[Coco] Sodering Iron

[gene heskett]

On 11/25/23 21:17, Shaun Pow via Coco wrote:
> 
> Lots of good points.
> 
> I will say that keeping your tip well tinned is step A.  I never really 
> understood that when i was a teenager (40+ yr ago).
> 
> Sure, you can solder with a cheap iron if it heats up and is tinned. 
> However, I went through 4 or 5 cheap irons before finally buying 
> something of quality.   They just died - lasted a 2-3 years each. 
> probably not the quality of what you had.  cheap stuff from china.  so i 
> paid much more for cheap irons than i did for my Hakko.  It heats up 
> incredibly fast as well as cools down quickly. nice temp settings.  and 
> well within his budget.
> 
> I recently picked up a bunch of old solder irons at a nearby action. 
> pure copper (huge -~3/4" x ~3/4" x 2") tips on a steel shaft with a wood 
> handle.  very cool looking.  I assume heated in a fire/coals.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> On 2023-11-25 7:03 p.m., Andrew via Coco wrote:
>> My 2 cents:
>>
>> I didn't learn how to solder until after high school, when I left my 
>> home after graduation to take up residence here in Phoenix, in order 
>> to attend a local, but now defunct, vocational tech school here.
>>
>> Each student in the course was "given", in addition to their Grob's 
>> Basic Electronics textbook, a set of tools and a toolbox; I still have 
>> most of those tools, including the soldering iron. While I haven't 
>> used it in a long while, I have no doubt that it works.
>>
>> I also have no doubt that I could solder with it (at least thru-hole 
>> parts, which is all I have ever learned - I have yet to learn or need 
>> to learn SMT soldering - and probably today at my age, I'm not sure I 
>> have a steady enough hand to do it, let alone the eyesight - ugh).
>>
>> Today, you could pick up the same or similar soldering iron - a whole 
>> kit in fact - for less than $20.00 off Amazon. In fact, you might even 
>> get a better iron in the deal (one maybe with temp control).
>>
>> It was a 15 watt jobber - plug it in, stick it in the cheap stand 
>> (iron base with a sponge and a wire spring holder for the iron's 
>> business end) - and in 15 minutes or so, it was up to temp (it takes 
>> much longer to cool down).
>>
>> You really don't need much more than that for basic work with 
>> thru-hole parts and PCBs.
>>
>> It had a basic tip on it - not pointed, not "wedge" - but more like a 
>> thick, yet small, flat tip - like a standard flat screwdriver. Today, 
>> after the use and abuse I put it thru, both as a student and later, 
>> it's ugly as sin - but still works fine.
>>
>> Now - I can give a bunch of tips on "how to learn to solder" - and a 
>> bunch of "try not or do no do's" as well, and if you want those, email 
>> me and I can talk your ear off (actually, I encourage you to do this, 
>> because I do have a lot of hard won thoughts that may help you out), 
>> but this email is already a new chapter of my biography I'm composing 
>> on the internet, one post and email at a time...
>>
>> What I will say, though, is this: You don't need a fancy, super 
>> expensive kit for soldering. No Hakko, no whatever, no "special" 
>> solder, no extra rosin, etc.
>>
>> Just a cheap soldering iron, some basic leaded rosin-core (NOT 
>> ACID-CORE!!!!) solder, a dry sponge (or better, a cheap ABS pipe cap 
>> with a non-soaped copper sponge in it - way cheaper than most stuff 
>> you can buy) for cleaning the tip. If you want some rosin paste, get 
>> something cheap (it is useful for cleaning the tip, too).
>>
>> Also pick up a "solder sucker" and some "desoldering braid"...
>>
>> For the solder, go for 60/40 or 63/37 leaded solder (I prefer the 
>> latter, as it flows better). Most non-leaded solder needs a higher 
>> temperature to flow properly, giving you less time to get the part 
>> soldered properly without lifting pads or creating cold joints - or 
>> destroying parts with excess heat.
>>
>> ...and certainly don't get "silver solder" unless you're using a very 
>> high-temp iron and doing jewelry - that's a metal-joining solder, 
>> mainly...not for electronics, and probably needs a special rosin or 
>> something to work properly anyhow.
>>
>> One more important bit: Wear eye protection! DO NOT SKIP THIS. 
>> Ideally, full goggles, but even a pair of glasses is better than 
>> nothing. Be prepared to get burned with popping solder (actually, the 
>> rosin popping, throwing bits of molten solder about).
>>
>> It will happen when you least expect it, landing on you hands and 
>> finger, occasionally on your face, hence the eye protection. It will 
>> hurt (not as bad a molten metal when welding - but not nice, either!). 
>> Don't jerk and don't drop the iron if you can help it! If you do drop 
>> the iron, DON'T TRY TO CATCH IT. You will grab the wrong end.
>>
>> I say this as someone who did just that while learning, so you 
>> probably will do it at least once in your life. You will not do it 
>> again after that, unless you're a slow learner. Also - wear 
>> closed-toed shoes and pants, because having a hot iron land on your 
>> leg, lap, foot, etc - none of that is good, either. Oh - and don't 
>> solder naked, even if you're into nudity, as that iron is going to 
>> fall where you really don't want it to (talk about pain!)...
>>
>> Finally - gather up a bunch of patience, and find some old broken 
>> piece of thru-hole electronics to "play with" - something you don't 
>> care if you ruin or such. An old radio or electronic clock (make sure 
>> it isn't a "collectible"! You'll kick yourself for destroying 
>> something you later learn was worth a ton of money - ask me how I 
>> know!) - something like that. You don't need a "practice kit" - unless 
>> you have no other option. Save the kit for a later project - what you 
>> want to learn is "how to solder" and "how to desolder".
>>
>> The main keys to successful soldering is:
>>
>> 1. Having a clean iron tip - when first starting with a new iron, 
>> "tin" the tip by (after it is up to temp) melting solder on it, which 
>> will make it "bright" and cleans it. Dipping it into rosin paste, then 
>> tinning, can also be done. Clean and tin the tip before you begin, and 
>> after you stop (before letting it cool down).
>>
>> 2. Don't use a wet sponge if you can avoid it for cleaning the tip 
>> (this is controversial; last I knew what it does is cause 
>> micro-cracking of the nickle cladding on the copper of the tip, which 
>> eventually leads to destruction - this might be more an issue for 
>> "production" hand-soldering - I'm not sure). Use (as noted before) 
>> some kind of non-ferrous metal copper or brass sponge (Note: there are 
>> such sponges out there made of copper-colored plastic - avoid them for 
>> obvious reasons).
>>
>> 3. You may need to clean/re-tin the tip as you solder - it will help!
>>
>> 4. Get the part and pad up to proper temperature, so that the solder 
>> will flow and "wick into" the joint. Don't rush - but don't 
>> dilly-dally, either. To much time heating the part and pad can lead to 
>> destruction of the part, and/or "lifting" the pad from the PCB 
>> (delamination). A second or two is all you need, but you may need a 
>> bit more time depending on part size, lead size (that is, size of the 
>> "wire" on the part you are soldering - both act as a "heat sink" that 
>> draws heat away from the tip and joint).
>>
>> 5. Corollary to #4 - some parts can't be soldered well with a small 
>> iron, particularly those with thick legs or large wire joints. 
>> Consider a higher-wattage iron, or some alternative to soldering to 
>> join those.
>>
>> 6. Don't let the rosin in the solder burn; it will smoke (see below), 
>> but when it stops smoking, that means there's no more rosin, and that 
>> can make creating a good joint difficult. At that point, either 
>> desolder and re-try, or add a touch more solder, or some rosin. If you 
>> are moving at the correct speed/cadence, this shouldn't be a problem 
>> (again, practice makes perfect!).
>>
>> 7. Start with "low and smaller parts" first (those that hug closest to 
>> the board), with higher (and larger) parts soldered later - it will 
>> make building a project way easier (most kits will suggest this as the 
>> order of part assembly/placement).
>>
>> 8. In between each joint, let the soldering iron come back up to temp 
>> (a few seconds between joints); develop a rhythm (music can help, 
>> perhaps).
>>
>> 9. When learning, concentrate on simple parts - like resistors, then 
>> move to diodes, transistors, then ICs (8 leg simple things like 555 
>> timers at first). Resistors tend to be fairly forgiving (at "dwell 
>> time" on the part).
>>
>> That's the basics - like I said, I can write a book on this, I'm sure.
>>
>> Oh - and having good ventilation (an open window and/or a fan) is 
>> worthwhile.
>>
>> Note: The "fumes" or "smoke" you see from melting solder ARE NOT "lead 
>> fumes" (for lead to vaporise takes way more heat than you'll be using) 
>> - they are actually fumes/smoke from the vaporization of the rosin in 
>> the solder, and pose little to no health-risk. That said, if you have 
>> asthma or are sensitive you may be affected by them more than others. 
>> In any case, don't inhale them! They will irritate mucous membranes of 
>> the nose and throat - so a tiny fan, or working outside, or having an 
>> open window, etc - good ventilation is important (and if you do a ton 
>> of soldering, consider buying/building a desktop carbon-filter fume 
>> extractor). A side note: If you ever use acid-core solder, for metal 
>> work, pipe work, etc - DO NOT BREATH THE FUMES OR LET THEM CONTACT 
>> YOUR EYES. Unless you like the feel of acid in your throat or on your 
>> sensitive bits...
>>
>> Lastly: Save buying a decent "soldering station" once you know what 
>> you are doing, and how much you are doing it, and what kind of 
>> projects you plan to work on. You might find an "el-cheapo" iron is 
>> all you need. Or, you might want to go for that Hakko or whatnot 
>> (variable, quick-heating and cooling irons are very useful for dialing 
>> in a temperature for things like non-leaded soldering and such). Also 
>> note that there are lower cost options that still use quick heating 
>> and cooling heating elements (versus the cheapest of irons) that can 
>> be had.
>>
>> Also, stay away from most of the cheap "battery powered" soldering 
>> irons, and especially that "cold heat" contraption that was sold on TV 
>> a while back. USB-based irons should also be avoided, as they can 
>> destroy the USB ports on computers depending on how much current the 
>> port can supply (even the best only supply maybe a couple of amps, so 
>> 10 watts are all the iron can output on a good day). If you need a 
>> portable solution for field work, I can give some suggestions...
>>
>> I hope you enjoyed my latest chapter - but honestly, this is only the 
>> beginning of my possible suggestions I could give you. There is more 
>> to soldering than most "tutorials" online cover, with one of the 
>> greatest myths being "you need an expensive iron to solder with" - 
>> when the truth is, you can get away with a piece of metal wire hanger 
>> and a butane lighter if you're desperate (post-learning and 
>> experience, of course).
>>
I had an old alky uncle that fixed a lot of the "all American 5 tube" 
radios during WW-II using one of those, heated by gasoline torches which 
in those days came with mose brackets to hold the iron while it was 
being heated. He was a postman in downtown Des Moines and his mail bag 
more often than not had a table radio under all the mail in his bag. I 
think it was 1942 when I asked what was wrong with the filter caps he 
was replacing, an he didn't know but open the door of his parts cabinet 
and showed me a 10 point list of "if it did this, replace that" format 
he'd copied out of Radio Craft, and that bought the beer he drank. So I 
went home and looked it up in the high school physics book mother had 
gotten from the county library when I'd asked her what gravity was a 
year earlier and blew him away when I explained the failure mechanisms 
to him on our next visit. He subbed to all the sci-fi rags of the time 
and I "read the letters off the pages" of those. That I think was the 
genesis of me being interested in electronics. I've made a good living 
at that sort of thing, culminating in the Chiefs chair at WDTV-5 here in 
WV for the last 18 years of my working life.

Pure serendipity has put me in some very interesting places at the right 
time to be a small part in some of our most bleeding edge projects, like 
the tv cameras on the Trieste that took the pix at 37,000 feet deep in 
the marianes trench, I was a bench tech building and testing them.

I've put computers to work at several broadcast facilities, and a coco2 
was one of them, replacing and doing the job 8x faster than the grass 
valley gizmo that cost $20,000. moved to linux in 1998 and go interested 
in what became LinuxCNC and converted 4 machines to be run by it. Wrote 
nearly all the gcode that runs them, built some furniture cut out by 
them, and got interested in 3d printing 4 years ago so now have a house 
full of 3d printers one of which is now about 20% done with a 46 hour 
job, making 16 of a screw stopper to prevent a vise screw for a 
woodworkers bench vise from being unscrewed from the nuts that drive it. 
I wrote the code that carves the screw on two of my cnc'd milling 
machines, and designed the rest of the vise in OpenSCAD and am printing 
the rest of it. Alone now, as my 3rd wife of 31 years passed from COPD 3 
years back this coming Pearl Harbor Day. Keeping me busy keeps me out of 
the bars don'tcha know.  Not many 89 yo's are fooling with this stuff 
but I'm sure not ready to sit in a rocking chair and expire from 
boredom. Along the way, the coco in various flavors has been one of my 
most productive teachers. Pretty good for an Iowa farm kid with an 8th 
grade education. Along the way I've become a CET, teaching EE's stuff 
they should have learned in school.

>> Andrew L. Ayers
>> Glendale, Arizona
>> phoenixgarage.org
>> github.com/andrew-ayers
>>
Take care, and stay well and un-vaxed, Put some d3 2x a day, and some 
selenium in your pilltainer. No one has died of this covid thing that 
had an assay able amount of selenium in their system. No one...

Cheers, Gene Heskett.
-- 
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
  soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author, 1940)
If we desire respect for the law, we must first make the law respectable.
  - Louis D. Brandeis