How to learn to solder with a hand soldering iron + step-by-step instructions
Teaching is the mother of creation! And even if the creation is considered to be just ordinary work with an electric soldering iron, such work cannot be done efficiently without studying. Everyone, including girls, should be able to hold a soldering iron and solder with tin.
Therefore, let's consider a simple and at the same time complex technical point - how to learn how to solder with a hand soldering iron and apply science if necessary.
And the need for soldering with tin can be very different, be it household irons, radio sockets, electric kettles, electronic circuit boards, etc.
What kind of soldering should you use with a hand soldering iron?
The need to disassemble electronic devices for repair purposes is quite common. Meanwhile, any electronics, as a rule, contains a printed circuit board, where electronic components are connected into a circuit by soldering.
Soldering with an electric soldering iron is an action aimed at creating a strong connection of electronic parts by melting solder and then applying the melt at the point where the parts meet.
FOR SOLDERING
The technology of soldering using a hand-held electric soldering iron is widely used for repairing electronics.
Therefore, it is advisable to be able to use this technology
Solder is an alloy of soft metals capable of acquiring a semi-liquid state when heated to a certain temperature (~250ºC for POS60 solder).
When the heating stops, the solder at the point of application cools, thereby creating a strong electrical connection. The peculiarity of such soldering is that the soldered assembly is also easy to unsolder using the same tool - an electric soldering iron.
What tools and accessories are used when soldering?
The basis for soldering work is a relatively small number of tools and components:
- Electric (or other) soldering iron.
- Soldering iron stand.
- Solder.
- Flux (the simplest and most popular is rosin).
This is what a simplified version of the hardware and accessories for manual soldering looks like. However, with increasing skills of an electrician and increasing needs for soldering work, it is possible to expand the range when additionally required:
- Soldering Station.
- Device "Third hand".
- Set of solder, fluxes, soldering pastes.
What kind of electric soldering iron is it?
Hand tool - soldering iron, powered from a standard AC outlet (220V). There is a direct power tool and power supply via adapter. There are manual soldering irons for different power (10 - 100 W). However, for most soldering cases, a 25-40 W device is usually sufficient.
SOLDERING IRONS
Hand-held soldering tool designs come in a variety of shapes and configurations. There are tools complemented by different tip shapes and auxiliary accessories
The main tool of the soldering process is available in different versions. For example, a simple one with a handle or in the form of a pistol. The design of most soldering irons supports the interchangeability of soldering tips. Thanks to the mutual replacement of tips, different soldering methods are implemented.
Working with a hand soldering iron requires caution and compliance with operating rules, since a high heating temperature of 450-500ºC and a high supply voltage of 220 V are used.
What is the best stand for an electric soldering iron?
This accessory is optional, but recommended in any case. In principle, soldering can be carried out without a soldering iron stand, but this option is accompanied by a lot of inconvenience. Moreover, it is not recommended for novice electrical installers to work without a stand.
STANDS
A stand for parking a soldering tool is an accessory that provides not only ease of use and soldering, but also safety for the electrician
Convenient work with a stand is seen not only in parking the soldering iron during work. Usually the stand is equipped with trays for solder and flux, which also adds to the comfort during soldering. Therefore, if you intend to do soldering work, you should acquire not only a soldering iron, but also a convenient, practical stand.
What solders and fluxes are used?
There are many varieties of solder in relation to soldering conditions. This soldering accessory comes with:
- lead alloy,
- lead-free alloy,
- with the addition of flux,
- without adding flux.
Traditionally, solder is produced in wire form with a diameter of 0.8-15 mm, as well as rods. The wire version is considered the most common.
For soldering electronics, lead-free solder is most often used with or without the addition of rosin. The lead-free type of solder is based on an alloy of tin and copper. Lead solder (60% tin, 40% lead) is also used (much less frequently), but this option is considered harmful to health and is not recommended for use.
When using lead solder for soldering with a soldering iron, it is necessary to provide more active ventilation. After completing soldering work, be sure to wash your hands with laundry soap.
TIN
Integral accessories for soldering using a hand soldering iron are soldering rosin and wire solder. There are also solder pastes and rod-shaped solders.
Working with solder is accompanied by different types of flux.
Among the options used, there is a soldering option where acid acts as a flux (soldering steel, stainless steel). In this case, a separate “acid” soldering iron core is recommended, since the acid quickly “eats” the non-ferrous metal.
“Acid” core can be found in specialized stores.
What is the technique for cleaning the core tip?
Soldering requires periodic cleaning of the soldering iron core tip. In practice, a standard damp sponge is often used, thanks to which the tip of the soldering iron core can be kept clean and optimal for work. The sponge also quite effectively removes oxidation that inevitably forms.
The presence of an oxidation film on the tip of the soldering iron core covers the working layer of solder. A black film is formed, blocking active adhesion of solder and uniform distribution over the tip.
Using a regular damp sponge seems to be effective, but this method shortens the life of the tip due to the expansion and contraction of the copper. In addition, a wet sponge temporarily reduces the temperature of the tip. Therefore, the best alternative for cleaning seems to be the use of a brass “sponge”.
SPONGE BRASS
A convenient means for cleaning the soldering iron tip from oxides and residues of molten solder is a brass mesh. A better alternative to the traditional wet sponge
An accessory such as a brass “sponge” is a fine metal mesh made of brass, similar to that used for washing dishes. The only difference is that the washing mesh is made of steel or stainless steel.
Why do you need a soldering station and a “third hand”?
A more technologically advanced tool is a soldering station. A tool of this type is practical to use when there is a need for constant work associated with soldering. The soldering station provides greater flexibility in operation, plus control of operation (automatic adjustment of heating temperature).
The advantage of a soldering station is the ability of the device to maintain the set temperature of the soldering iron. This approach contributes to high quality soldering work on a wide range of projects. Soldering stations help create a safe workplace by incorporating temperature sensors, alarm settings, and even password protection.
THIRD HAND
A soldering station and a “third hand” are tools for professional use when it comes to large-scale work, as well as soldering of small electronic parts
In addition to the soldering station, professional electricians use another tool - the so-called “third hand”. We are talking about a special holder equipped with a magnifying glass. With the help of such a holder it is convenient to solder miniature parts and work with electronic boards with small wiring.
Step-by-step soldering process
Before you start soldering, you should prepare a soldering iron and all the necessary accessories.
- Prepare solder and flux.
- If the soldering iron is new, clean the tip with fine sandpaper until it has a copper shine.
- Heat the tip of the soldering iron core to operating temperature (not higher than 400ºC).
- Dip the tip in rosin and apply to the solder.
- Grab a small amount of solder onto the tip.
- Thoroughly tin the working surfaces of the tip with solder.
The procedure for tinning the tip is recommended to be performed on a copper surface of low mass. Ideally suited for tinning the wide traces of any defective printed circuit board. Having completed tinning, you can proceed directly to soldering.
TIN SUCTION
The procedure for soldering installed electronic parts in itself is not particularly difficult. The quality of creating connections depends on the correct sequence of actions and skill
If soldering is carried out on clean (never soldered) tracks of the electronic board, all soldering points must also be prepared - sanded with “zero” sandpaper to a characteristic shine. Next, perform the following steps:
- Insert the electronic component into the corresponding holes on the board.
- Set the component to vertical/horizontal levels.
- On the back side of the board (solder points), bend the component leads at 45º.
- Dip the soldering iron tip into rosin.
- Grab a small amount of solder.
- Touch the tip to the surface of the board at the soldering point.
The result of touching, as a rule, is a uniform spreading of molten solder around the lead of the electronic component. Once the solder has filled the soldering point, the soldering iron tip should be removed to allow the applied solder to cure. Repeat the operation at the next point. In this way, soldering of any other points on the electronic board is carried out.
How to solder wires using a soldering iron?
The soldering procedure aimed at connecting wires is somewhat different from soldering on electronic board tracks. It should be noted: only copper conductors or those built on alloys with a high copper content can be soldered with tin solder using rosin and similar fluxes.
SOLDERING SET
Features of wire soldering are proper tinning and correct contact time. The quality largely depends on the composition of the soldered conductor strands
Initially, it is necessary to prepare the ends of the conductors for soldering - strip them to a characteristic shine and twist them tightly (stranded). Then:
- The prepared end of the conductor is inserted together with the soldering iron tip briefly into the rosin.
- Next, grab the solder with a tip and apply it to the stripped end of the conductor, covered with a thin layer of rosin.
- Distribute the solder evenly with the tip until the entire area of the end of the conductor is completely covered.
When performing the last point, you should control the process so as not to overheat the wire insulation. If the insulation begins to melt, you should remove the soldering iron for a while and repeat tinning a little later. Do a similar procedure with the other wire. Then place the ends one on top of the other and fill with solder.
You can also use another option:
- Clean the ends of the conductors until they are shiny.
- Twist the ends together.
- Dip briefly into melted rosin.
- Tin and fill with solder.
The finishing touch
At this point, the practice of a novice electrical installer can be considered complete. Anyone who has mastered the technology of soldering with a hand soldering iron will have wide horizons for creativity and work.
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How to Record a Song in Adobe Audition
How to learn to solder. I decided to prepare just such a small special lesson, not directly related to the main topic, for those who not only have to solder cords, sockets, plugs, but anything else in general. So, let's begin
What do we need for soldering?
Of course, a soldering iron (ideally a soldering station), tin solder, rosin, ideally solder wire, which is a long, thin tin tube wound on a reel, similar to a wire, in the cavity of which there is rosin. Those. when soldering, in this case, we do not need, as in the old fashioned way, to lower the tip of the soldering iron, now into the rosin, now into the solder, but all this happens simultaneously at one point. More on this below
You can purchase all the necessary components at your nearest radio store.
If you do not have a soldering station, which is initially ready for soldering immediately after switching on, but a regular soldering iron, then before work (especially if it is new) you need to prepare it in a special way - tin it, otherwise it will not solder. Now let’s look at what “tinning” means.
How to tin a soldering iron?
Take a file and apply it flat to the cut of the soldering iron tip. Now we sharpen in the same plane, periodically looking at the tip, until it becomes flat, smooth and shiny.
After this, we lower the heated tip into rosin and immediately into solder (into tin). There will be almost no solder sticking to the tip, so immediately after this procedure we apply the tip to a small board, preferably of natural origin (not chipboard), preferably spruce or cedar (resinous), but in principle, any will do, you’ll just have to mess around longer.
So, we repeat this procedure (rosin → solder → board) until the cut of the tip, prepared in advance with a file, made of yellow-gray heated copper, becomes silvery and shiny from the solder evenly covering it. This is what is called “tinning”, in this case a soldering iron.
This is what a tinned soldering iron tip should look like.
Now we will learn to solder wires (after tinning it) to a brass tin, also tinning it from the beginning.
We dip the soldering iron tip into rosin, then into solder, and immediately, with the plane of the tip parallel to the plane, we bring it close to our brass test subject, without allowing the rosin to evaporate, we press it, then we rub it in, we grind, in general, we tin. If the rosin has evaporated or spread, we repeat the process, and gradually, gradually our tin is covered with high-quality solder adhering to it. If the material is clean or without strong oxides, then such tinning occurs quickly.
If solder wire is used, then we lean the tip of the soldering iron against the tin, and bring the tip of the solder wire to the point of their contact, trying to touch more of the tinned part of the soldering iron, and rub it against this part so that the tin and rosin enrich the contact point.
How to tin a wire?
Now let's tinker with the wiring. Carefully remove the insulation just enough so that we have enough space for soldering, and for the location of the heat-shrink tube (or other insulator) so that later there are no short circuits (short circuits)
It is easier to tin the wire, because Usually, the metal under the insulation is clean, not oxidized. We dip it in rosin, placing the tip of a heated soldering iron on top of it and slowly pull the wire out from under the soldering iron after the rosin melts and starts smoking. This is done, as you probably understood, so that the molten rosin envelops the contact part of the wire. Now we enrich the soldering iron tip with solder, touching the tin, and bring the tip to the rosin adhering to the wiring.
If the wire is copper and clean, tinning will occur immediately.
If not, you may have to repeat the operation or use solder paste instead of rosin - a special chemical (like soldering acid, if anyone is familiar) that allows you to tin, for example, even iron.
This is what solder paste looks like.
How to solder a wire?
We have a tinned experimental brass tin and a tinned wire, which we now have to connect, seal with heated solder and then cool in order to forever maintain their electrical connection, which we do by bringing the tinned part of the wire to the tinned part of the tin.
We bring the soldering iron tip enriched with solder to the place of their contact so that the solder covers the tinned parts of the soldered parts well. This will be facilitated by the rosin involved in the process. If something doesn’t go well, dip into it. Once the parts are in the molten solder, try not to move them anymore. You can lightly blow on the solder area until the shine of the solder darkens slightly, indicating that the solder has hardened.
That's it, congratulations! You did it.
How to unsolder the wire?
You can unsolder wires and various soldered joints using the reverse method - by heating the soldering area (tinned and dipped in rosin, heated) with a soldering iron tip until the solder melts.
And probably the final touch - you can also dip a small paint brush into the solvent and wash off the remaining rosin in the soldering areas.
What can you solder?
More precisely, what metals are good to solder? In the first place, this is, of course, copper, brass, gold, silver, lead, and, of course, tin. It is worse to solder (tin) iron, steel, zinc. To tin the latter, you will have to use a special solder paste (see figure above). There are also metals that cannot be soldered at all, for example aluminum.
Source: http://www.auditionrich.com/umelye-ruchki/kak-nauchitsya-payat.html
What to do if solder does not stick to the tip
Beginner radio amateurs often encounter difficulties when the solder does not stick to the soldering iron. He doesn’t want to, and that’s all. In such conditions, soldering becomes not just torture, but a real torture of the nerves.
How much effort and patience it takes to catch this nimble ball of molten solder with a sting. But then it needs to be conveyed to the details. What if the tool tip is not flat? What to do then? All you need to do is carefully prepare it for work.
Main reasons
Tin-lead (the most common) solder melts at a temperature of 250-300 ℃, and this temperature is quite sufficient for work.
If at some point the tip gets hotter, then the solder and flux on it can simply burn out, leaving unsightly traces of their presence.
In addition, the copper from which the tip is made will begin to oxidize due to overheating and a thin film of copper oxide will appear on the surface. Because of it, the solder does not stick, and the “slag” remaining on the tip does not add “stickiness” at all.
So, there are two main reasons why solder does not stick or hold. The first is contamination of the tip, the second is oxidation. If you eliminate them, the work will go like clockwork.
Proper preparation for work
Direct preparation of the tool for soldering involves tinning. After all, it is to untinned metal that the soldering material does not stick.
Tinning is the process of covering a surface with a thin layer of tin.
By the way, parts are prepared for soldering in the same way. How to tin the soldering iron? Yes, very simple. Only it is not the entire instrument that needs to be tinned, but only its tip.
First you need to clean it mechanically. A file or sandpaper is suitable for this. You need to clean thoroughly, without leaving grooves or scratches in which an oxide film could remain. Of course, the soldering iron must be cold.
After thorough cleaning, you need to cover the working surface with a layer of flux. If a liquid composition is used, then immediately after cleaning it is applied with a brush; if solid rosin is used, then the soldering iron must be immersed in it as the tip heats up.
There is no need to wait for the soldering iron to heat up, because an oxide film will inevitably form in the air, which will again prevent the solder from sticking. Overheating is the reason that the copper tip does not tin.
After the soldering iron has warmed up to the desired temperature, touch the solder with the tip and rub it. You can grind the solder using a sliver of hard wood - birch or oak. In this case, do not allow the soldering iron to overheat.
The solder sticks perfectly to a properly tinned soldering iron and does not lie on it in lumps or drops. It evenly coats the copper tip and leaves it quietly when needed.
In case of nickel plating
Soldering irons with a so-called “eternal tip” coated with a thin layer of nickel are often used for soldering. For some reason it is believed that it does not tin. In fact, who would think of sanding off a nickel coating?
However, the time comes and it becomes noticeable that the solder does not hold! At best, it sticks in small drops. So what should we do? The answer is the same - cheat!
The reason is often that the sting is dirty. First, you should still make sure that the nickel plating is not damaged.
After this you need to remove the deposits. This can be done on a slightly heated soldering iron with a damp cloth folded in several layers.
Next steps are:
- immediately after removing carbon deposits, the tip must be lowered into a jar of rosin, in which a piece of solder was previously placed;
- with a soldering iron you need to melt the rosin around the solder so that it sinks;
- under a layer of liquid hot rosin, touch the solder. It will immediately cover the entire working surface of the tip.
The best way to avoid solder not sticking is to avoid overheating the tip.
Prevention has always been the most effective remedy. If it is not possible to purchase a tool with temperature control, you can purchase a dimmable voltage regulator or make one yourself. If you monitor the heating temperature, you will have to tin the soldering iron much less often.
Source: https://svaring.com/soldering/praktika/pochemu-ne-lipnet-pripoj
How to properly solder with a soldering iron with rosin and tin
To learn how to properly solder with a soldering iron with rosin and tin, you need to understand the essence of the process. And it consists of connecting two metal conductors so that the connection is strong and conducts electric current.
To do this, use a soldering iron and soldering flux. To begin with, both conductors need to be tinned, that is, covered with a thin layer of solder, and then heated together so that they are literally one whole. If you want to learn how to solder wires with a soldering iron, read the material to the end.
Soldering wires to LED step by step
Organize a workplace that is bright and always ventilated. Rosin smoke is harmful to health. Prepare a soldering can, for example, from a candy can, lay paper on the bottom so that the tin rolls into balls.
Soldered the LED to the wire
In the future, this solder is very convenient to use for soldering small components. Be sure to get tweezers, they will come in handy when working with small objects.
I recommend working with safety glasses, as a flying leg from any part can launch a drop of molten solder directly into your eye.
Step one, preparatory
- Prepare your soldering iron for soldering. Turn it on and wait for it to heat up.
- Remove the insulation from the wire; it can be easily removed with wire cutters in one movement. It is convenient to use an insulation stripper.
- The insulation in a fabric braid, like a headphone wire, must first be burned, and then be sure to run sandpaper or a knife along the wire to clean the burnt ends. Otherwise, the solder will not stick to the wires.
- If the wire or leg of the radio component looks dark, oxidized, or has traces of burnt enamel, then they need to be cleaned with sandpaper or a file. You can clean it with a knife, many use a scalpel, until a metallic shine appears, this is the key to successful soldering.
Step two: flux and tinning
Rosin comes in three types: solid, liquid and gel. We use solid rosin like this: melt it with a soldering iron, and immediately apply it to the wire, hold the soldering iron tip on the wire until the rosin burns out completely.
Solid rosin, alcohol-based and gel
We continue tinning with tin until the wire is tinned. If there is such an opportunity, then you can dip the wire into melted rosin together with a soldering iron, and then tin it.
Tinning LED contacts
Liquid rosin is a solution of solid rosin in alcohol. You can do it yourself, everything is much simpler and more convenient with it.
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We apply liquid rosin directly to the wire using a brush or any convenient object, and then begin tinning with a soldering iron with a drop of solder.
Gel-like rosin is sold in a syringe and is very convenient to use; you can work with it in the same way as with liquid.
Step three - soldering
We collect a little solder on the soldering iron, directly from the wire or by picking up a ball. Dip the tip into the rosin from time to time to improve the flow of solder.
We connect both conductors that need to be soldered. Carefully heat the contact points until the solder melts on both ends and immediately remove the soldering iron so as not to overheat the parts.
Solder the wire to the LED
We try not to move the wires with our fingers until the solder has completely hardened. This can be determined by appearance. At the moment of hardening, the surface of the solder becomes dull and the bright shine disappears.
This is what proper soldering looks like
If the surface of the seam is dark and has many irregularities, then this is incorrect soldering.
Incorrect soldering
Solder the seam and achieve the desired result.
How to achieve better results
- Heat the soldering area not with the tip of the soldering iron, but slightly with the side surface of the tip, so that the contact area is maximum.
- The wire and the LED leg can be twisted before soldering, this will give the connection increased strength.
- Use a device called a third hand to help you hold the piece.
- If your parts are new, straight out of the box, shiny and sparkling with tinned legs, then you can solder right away. We apply flux and immediately apply solder without prior tinning.
- If you use thin solder with rosin inside, you can solder immediately, without degreasing.
How to solder radio components into a printed circuit board
- Let's look at soldering a resistor on a legless Arduino board.
- Insert the components into the hole.
- We drip or transfer flux on a soldering iron to the future place of soldering.
Apply flux to the soldering area
- We bring drops of solder and warm up the soldering area until the solder completely spreads.
Warming up the soldering area
Attention! When soldering microcircuits and small radio components, be extremely careful and do not overheat the soldering area. Try to get the solder to flow completely within a maximum of 2 seconds.
- To be on the safe side, you can try again on the back side of the board.
- Bite off the excess end of the leg of the radio component.
- If you end up with a huge ball, then you should remove it, remove the excess solder from the soldering iron, and then use the soldering iron to remove the excess from the soldering area.
Excess solder at the contact point
This is what the correct soldering point looks like
How to remove radio components from the board
In order to remove elements from the board, you need to heat the soldering area and pull out the component with tweezers or pliers. If a component has several legs, you can solder them separately.
Tool for removing excess melted solder
When soldering a complex part, you can use a cheap Chinese desoldering pump. It works like a syringe, only pumping is simplified by the presence of a spring and a release button.
Working with solder suction
It is very simple to work with it, lower the piston down, melt the solder, apply the suction, press the button and the molten solder is sucked into the syringe body.
Now you can safely loosen and pull out the electronic component you need. This desoldering pump can also be used to clean holes in the board for inserting new parts.
The result is clean solder holes.
This is done very quickly, the main thing is not to forget to remove pieces of solder from the body of the desoldering pump, otherwise they will get stuck there and it will stop working.
How to solder wires with a soldering iron
To connect two wires by soldering, they are cleared of insulation. An ordinary pocket knife or a sharp medical scalpel is best suited for these purposes.
Next, we take ordinary pine rosin, which is sold in any radio store for 10 rubles. per jar.
Having lowered the end of the wire and the soldering iron into the jar, degrease the surface, then take a drop of solder on the tip of the soldering iron and carry out tinning.
We connect both wires, it will be more convenient to use a clothespin or a “third hand” device and apply a drop of solder to the connection with the tip of a soldering iron.
Third hand device
The soldering area must not be left open. To do this, take a piece of heat-shrinkable tubing, put it on the joint and heat it with a hairdryer at a temperature of 250 - 300 degrees. Under the influence of temperature, the tube shrinks, tightly closing the connection from moisture.
How to master the art of soldering? Step-by-step video instructions for beginners
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