Soldering: Help a chap out.

[rayc]

Nice work Shan. I do have a question... WHY SODDDERING? Did the L become silent on the north American continent.
ASIDE: Nice doggy.

I say it wrong i am sure. Lazy sod(der) that i am.

Well, you don't say it wrong for your part of the world - for some very obscure reason the North American continentals dropped the L from their pronunciation of solder yonks ago.

[WhiskeyJack]

UPDATE:

Soldering Iron bit the dust last night half way through converting my Unidyne 544 to Male XLR. The little heat dial literally fell off. I guess i will start the hunt for a new one or get my old man to send out his old Weller.

[WhiskeyJack]

I also desperately need one of those little third hand thingies in the worst way.

[Greg_L]

I also desperately need one of those little third hand thingies in the worst way.

Getcha a cheapo chinese Weller knockoff off Amazon. I got one and have done tons of soldering with it and it's great. Get some nice tips though. The cheap tips wear out fast. But the iron itself and control unit is great.

[Bubba]

At present, having recently done a hell of a lot of soldering at work, I'm trying to invent a gadget that helps to conserve the amount of solder used on a job and reduce solder wastage to a minimum. If I'm successful I think it could have a commercial application. I'm thinking of calling it the "Solder Miser" ™.

What do you guys think?

[Greg_L]

At present, having recently done a hell of a lot of soldering at work, I'm trying to invent a gadget that helps to conserve the amount of solder used on a job and reduce solder wastage to a minimum. If I'm successful I think it could have a commercial application. I'm thinking of calling it the "Solder Miser" ™.

What do you guys think?

First I gotta ask...how are you "wasting" solder? What's happening and/or why is it being wasted?

[WhiskeyJack]

At present, having recently done a hell of a lot of soldering at work, I'm trying to invent a gadget that helps to conserve the amount of solder used on a job and reduce solder wastage to a minimum. If I'm successful I think it could have a commercial application. I'm thinking of calling it the "Solder Miser" ™.

What do you guys think?

[Greg_L]

Oh crap that was a joke. Lol.

[WhiskeyJack]

New addition to my collection of "vintage stuff i don't really need but here we are i have it anyways"

My father really wanted me to have this. I was sending him pictures of all the dumb little things i have been doing and he reminded me of the olden times when i would come out to his shop and watch him fix stuff for his friends. I remember him trying to teach me how to solder when i was probably 8 or 9. this fellah stands out in my memory quite vivdly. Now it is part of my home. Pretty stoked. Haven't plugged it in yet after the flight but he showed me it worked before i left.

Gave it a bit of a clean up just for shits. It needs some better tips for the stuff i want to do with it so i'll have to source some out.

[Greg_L]

New addition to my collection of "vintage stuff i don't really need but here we are i have it anyways"

My father really wanted me to have this. I was sending him pictures of all the dumb little things i have been doing and he reminded me of the olden times when i would come out to his shop and watch him fix stuff for his friends. I remember him trying to teach me how to solder when i was probably 8 or 9. this fellah stands out in my memory quite vivdly. Now it is part of my home. Pretty stoked. Haven't plugged it in yet after the flight but he showed me it worked before i left.

Gave it a bit of a clean up just for shits. It needs some better tips for the stuff i want to do with it so i'll have to source some out.

[JD01]

That looks a lot better than my 8 quid one from Maplin,

[WhiskeyJack]

Just fired it up. Man does it heat up fast !!!

[WhiskeyJack]

That looks a lot better than my 8 quid one from Maplin,

Yea a i bought a 30 dollar weller one when my 30 dollar MiC one broke. I won't miss them. lol.

[Greg_L]

Just fired it up. Man does it heat up fast !!!

That's good! What temp are you gonna use it at?

[WhiskeyJack]

Just fired it up. Man does it heat up fast !!!

That's good! What temp are you gonna use it at?

I think that would all depend on what i am doing i suppose? I don't know that i'd ever go hotter than 350-400 though. I believe that's the general rule of thumb? somewhere in there. I think this bad boy max's out at 425 anyways.

[Greg_L]

I think that would all depend on what i am doing i suppose? I don't know that i'd ever go hotter than 350-400 though. I believe that's the general rule of thumb? somewhere in there. I think this bad boy max's out at 425 anyways.

I keep mine around 700 American Farenheits.

[WhiskeyJack]

I think that would all depend on what i am doing i suppose? I don't know that i'd ever go hotter than 350-400 though. I believe that's the general rule of thumb? somewhere in there. I think this bad boy max's out at 425 anyways.

I keep mine around 700 American Farenheits.

Nice. that's about 371 C according to the rest of the world. It looks like this guy has a 371C setting right onto it. I kind of wondered why the odd number intervals but it looks like there is an F version of the same rig that is in even numbered increments. They just slapped a C skin on it for us and called it a day haha.

[Greg_L]

Nice. that's about 371 C according to the rest of the world. It looks like this guy has a 371C setting right onto it. I kind of wondered why the odd number intervals but it looks like there is an F version of the same rig that is in even numbered increments. They just slapped a C skin on it for us and called it a day haha.

Lol. Well there ya go. You might need to turn it up a smidge hotter for soldering giant blobs and braided shielding on the back of pots or something, but for the most part 700F/371C should cover just about everything safely and cleanly.

And get you a fine point and a chisel tip. Those will cover everything.

[WhiskeyJack]

Ok guys. Getting a bit unglued over here. Ive been tasked with just wiring up a buddies new build for him.

Return of the grey sludgey clay looking solder joints on the pots!!$%^%$$$$$%^^^^.

Tinning tips, no problem. Pre tin connections, no problem! Desolder and removing old bits of wire no, problem. Presolder a pot. No problem.

Solder wire to back of pot.... grey clay sludge. What in the actual fuck is going on here!????

Before i even started i went thrugh everything yall have told me. Expose some fresh, clean metal, pre tin, grt the iron hot i have the ungar set to between 371 and 382 and still.... grey fucking sludge.

Part of me wants to say there may be somethimg wrong with the top on the ungar and i am going to experiment with aome old pots i have layimg around and see what differences i get betweem the ungar chisel tip and my cheaper weller chisel tip and see where that gets me, but im so serious i am pissssssssed. That this consistently happens when it comes time to do the pots.

Frig.

[WhiskeyJack]

Also how long do i have to do the pot wiring?! I feel like the longer i hold the iron to the pot the more risk i run of damaging. Maybe im not giving it the time it needs to do what it needs to do in fear of damaging the pot.

But pretinning the back of the pot isnt an issue. Its when i try to make the connection that all goes to shit.