; liquid; bottle; 0.05l; FLUX-TK/50 | TME - Electronic components

ART.AGT-045 AG TERMOPASTY - Flux: rosin based | No Clean; liquid; bottle; 0.1l; FLUX-TK/100 | TME - Electronic components

ART.AGT-075 AG TERMOPASTY - Flux: rosin based | No Clean; liquid; bottle; 0.5l; FLUX-TK/500 | TME - Electronic components

 

Here's something with good value for money on Newark :

835-100ML - MG CHEMICALS - Solder Flux, Rosin Activated RA, Soldering

100ml for 9$ plus shipping ... it's good deal. Buy a syringe separately or some bottle that can dispense drops if pharmacies don't sell syringes (try a vet store) and that will help you pour a drop or two when needed.

 

On Digikey, try these :

FLS99-100ML SRA Soldering Products | Soldering, Desoldering, Rework Products | DigiKey

835-100ML MG Chemicals | Soldering, Desoldering, Rework Products | DigiKey

8351-125ML MG Chemicals | Soldering, Desoldering, Rework Products | DigiKey

 

For soldering wick, it's absolutely a must to have flux in it, and higher quality braid typically has a finer mesh.

I don't use wick much, so not sure what to suggest.

I'd buy this ... probably best price for length and width of wick : 80-4-10 Chemtronics | Soldering, Desoldering, Rework Products | DigiKey

but feel free to buy a cheaper 4-5$ one and buy something more expensive (like 7m+ for 16$, better price per meter) if it turns out you use it often.

 

 

[Pastorcasper 2.0]

https://smile.amazon.com/22101-Regular-Soldering-Flux-Paste/dp/B002DLU96O/ref=sr_1_3?ascsubtag=1ba00-01000-org00-win10-other-smile-us000-gatwy-feature-SEARC&dchild=1&keywords=flux&qid=1587153463&sr=8-3&th=1
is this good for flux?

and this for desoldering braid?

https://smile.amazon.com/Chemtronics-80-3-10-Soder-Wick-Rosin-Desoldering/dp/B01I7Q22I6/ref=psdc_8107036011_t1_B00FS7AK3C

[mariushm]

No, that flux seems like it's not electronics grade, sounds to me like for plumbing. Not sure about it. Check the links I posted.

The wick would be fine. Don't see the price but if it's 10$ or less it would be ok.

[Pastorcasper 2.0]

2 hours ago, mariushm said:

No, that flux seems like it's not electronics grade, sounds to me like for plumbing. Not sure about it. Check the links I posted.

The wick would be fine. Don't see the price but if it's 10$ or less it would be ok.

https://smile.amazon.com/Delcast-Rosin-Soldering-Flux-Paste/dp/B00SVESNTC/ref=sr_1_15?dchild=1&keywords=topnik+tk83+flux&qid=1587154499&sr=8-15&swrs=96FA699FC791EE49222BAD5AC4294500

what about this one?? @mariushm

[mariushm]

Yeah, it's fine... but I don't understand why you keep looking at pastes when a 100ml bottle will last you several times longer than those things. I literally take a 5ml syringe and fill it to maybe a 3rd and just let a drop or two of flux on pads or on wires I want to solder. Those pastes can also dry out if you leave the lid open for long periods of time.