How to solder correctly with a soldering iron

How to solder wires and what you need for this

There are many ways to connect conductors. In this article we will talk about one of the most reliable - soldering wires with a soldering iron. This process is delicate and painstaking. If you have never held a soldering iron in your hands, then you will need to learn a little. Firstly, you need experience and skills in using a soldering device. Secondly, before soldering the wires, you need to twist them together. Thirdly, you will need special tools and materials.

Physics of the process

Before connecting wires by soldering, it would be nice to understand the very essence of this process.

With the help of soldering, permanent connections are obtained. For example, if you need to connect any two elements (cable or wire), then solder in the form of molten metal is introduced between them.

It is necessary that the melting point of this metal be lower than that of the materials of the elements being connected. The soldered element, flux and solder are brought into contact by heating. The solder becomes liquid and wets the surface of the conductor.

When heating is stopped, the solder alloy hardens, thereby forming a strong contact connection.

The strength of the contact depends on how well the solder wets the surfaces of the elements being connected. And here there is a direct dependence on how clean these elements were at the time of soldering. Therefore, before soldering wires, they must be cleaned of organic substances (oil, grease) and oxide film. Flux should be used for this purpose; moreover, it reduces surface tension and improves the quality of spreading.

Soldering copper wires places the least demands on flux, solder alloy and temperature. Therefore, if you want to learn this business, it is better to first solder copper wires with a soldering iron, and over time, when you gain skill and experience, you will work with other materials.

Advantages and disadvantages of soldering

The most important advantage of soldering over other types of wire connections is reliability. In terms of reliability, a soldered electrical assembly can be inferior only to a connection made by welding.

For the entire period of operation, you can forget about the soldered connection; it will not require any additional maintenance.

Using soldering, you can connect conductors of different cross-sections, single-core with multi-core.

This method is low in cost. The main thing is that you have a soldering iron, and solder and rosin are very inexpensive, and their consumption is very negligible.

Also, the undoubted advantage of soldering is that it can be used to simultaneously connect more than 2 wires.

The disadvantages of soldering include high labor intensity and the required skills in using a soldering iron.

Required tools and materials

Before soldering two wires, you must first purchase all the necessary materials, and also stock up on the most important device - a soldering iron.

Soldering iron

This device is a heating device; it is used to heat the solder alloy and the surfaces of the parts that need to be soldered. It has three main parts:

handle (it is made of wood or plastic, it does not heat up during operation);
a heating element;
work item.

Soldering irons come in different types:

Electric heating. The working part of such a tool is the tip of a copper tip, which is heated by a heating element. The temperature of the tip reaches 300 degrees, and it is not very powerful (from 60 to 100 W).
Gas. According to the principle of operation, this soldering iron is similar to an ordinary gas torch; the place where soldering should be done is heated using an open flame.
Thermal air. The soldering area is heated with hot air.
Hammer. The working part of this soldering iron is also a copper tip, but its shape resembles a massive hammer. Heating occurs using an open flame or due to the built-in electric heating element.

The most widely used electric heating soldering iron is for soldering radio components and wires.

Solder

The main material in the soldering process is solder. It is an alloy of several metals, which has a lower melting point than the metal of the elements being joined. Such alloys are made from tin, cadmium, silver, copper, lead, and nickel.

It is advisable to solder copper wires using POS-60 alloy. The letters POS indicate that this solder is made of tin and lead. The numbers show what percentage of tin is contained in the solder. Of course, pure tin is considered the best solder material, but it is expensive and is used in exceptional cases.

Solder comes in different forms - granules, pastes, ingots, powder, foil or wire.

How to use solder alloy? It is heated above the melting point and, when it reaches a molten state, it is touched to the solid surfaces of the elements being connected. At this moment, chemical and physical processes begin. The solder alloy spreads over metal surfaces, penetrating into all the gaps between them.

Keep in mind! Before you solder the aluminum wires, you will need to find a special solder. For this metal, zinc-based alloys TsO-12 (zinc with tin) or TsA-15 (zinc with aluminum) are more suitable.

Flux

Most often, a mixture of organic and inorganic substances is used as a flux, with the help of which surfaces are prepared for soldering. This can be rosin, acetylsalicylic or phosphoric acid, ammonia or borax salt.

The most common flux is rosin. Some people use acid for soldering, but it is inferior in quality to rosin. Although it is much easier to use acid, we soaked a brush in it and applied the substance to the surfaces to be joined. With rosin it’s a little more complicated; you need to place a core in it, heat it with a soldering iron, then the resin will begin to melt and envelop the wire.

Sometimes they use solder, which is a thin wire filled with rosin inside. Of course, this makes the process faster and more convenient; all you need to do is take solder with a heated soldering iron and apply it to the surfaces to be connected; there is no need to treat each wire with rosin separately.

Other tools

Also, in order to solder the conductors, you will need:

The place to work must be covered with a material that will not be afraid of drops of molten solder. A metal table or some kind of stand made of metal or wood is suitable when work needs to be done, for example, in a distribution box.
Stand for soldering iron (it should be reliable and comfortable).
A piece of damp cloth or sponge for wiping the soldering iron tip.
File. Before using a soldering iron, you will first need to clean its tip; there should be no traces of soot on it, then soldering will go easily.
A knife or a special device for removing the insulating layer from wires.
Pliers.
Sandpaper.
Alcohol.
Insulating tape (or heat shrink tubing).

Preparatory work

Before soldering the wires, it is necessary to perform a number of preparatory work:

On the cores to be connected, cut off the insulating layer by 40-50 mm.
Now you need to clean the bare areas from the oxide film. This can be done using fine-grained sandpaper. The wire cores must be cleaned to a shine.
Before soldering copper wires, they are tinning. Heat the soldering iron to the melting point of the rosin. How to find out? Just touch the rosin with the tool, it will begin to actively melt. Immerse the bare area in rosin resin. Take some solder alloy with the tip and run it along the wire. To make the process smoother and faster, turn the wire a little. The copper core after tinning will not be red, but silver. Do the same with all the wires that need to be soldered.
Twist the tinned wires together.

How to tinning wires is shown in this video:

Now everything is ready for the soldering process itself.

Performing soldering

Using pliers, hold the twisted wires with one hand. If you are connecting only two thin wires, and the soldering length is short, then it is quite possible to do without twisting. You just need to attach the conductors very tightly to each other.

In your other hand, take a soldering iron heated to the desired temperature and pick up the solder alloy with the tip. Press it onto the joint using slight force. Heating should occur in this place, the rosin will boil and the solder alloy will begin to spread.

All that remains is to wait for the alloy to spread and fill all the gaps between the cores.

It is very important that the surfaces to be joined are well heated. Because if the solder hardens, and wetting does not occur, the result will be a weak solder, electricians call it “cold” or “false”.

It is imperative to allow the soldering to cool while stationary. Even the slightest movement of the soldered elements at the moment the solder hardens can affect the quality and strength of the connection.

When the soldering area has hardened, wipe it with alcohol to remove any remaining flux.

How to properly perform soldering is shown in detail in this video:

and here you can see how to solder strands in conditions close to real ones:

All that remains is to reliably insulate the connection. You can wrap 3-4 layers of electrical tape. Heat-shrinkable tubing serves as good insulation. Just remember to put it on one of the conductors before making the connection. Then pull it over the resulting electrical assembly, heat it with a hair dryer or lighter, and the tube will tightly wrap around the connection. The second option is preferable, as it ensures the tightness of the contact connection.

We told you how to solder wires correctly. In principle, this is not difficult for those who know how to use a soldering iron. If you've never done this before, it's better to ask someone to teach you a little. Of course, you can read the articles and understand everything theoretically. But don’t forget that “it’s better to see once.”

Source: https://YaElectrik.ru/elektroprovodka/kak-payat-provoda

How to learn to solder with a soldering iron from scratch

Any novice radio amateur, one way or another connected with electronics, has to solve the problem of how to learn how to solder with a soldering iron from scratch. At first glance, there is nothing complicated about this, but this is a common misconception of all novice electronics engineers, since without practical skills it is impossible to ensure a reliable and high-quality soldering connection.

What is soldering and what is the essence of the process

The end result of soldering is the joining of two metal elements. The soldering process itself is provided by an independent metal with a much lower melting point. It is this metal that performs the function of solder.

Each soldering method is based on the principle of heating metal elements at the connection point. The heating temperature must exceed the temperature at which the metal used for solder melts. In this mode, the solder metal, being molten, freely flows into the spaces and crevices between the parts, partially penetrating even into the metal structure itself. After solidification, a mechanical bond and electrical contact are formed in this place.

There are two main conditions, without which it will simply be impossible to solve the problem of how to solder correctly:

At the point of soldering, the elements must be as clean as possible. The connection to the surface is carried out at the molecular level, and even a small dirt or oxide film will significantly reduce the reliability of the contact. It is quite possible that the parts will not connect at all.
Compliance with the temperature regime mentioned earlier. If the temperature difference is insufficient, the solder crystal lattice will not be able to form normally due to thermal shrinkage during solidification.

Copper and its alloys are well joined with traditional solders. They are suitable for steel, aluminum and other metals. The only serious limitation is the soldering of large metal parts due to the impossibility of heating them to the required temperatures.

Most often, solder consists of a tin-lead alloy, which may contain varying amounts of tin. The percentage of content is displayed in the marking, for example, POS-40 or POS-60.

The melting temperature also depends on this indicator; for the first solder it is 235 degrees, and for the second it is 183 degrees. The melting point of POSV-33 solder, consisting of tin, lead and bismuth, is even lower.

Joining aluminum parts requires special solders with a high melting point.

Another important component is fluxes, with the help of which metal surfaces are cleaned of oxides in the form of films. The most widespread is rosin, which protects heated metal from contact with air.

Selection of fluxes and solders

Since the quality of soldering joints largely depends on the correct choice of fluxes and solders, these materials should be considered in more detail. Currently, there are a large number of these components suitable for almost all types of soldering.

The main function of fluxes is to pickle metal parts, remove the oxide film and subsequently protect the surface from corrosion. Flux coating ensures its cleanliness, good wetting and spreading of tin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKZBAqnGoZ4

Fluxes are selected in accordance with the metals and alloys that need to be joined. The composition of any flux includes metal salts, alkalis and acids that actively react to increased temperature. In this regard, there is a conditional division of these materials into two types.

The first of them is active; it is based on hydrochloric, perchloric and other inorganic acids. Their aggressive effect on metal requires quick rinsing after finishing work. This is the only drawback of such fluxes, but with their help you can join almost any metals. They are available in liquid form and are considered more convenient for application. They add alcohol or glycerin, which completely evaporate when heated.

The second type of flux consists of rosin and is used for joining non-ferrous metals. For steel parts they are considered less effective. At the end of the work, the rosin must be washed off, since over time it causes corrosion and becomes an electrical conductor when left in a humid environment for a long time.

Solder for work is easier to select. Lead and tin compounds marked PIC are mainly used. The percentage of tin content is indicated by numbers following the letters. A higher tin content in solder provides higher mechanical strength and electrical conductivity of connections. At the same time, the melting temperature of solder with a high proportion of tin also decreases. The addition of lead normalizes solidification and prevents the tin from spreading.

Some modern solders are produced without lead (BP), instead of which zinc or indium is added. They have a higher melting point, but the joints are more durable and resistant to corrosion. And, on the contrary, there are solders made of light alloys that can spread from 90-110 degrees. They are used to connect components that are highly sensitive to overheating.

Soldering iron selection

There are several types of soldering irons used at home. They are designed for different voltages and can operate from 12, 220 and 380 volts.

The power of a particular soldering iron is selected based on the work performed:

Soldering of electronic parts and components – 40-60 W.
Parts up to 1 mm thick – 80-100 W.
Elements 2 mm thick require a power of 100 W or more.

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As a rule, home craftsmen have two soldering irons - low and medium power, capable of solving almost all problems. Training can be completed at any of them. It is recommended to solder thick-walled parts using professional equipment.

Preparation for soldering

The very first time you connect the soldering iron to the network, it will definitely smoke. At this moment, the factory lubricant burns out. After the emission of smoke stops, the soldering iron must be turned off and allowed to cool. Then, before soldering, you need to sharpen the tip.

The soldering iron tip is made in the form of a cylindrical rod. The material is copper alloy. Fixation is carried out with a clamping screw. In most cases, the tip comes without sharpening, and therefore it should be prepared. You can change the shape using a hammer, file or sandpaper.

Each type of work requires its own tip configuration:

The shape is flat or blade-shaped by flattening. Flat corner sharpening may be required to join massive parts.
Sharpening in the shape of a sharp cone or pyramid is required in order to solder small parts.
A less sharp cone is needed for soldering thick conductors and large parts.

In the absence of a protective coating, the tip of the tool must be tinning. A thin layer of tin is applied to the surface of the working part. This procedure is performed during the first start-up, when there is no longer any smoke emission. After the tool is ready, we learn to solder.

Methods for soldering parts and components

Soldering wires is considered the easiest procedure. The ends of each wire are dipped into the dissolved flux, after which it is necessary to go over them with a soldering iron, the tip of which is also well moistened with flux.

During tinning itself, it is recommended to shake off all excess solder. During the joining process, a twist is gradually formed. It warms up, and all free space is filled with tin.

In another case, the ends are soaked in flux, and soldering is done immediately, without tinning. This method is often used in connections of thin conductors or many wire strands. With a good flux and a powerful soldering iron, a high-quality and reliable connection is ensured.

Working with electronics is much more difficult. This already requires certain knowledge and practical skills. However, even a novice master can perform simple steps to repair the circuit:

Before soldering, the terminal elements with legs must be fixed in their holes with wax or plasticine. On the other side of the board, the soldering iron must be pressed tightly to the terminal to warm it up. Next, thin solder in the form of a wire with flux is inserted into this place. Very little tin is required, the main thing is that it flows evenly into the hole from all sides.
If the hole is too large and the legs are dangling in it, this area should be moistened with a small amount of flux. Next, the tin is brought to the leg and flows down it, after which the hole is evenly filled.

Source: https://electric-220.ru/news/kak_nauchitsja_pajat_pajalnikom_s_nulja/2018-11-28-1610

How to use a soldering iron: materials, instructions, tips

There are many methods that are successfully used to splice wires, but the most effective of them is the well-known soldering. Only it guarantees complete inseparability of connections experiencing constant increased load. It may seem to novice home electricians and radio amateurs that this process is indecently elementary.

Those craftsmen who often have to work with the device (both at work and at home) think differently. Such people believe that the ability to solder well is akin to art. Therefore, before starting any practical exercises, it is better to ask how to use a soldering iron most effectively, and how to solder wires correctly.

Even minimal knowledge will help you quickly master new skills.

Soldering iron and its tasks

Soldering is the joining of metal contacts using a melt (lead and tin), which has electrolytic (conducting) properties. The difference between this operation and welding is that not a single element being connected melts during the process: the solder used has a lower melting point than that of metal conductors. After the melt hardens, a permanent contact connection is formed.

Devices used at home are electric soldering irons. The choice of device depends on what work the master plans to perform in the future:

for soldering electronic elements, a low power of 40-60 W will be enough;
if the thickness of the soldered parts is no more than 1 mm, then 80-100 W will be enough;
elements with walls up to 2 mm require heavy artillery - a tool with a power above 100 W.

To be able to carry out almost any similar work at home, it is better for a home craftsman to purchase two different devices at once - the first and the second; there is no need for a more powerful one: it is better if an experienced “soldering iron” person handles the soldering of thick-walled parts.

Compositions and additional tools

You need to purchase a few more auxiliary materials. This list includes:

Solder, which was already mentioned in passing. For connecting copper wires, tin-lead solders POS-40, POS-50 or POS-60 are optimal, where the numbers are the percentage of tin content, since lead is added only to reduce the cost. For soldering aluminum contacts - zinc-based alloys: TsA-15 (zinc + aluminum), grade A (zinc, copper, tin), TsO-12, P250A (zinc + tin).
Flux. It is used to clean wires from various contaminants, as well as from oxide (oxide) film. The purpose of the flux is to ensure good adhesion (adhesion) of the solder to the surface. More often, rosin or mixtures with it (glycerin, alcohol, zinc) are used in this role: for example, LTI-120. For silver and stainless steel, acidic (active) fluxes are used, but their residues must be washed off with alcohol.

There are also solder pastes, which contain two main components - solder and flux. The mixture is applied to the part, then it is heated with a soldering iron tip. The purpose of use is soldering in hard-to-reach places for surface mounting of SMD components.

To work normally with a soldering iron you will need:

a stand that has two metal supports - for the body and the handle;
file for sharpening or cleaning the tip;
miniature pliers or tweezers with heat-shrinkable tubing - for holding quickly and very hot wires;
alcohol to remove flux residues, a rag to remove solder;
sandpaper (needle file) for cleaning conductors;
heat shrink tubes of different diameters and/or electrical tape for conductors.

Preparing for work

Before using a soldering iron, it is better to study all the hidden points that will make the work convenient and safe. The first concern is the organization of the workplace. The main requirement is its proximity to the outlet, so that if necessary, you can turn off the device from the power supply almost instantly.

A convenient stand that allows you to quickly pick up and put the device back has already been written about. You can make it yourself using wood or textolite as a base. M-shaped posts are usually made of steel wire; an alternative is a rod whose diameter is 4-5 mm.

It’s hard to imagine the convenient work of a “soldering iron” without small containers for rosin and solder. The best option is fairly wide but low jars made of metal. It is recommended to mount them on a stand for a soldering iron.

Conductors

They are stripped of insulation (30-50 mm or more if the wire diameter is large), then the oxide film is mechanically removed. Clean the surfaces using sandpaper until shiny. If the metal wires are heavily contaminated, a solvent is used. Soldering acid is used to process steel parts.

Sting

The non-ideal condition of the tool requires preliminary preparation, since it is impossible to use a soldering iron if the tip of the tip has lost its shape. The work area is first inspected. If defects are detected - sagging or gouges - the original shape (45° bevel) is restored with a file.

Next, the soldering iron tip is tinned and covered with solder. The operation is done like this:

First, the device is heated to operating temperature;
one side of the tip is first placed in rosin, then in solder;
excess solder is wiped off with a rag without turning off the tool; an alternative is to wipe the surface on a wooden surface;
Prepare the second side of the soldering iron in the same way.

If the work area has one bevel, only that bevel is tinned.

Soldering

Now about how to use a soldering iron for its intended purpose: how to solder wires correctly. The process itself is simple, but for better results you need to become familiar with several conditions. After turning on a household tool, you usually wait about 5 minutes, during which time it heats up to the optimal temperature, allowing the rosin to boil and the melt to become homogeneous.

A temperature of 240-280° is considered normal. With insufficient heating, the flux will only soften slightly, and the tin will melt slightly. Solder cannot be used in this condition. Overheating will also lead to a “disaster”: the flux will hiss and spit, and the melt will lose its plasticity. In such a situation, the soldering iron is disconnected from the network and given time to cool down.

Tinning

When the melting point of the rosin is reached, the stripped, prepared part of the conductor is placed on a piece, then heated with a soldering iron until the entire wire is completely immersed in rosin. After this, take a drop of solder onto the tip and quickly distribute it along the wire, which is turned slightly. The “ready” copper conductor gets rid of the “treacherous” redness and becomes silvery. Proceed in the same way with all parts intended for soldering.

Main job

The prepared conductors are tightly connected. In some cases, it is more advisable to twist. Taking solder onto the tip, press it with little force onto the wires, which are held together by hand.

When the spread solder covers the entire joint, the operation is considered successfully completed, but the soldering iron is not removed until the solder has cooled. To speed up this process, which takes only 3-4 seconds, it is recommended to blow on it.

If the thickness of the solder is not satisfactory, then transfer another drop with a sting.

The last step is to isolate the junction. After the conductors have cooled, tape is wrapped around them. Those who want greater reliability put on a heat-shrinkable tube, which they then heat up. If the work involved electrical wiring, then use combined protection - both options at once: after winding the tape, heat shrink is put on it.

Twist

To ensure greater reliability of the connection, it is recommended to pre-twist the ends of the conductors. The melt is applied in such a way that it gets into the gaps between them. Butt soldering of parts is not encouraged for obvious reasons: such a connection cannot boast of strength. If you need to solder a wire to the middle of another, then the end of the first is wrapped around the second; an extreme case if the length is insufficient is to form a loop.

Soldering Features

They exist if you use other compounds and more complex wires.

Flux operation. In the case of an active mixture, the wires are not first cleaned of the oxide film; the acid will “eat” it. They are lubricated with flux, then heated with a soldering iron, onto which a small amount of solder is taken. In subsequent actions, there are almost no differences from the “timeless classic”, except for wiping the soldering areas with a cotton swab and alcohol. A simple operation will destroy the remnants of the aggressive composition.
Stranded conductors. Here, before tinning, all elements are untwisted so that they can be immersed in rosin. When applying solder, watch all the wiring very carefully, since each one must have a thin layer of it. Before soldering, they are twisted together again, and then acted in the manner described above.
Union of copper and aluminum. They cannot be harnessed into one cart: in this case, soldering is impossible. The reason is “incompatibility of characters”: different degrees of thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity. This union will inevitably lead to separation - a breakdown in contact. There is an exit. It is the most reliable and simple, shown in the photo.

Any person may need such an operation. The answers to questions about how to use a soldering iron and how to solder wires correctly are not difficult to understand. All you need for success is a good tool, quality materials and what will come soon - experience that needs to be “gained.”

You can see how the whole “live” process happens in this video:

Source: https://dom-i-remont.info/posts/obshhie-voprosy/kak-polzovatsya-payalnikom-ballada-o-tom-kak-pravilno-payat-provoda/

How to solder correctly with a soldering iron. Soldering techniques and subtleties

One way to connect metal parts is to solder them using molten metal - solder. Do you know how to work with a soldering iron?

Some tips

Do not forget to periodically clean the soldering iron from the remains of burnt flux and oxides. To do this, it is enough from time to time to run it with a sting on a foam sponge soaked in water.

After soldering, be sure to wash off any remaining flux from the connected parts. This is especially true for acid flux, which through corrosion can destroy the completed connection.

Also remove rosin - it absorbs moisture and over time turns into a conductor of electric current.

You can determine the quality of soldering by its color. The bright shine of the solder will indicate high-quality work, its grainy structure will indicate insufficient heating of the solder, but if the solder is burned, the soldering surface will be matte.

Good luck to you! May everything work out for you!

Source: https://goodmaster.com.ua/dom-i-kvartira/kak-payat-payalnikom.html

How to solder correctly with a soldering iron: video instructions on how a soldering iron works, soldering wires

To effectively join metal surfaces, it is best to resort to temperature effects. The simplest and most common method is soldering with a soldering iron. In this case, metal materials are joined under the influence of a local increase in temperature and welding at a lower temperature.

In order to correctly connect metal parts using a soldering iron, you need to know the main points that characterize the soldering process. To do this, it will be enough to read the article, watch the video lesson and try to master the technology in practice.

How does a soldering iron work?

Soldering devices that produce heat are called soldering irons. Depending on the heating method, they can be electric, gas, hot air, induction . Most often, electrical devices are used, the power of which is selected for soldering certain materials:

to connect electronic components, the power of the soldering iron must be up to 40 V;
for parts with thin walls up to 1 mm, a power of 80-100 W is required;
workpieces with wall thicknesses of 2 mm or more require a device power above 100 W.

The most energy-intensive soldering irons include hammer devices , the power of which can reach up to 550 W. They can heat up to temperatures of 600C. Hammer soldering irons are used to connect massive parts.

small acoustic soldering iron The device has a low heat capacity, so it is used for fine soldering work.

In addition to the massiveness of metal products, the required power of a soldering iron is influenced by the thermal conductivity of the material being processed. For example, for copper products the device should be heated much more than for working with steel parts.

The optimal required temperature of the tip of the soldering device can be maintained either manually or automatically. Thyristor regulators are used for this.

Preparation for the soldering process

Before starting work, you need to prepare a soldering iron, materials, tools and workplace.

It is recommended to equip the work area with:

A stand on which the heated device will be placed. On it you will need to place flux, “crocodile” and pieces of foam rubber, which are needed to clean the tip.
A tripod on which will be placed: a holder for a soldering iron, a bath of rosin, clamps.

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The set of necessary tools includes:

files;
round nose pliers;
wire cutters;
pliers;
tweezers;
sandpaper;
knife.

Preparing the soldering iron

Before working with a soldering iron, its tip is given a certain shape . This is done using a file. The most used shapes are cut and corner. The knife type is used for soldering connector pins or several contacts of microcircuits.

The tip of the working tool must be evenly covered with solder . It will be difficult to solder with a “dirty” tip. Therefore, a cold soldering iron with a file must be cleaned down to the copper from which the tip is made.

After this, the device should be heated and sequentially touch the rosin and then the solder. This should be done several times, ensuring that the tip is evenly covered with solder. After this, you can begin to connect metal parts by soldering.

Flux preparation

Choosing the right flux is the solution to one of the important problems of soldering. It is necessary so that the soldered surfaces do not oxidize during heating. Otherwise, the joint will turn out unstable and loose. It can be damaged very easily. Therefore, the quality of the flux determines the difficulty or ease of the soldering process, and how firmly the material being processed will be connected.

Fluxes must be selected for the material prepared for soldering:

to connect wires and microcircuits . Externally, this crystalline transparent substance of a red-brown, red, yellow or orange hue is similar to amber.
For soldering hard-to-reach or inconveniently located parts, rosin-alcohol flux is used. To obtain it, rosin must be crushed to the state of sand and dissolved in denatured alcohol or technical alcohol. It is applied to the workpiece with a brush and stored in a tightly closed container.
For galvanized iron, flux LK-2 is used, which consists of ammonium chloride, zinc chloride, ethyl alcohol and rosin.
For stainless steel, phosphoric acid is used.
Active acid fluxes based on zinc chloride prepare the surface of resistant metals
For soldering steel, soldering acids and aqueous solutions based on zinc chloride are considered effective fluxes.

You should know that for soldering stainless steels, more active fluxes are required than for processing low-alloy and carbon materials. Cast iron must be soldered with high-temperature soldering, so an electric soldering iron will not cope with it.

Soldering alloys

Low-melting tin-lead alloys are used for electrical soldering and radio installation work. The most popular solders are POS-61, POS-50, POS-40, PSr-2, PSr-2.5.

It is very expensive to connect parts using pure tin, since this is a valuable material, so it is used quite rarely.

The best soldering quality is obtained after using solders that contain lead. However, this material is harmful.

To avoid holding hot solder in your hand while working, hold it with pliers or place it on a special device.

How to solder correctly with a soldering iron - tips, video

Before soldering, the surfaces of the parts to be processed are cleaned with sandpaper and degreased with gasoline or acetone. Then they need to be installed and secured in their original position. After this, you can warm up the soldering iron and start soldering in one of two main ways.

When applying solder to parts from a soldering iron , you first need to melt a certain amount of solder on the device, and then bring the tip to the connecting workpieces and press it. At this time, the flux should begin to boil and evaporate. At this time, use the tip of the device to distribute the solder along the joint.
When applying solder to the parts to be joined , first the workpieces themselves are heated using a soldering iron. Once they reach the required temperature, you will need to apply solder to the joint between the part and the soldering iron or onto the part. The melting solder will begin to fill the joint.

The choice of connection method depends on the nature of the work being performed. The first method is suitable for soldering small parts, and the second for connecting large products.

When working with a soldering iron, you must comply with some requirements:

It is good to warm up the device and the parts to be connected. If the solder smears and does not flow, then you need to increase the heating temperature of the soldering iron.
Residues of acid fluxes must be washed off after soldering. Otherwise, after some time the connection may be destroyed by corrosion. Alkaline substances can be used as a detergent.
Do not add too much solder during the soldering process. The seam should be slightly concave. Excess solder is removed by braiding or suction. If the tip of the device has acquired a metallic shine, then there is enough solder. The fact that there is a lot of solder is indicated by the changed shape of the tip.

A high-quality solder should shine brightly . Burnt solder looks dull, but in some cases it is acceptable. The spongy granular structure of the junction indicates insufficient temperature and an obvious defect.

How to solder wires

At the preparatory stage, the wires should be stripped, twisted and tinned:

the wire is lowered into a bath of rosin;
a drop of solder is distributed over the copper wires using a soldering iron;
In order for the coating to be on all sides, during the tinning process the wire must be rotated and heated;
The tinned end of the wire is dipped into heated solder, the excess of which is removed.

Single-core wires are cleaned to a shine before soldering. After this, they need to be dipped in rosin, connected, heated for a few seconds and solder applied. To ensure reliable insulation, a heat-shrinkable tube is placed on the exposed wire, which should be of a larger diameter. When exposed to high temperatures, it will shrink and form wire insulation.

If, due to the presence of enamel or varnish, the conductor does not want to tin, then regular aspirin can be used. To do this, you need to place the tablet on a plate and, pressing the conductor to it, warm it up for a few seconds. The tablet should begin to melt, and the acid released will destroy the varnish.

The oxides with which they are coated can prevent tinning on old wires The same aspirin tablet will help to cope with them.

To tinning an aluminum wire, you need “Flux for soldering aluminum.” It is universal, so it can be used to join metals with a chemically resistant oxide film. At the same time, in order to avoid corrosion, do not forget to clean the products from flux residues after soldering.

You should know that it is unacceptable to twist aluminum and copper wires together . They can only be fixed through an intermediate element, which can be another metal, a terminal clamp, or separation with washers.

Proper soldering with a soldering iron requires careful preparation of parts and tools. During the process itself, the solder layer must always be protected with flux. For various materials, a device of appropriate power and the required shape of the tip are selected. If the optimal temperature conditions are maintained and the parts are connected correctly, the soldering will be reliable and will serve for a long time.

Source: https://stanok.guru/metalloobrabotka/payka/kak-pravilno-payat-payalnikom-payka-provodov-i-video.html

What you need for soldering

In articles for beginners, we already discussed how radio components are designated and how to determine the pins of microcircuits. But now let’s touch on the question of what is needed for soldering , since it is always relevant.

Soldering iron

The first thing we need is, of course, a soldering iron. The best option for both price and power is a 60 W soldering iron.

Rosin

Rosin, ideally - solder wire, which is a long, thin tin tube, similar to a wire, wound on a reel, 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.

Tweezers

When soldering, do not forget that all elements are exposed to high temperatures.

To avoid burns and achieve maximum comfort, we use tweezers.

Source: https://radiostroi.ru/cxemkirazdel/2012-04-21-12-12-53/277-chto-nuzhno-dlya-payaniya.html

What and how can you solder

In a world saturated with electrical metal products, the ability to handle an electric soldering iron and perform high-quality soldering can always come in handy. The well-known advantages of soldering parts of different sizes allow you to independently restore individual samples of household appliances (TV receivers, for example), repair various household utensils, and solder products made of copper, brass, and silver.

Preparatory stage

Before mastering the correct techniques for handling solder and a soldering iron at home, you should take a special course that includes training in soldering and everything that precedes this procedure. You can study on your own, but when mastering the work with jewelry and complex electronic circuits, you cannot do without an experienced mentor.

From the point of view of organizing the process, soldering metals using special solders is a set of operations that are quite simple in content. However, despite the apparent ease, not everyone can solder correctly the first time. When you first meet, some difficulties arise due to the lack of a clear idea of what needs to be done and in what order.

It is recommended to follow certain rules for preparing for soldering operations, the essence of which boils down to the following:

it is necessary to correctly select the main working tool that will be used for soldering;
you should worry about making a convenient and functional stand, prepare a place where you will have to solder most of the time;
the student must stock up on suitable consumables, without which no such procedure can be completed (solder, liquid or paste flux).

And finally, a novice user must master the basic soldering techniques, which require a certain sequence of targeted actions.

You can solder with an electric soldering iron, gas torch or blowtorch. It is customary to solder boards and microcircuits with special hair dryers and thermal stations that ensure uniform heating. The choice of a particular type of tool and a stand or holder for it is determined by the temperature conditions under which work operations are expected to be carried out.

The next requirement in order involves the preparation of the required components that allow you to correctly solder any metal connection. These usually include various types of solder, flux additives and special soldering liquids necessary to improve its quality (rosin and alcohol compounds for tinning).

All components of the process must be selected for the specific conditions of formation of the solder joint and taking into account the characteristics of the parts used.

Basic operating procedures

The technological map or diagram of “correct” soldering using a soldering iron assumes the following order of operations.

Before directly soldering, the surfaces of the objects to be soldered are cleaned of heavy dirt and corrosive deposits, after which they should be cleaned to a characteristic shine.

After this, the places where the parts are soldered are treated with a previously prepared flux, through which it is possible to improve the conditions for the spreading of solder over the contact surface.

Then the contact pad or soldering zone is subjected to protective tinning, the essence of which is to apply solder melted to a liquid state on them. In this case, the consumable material spreads evenly over the surface of the parts that need to be soldered and ensures the formation of a reliable thermal connection.

When preparing parts for tinning, preference is given to paste-like fluxes, which are convenient to apply and easy to wash off. Before processing and soldering, the parts are pre-connected by mechanical twisting or compression with pliers.

THIS IS INTERESTING: What you can use instead of a soldering iron

After fixing, flux is applied to them again, and then the contact area is heated while simultaneously introducing a solder rod into it (its composition may differ from the material used for tinning).

It is impossible to learn how to solder correctly with your own hands unless you learn how to tin a soldering iron tip. For tinning, after the soldering iron has completely warmed up, the working tip should be pressed firmly against any foil-covered surface and rubbed over the molten rosin with solder.

This operation should be repeated until a characteristic film of solder appears on the edges of the copper tip, ensuring good adhesion to any metal.

The question of how to solder correctly comes along with an interest in why soldering is needed and what can be done with it. Previously, it was mainly pots and samovars that were soldered, but today you can also solder high-tech things.

Soldering capabilities

There are more than enough opportunities to use your ability to correctly solder metal parts and products. This method is used to carry out many assembly and repair operations. Here are a few particularly important ones:

you can solder copper tubes that are part of the internal lines of heat exchangers and refrigeration units;
solder elements of various electronic circuits;
carry out repairs, soldering of jewelry, glasses;
fix carbide cutting inserts on metalworking tool holders;
in everyday life, soldering is also often used when it is necessary to fasten flat copper parts on metallized surfaces of sheet blanks;
the ability to tin high-quality surfaces can be useful for protecting metal structure elements from corrosion.

At the initial stage of learning the art of soldering, it is recommended to use the simplest circuits of electronic devices.

In addition, through the process under consideration, it is possible to solder parts from metals of dissimilar structures, as well as seal various types of rigid connections.

Types of soldering operations

The variety of soldering methods is explained by many different factors that determine the quality and efficiency of its implementation. Such factors include not only the type of soldering device and the type of solder that is used in the process, but also the technological features of the formation of the seam. To surface mount parts on a board, you need to learn how to use a solder mask correctly.

In any case, in order to solder correctly, you need to know the melting temperature of the metal you are working with. It affects the choice of soldering tools, as well as fluxes and solder. In accordance with the specified parameter, solder materials are divided into low-melting (up to 450 degrees) and refractory (more than 450 degrees).

Solder selection

Low-melting solders are used under normal conditions that do not require special strength of the elements being connected. They can be used to assemble electronic circuits or solder small-sized jewelry.

During these operations, parts are fused with liquid tin, which contains lead as an additive.

True, lead-free solders have been spreading recently. When choosing the type of heating tool in this case, preference is given to electric soldering irons with operating powers from 25 to several hundred watts.

If it is necessary to solder products made of refractory metals that are operated in extreme conditions in terms of temperature and deformation, so-called “hard” solders will be required. This type of soldering composition is prepared on the basis of pure copper with the addition of zinc or other reactive metal. Refractory copper-zinc solders are recommended for use when it is necessary to join parts operating under conditions of high static loads.

With their help, you can solder products made of brass and other copper alloys, in which the copper content does not exceed 68 percent. To connect steel blanks and parts, pure copper or certain types of brass are most often used as solder.

To summarize, we note that in order to learn how to properly solder metal parts of various structures, desire alone is not enough. It is possible to perfectly master the known techniques of proper soldering only after all the issues related to this process have been studied.

The latter include the choice of a heating tool, a competent approach to the selection of consumables, as well as strict adherence to the established procedure for carrying out soldering procedures.

All this will eliminate possible errors when working with molten solders and obtain a reliable and durable connection.

Source: https://svaring.com/soldering/praktika/pajka-dlja-nachinajushhih

How to solder correctly with a soldering iron? How to properly solder wires and microcircuits:

Soldering is a method of creating a permanent connection by introducing into the contact zone a molten material with a melting point lower than that of the materials of the parts being connected. You can learn how to solder correctly with a soldering iron by mastering the technology in practice.

Purpose of the device

The electric soldering iron is available with a supply voltage from 12 to 220V. It is difficult to manufacture a low-power design for high voltage, since this requires many layers of thin wire, which leads to an increase in size. In addition, it is chosen based on work safety conditions.

It is convenient to select the power of the soldering iron using a simple table:

Power, W	Purpose of soldering
5-20	Transistors, diodes, microcircuits
40-50	Common electrical work
more than 50	Soldering large parts

The optimal tip temperature is maintained manually or automatically. For this purpose, thyristor regulators are used.

To increase service life, the end of the soldering iron can be forged. In this case, copper will dissolve less in the solder. Before using a soldering iron, the tip is given a certain shape with a file. The most common are corner and cut. The end is given a knife-like shape in order to simultaneously solder several contacts of a microcircuit or connector pins.

Tools

Before properly soldering with a soldering iron, the work area should be equipped with the necessary tools:

- Stand. The heated device is located on the stand. It also serves to place flux and is a platform for working with wires. A “crocodile” with a piece of foam rubber is additionally attached to it for cleaning the sting.

— Tripod. It includes clamps (“crocodiles”) that can be moved in height and rotated, a tray with rosin, and a holder for a soldering iron.

- Set of tools. It is needed to support parts, give wires desired shapes, and clean solder surfaces. Such tools include tweezers, pliers, wire cutters, round nose pliers, files, a knife, and sandpaper.

Soldering secrets

Use of materials for their intended purpose. Tin can be used for soldering. But its melting point is 230 ºС. During radio installation, the connected parts may fail due to overheating. The alloy of tin and lead becomes liquid at a temperature of 180-200 ºС. In addition, it is cheaper, and the connection quality is no worse.

Pure tin is mainly used in the repair of containers. In radio installation work, solder of the POS-61 brand is used, where the number indicates the percentage of tin. Fluxes are used to remove oxides from the joint. Tinsmiths use acids for this, which are unsuitable for electrical connections.

For them you need to use fluxes that will not destroy the contacts. How to properly solder with a soldering iron with rosin, which is most often used to protect connections from oxidation? It is a passive flux and must constantly protect the molten solder from contact with air, preventing the appearance of oxides, but does not remove them from the surface.

Convenient for work is tubular solder filled with rosin from the inside. For hard-to-reach places, an alcohol solution is used.
The soldering iron tip must be cleaned and covered with a layer of solder so that oxide deposits do not interfere with work.
The contact surfaces are pre-cleaned and tinned. Then the connection is reliable and durable.
The parts should be connected correctly and the soldering points should be heated.

How to use a soldering iron?

Foreign substances are removed from the surfaces of parts by sanding with sandpaper and degreasing with acetone or gasoline.
The tip is cleaned of oxides and soot with a file, block or sandpaper.
The soldering iron is heated, its end is coated with rosin, and then tinned. To do this, the solder on the tip is rubbed with a wooden block. The entire working surface should acquire a characteristic silver color.
The solder heats up. A small part of it in the form of a drop is applied to the joint and leveled. If necessary, it is added to the required amount until the contact area is covered. The connection area warms up. How to solder wires correctly? The contact of the tip with the conductor should be over the largest possible area, and not with the tip, as inexperienced installers do.

In this case, the rosin must still remain on the drop of solder so that its oxidation does not begin. The soldering process is carried out in one step. If you pull the tip back and press it back into the part several times, the solder will turn gray due to oxidation as the rosin evaporates sooner. During the cooling process, the parts must remain motionless.

When the wires are displaced when the solder has not yet hardened, microcracks form in it, worsening the strength of the connection and creating additional electrical resistance.
Remains of rosin are removed with a brush moistened with alcohol.

Soldering wires

Let's figure out how to properly solder wires with a soldering iron. First of all, their ends intended for connection are freed from insulation. It is important to warm up the wires being connected properly. To do this, the dimensions of the tip must correspond to the dimensions of the parts. If the soldering iron is too large, then adjacent elements will be damaged during operation. With its small size, soldering will be unreliable, since the parts are difficult to heat up.

Preparing the wire involves removing the insulation from its end. It is removed with a knife or wire cutters. The stranded wire should be twisted so that individual parts do not stick out, and tinned.

To do this, it is lowered into a bath of rosin, a drop of solder is taken with a soldering iron and passed several times along the copper wires. During the tinning process, the wire must be heated and rotated so that it is coated on all sides.

To prepare for further work, the tinned end is dipped into molten rosin and thus “varnished”. The excess can then be easily removed by hand.

Solder is a weak alloy and will break under light loads. The wires to be connected are pre-stripped and twisted. To do this, they must have a common axis. Their centers should be aligned, after which one wire is twisted along the length of the other. A similar operation is performed with the second end. A melt of rosin is applied to the joint, and then solder. The twist should be heated for 2-3 seconds.

If the quantity is insufficient, solder must be added so that the coating is uniform and shiny. Many people do not understand why the connection does not warm up even with a powerful device. How should soldering be done with a soldering iron in this case? The fact is that heat spreads from bottom to top. Therefore, the twist must be heated from below.

When overheated, the solder spreads, and when there is not enough heat, the coating becomes loose.

Single-core wires are cleaned to a shine and dipped in rosin. Then they are connected and heated for 3-5 seconds. and apply solder. A heat-shrinkable tube of a larger diameter is put on the exposed wire, which shrinks with increased temperature, after which reliable insulation is formed. If the solder cools down quickly, use a lighter to heat it up. Having mastered how to solder wires correctly, you can begin more complex operations.

Twisting copper and aluminum wires together is unacceptable due to heat generation in the contact resistance. They are fixed through an intermediate element, which can be a bolted connection separated by washers, a terminal clamp, or a layer of other metal. Tin-based aluminum solder is also suitable for copper wire and can be a reliable intermediate layer for them.

Soldering radio components

Soldering with a radio element is carried out by twisting or overlapping, using a heat sink, for example, with tweezers. The heating of many parts of electrical circuits should not exceed 70 ºС for a duration of more than 3 seconds.

On a printed circuit board, the mounting area around the perimeter of the hole is covered with a layer of solder. Then the tinned and rosin-coated end of the conductor is inserted into it. It is heated and moistened with an added drop of solder.

The tip should touch the pin and the board track at the same time. Excess solder is easily removed with copper braiding. The work is done efficiently when all soldering points are similar to each other. The leads of the radio elements are bent and inserted into the holes of the board.

The ends on the reverse side are bent slightly so that the part does not fall out.

The soldering iron cannot be kept dry for a long time in a heated state. It becomes covered with a layer of oxides, and the tip will have to be cleaned and tinned again. There should always be a layer of molten rosin at the end, and the soldering iron should be turned off during long intervals between work. Also, old solder is periodically removed from it with a sponge.

Elements of boards of various equipment can fail under the influence of static electricity. To prevent its occurrence, the soldering iron body should be grounded.

Working with microcircuits

Let's look at how to properly solder microcircuits. The process has some peculiarities. Microcircuits cannot withstand overheating. There should be no excess solder at the joints. To do this, use a soldering iron for microcircuits with temperature control.

Simultaneous heating of the contacts is carried out using a hair dryer with nozzles. The area on the board needs to be cleaned. Acetone or universal varnish solvent is suitable for this. Then the hair dryer is turned on and its temperature is set at 330-370 ºС.

At the minimum blowing speed, the chip heats up and is immediately removed with tweezers after the contacts have melted. Then the soldering area is lubricated with flux, and a new microcircuit is installed in place of the faulty one. When heated with a hairdryer, it sags a little due to the melting of the contacts, which is a signal that the operation is complete.

The soldering area is wiped with acetone to remove any remaining flux. Sufficiently powerful contacts can be additionally heated with a soldering iron.

When simple soldering with a soldering iron is mastered, you can move on to complex connections, for example, dissimilar metals using gas, oven or pulse heating.

Soldering aluminum

Difficulties in soldering aluminum are associated with its low melting point (660 ºС) and strong oxide film. The parts are heated in an oven or with a gas flame burner.

Their preparation consists of removing fats with a solvent and mechanical cleaning with sandpaper, an abrasive wheel or a stainless steel brush. In this case, the oxide film is formed again, but its thickness is much less than the previous one.

Then flux is applied to the joint and heated to the melting temperature of the solder. The electrode rod is touched to the joint until it begins to melt.

Solder for soldering aluminum at temperatures of 150-400 ºС can be based on zinc, tin, cadmium (low-melting). It has poor corrosion resistance and requires additional coatings. Refractory solders, such as silumin (590-600 ºС), 34A (530-550 ºС) and others, are more reliable and are used more often. Aluminum alloys have a lower melting point. They are soldered with furnace heating, which is more precisely regulated.

Conclusion

How to properly solder wires and microcircuits with a soldering iron? The answer to this question implies, first of all, careful preparation of the tool and parts. During the process of creating a permanent connection, the layer of molten solder must always be protected with flux. For each operation, a soldering iron of appropriate power and the shape of the working surface of the tip is selected. When the parts are connected correctly and the temperature is maintained, the soldering is reliable and lasts a long time.

Source: https://www.syl.ru/article/157515/new_kak-pravilno-payat-payalnikom-kak-pravilno-payat-provoda-mikroshemyi