Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How To Get Started In Soldering

popularmechanics.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

171–180 of 281 posts

Re: How To Get Started In Soldering

#171

Post by bityard »

nlnn wrote: post #139

As a very occasional solderer, one thing I don't see written about much in beginner guides is ventilation. With lead-based solder, I'm never sure what I should be doing, especially in a small room/workshop. Keeping windows open or having good airflow isn't always possible. Things like: should I avoid leaning over or breathing in while leaning over something I'm soldering? Do I need to air the room afterwards? Would a…

Lead does not vaporize at the temperatures being soldered, there is basically zero risk of breathing it in.

However, when soldering you will end up with little balls and blobs of solder as waste. Don't just throw them in the trash. These should be collected and disposed of properly, as hazardous waste so that they don't end up in a landfill polluting your grandkids' water supply.

Re: How To Get Started In Soldering

#172

Post by spiderxxxx »

i_am_a_peasant wrote: post #162
squarefoot wrote: post #104

If I may, I would complete a few points in the article. Soldering iron: Get a decent one. That doesn't mean you must throw a boatload of money, just avoid the crappy ones, which almost always are the cheaper ones. A notable exception is the Pinecil by Pine64.org, which is truly a great iron despite being cheap. Pinecil aside, you can snatch a used Weller or Hakko on ebay without spending too much, but beware of the m…

There is no such thing as too much flux :) I would also recommend wearing protective glasses not to splash stuff on your eyes.

Oh, there definitely is such a thing as too much flux. I have some active flux that works really well on old and oxidized boards, but it's a pain to clean. I try to use only the amount necessary to do the job. No-clean flux still needs to be cleaned, but it's a lot easier to clean up, and with that I will say that I agree with your statement, conditionally. Having a swimming pool of flux or more flux than solder is not good.

Re: How To Get Started In Soldering

#173

Post by spiderxxxx »

bityard wrote: post #168
squarefoot wrote: post #104

If I may, I would complete a few points in the article. Soldering iron: Get a decent one. That doesn't mean you must throw a boatload of money, just avoid the crappy ones, which almost always are the cheaper ones. A notable exception is the Pinecil by Pine64.org, which is truly a great iron despite being cheap. Pinecil aside, you can snatch a used Weller or Hakko on ebay without spending too much, but beware of the m…

> A notable exception is the Pinecil by Pine64.org, which is truly a great iron despite being cheap. I have a Pinecil and I like it, but I feel that it's not a good recommendation for a first soldering iron. The UI may be confusing for some, it doesn't come with a power supply, the tips are fairly expensive, and there's no place to rest the iron while using it. Instead, I would tell a newbie to get a middle-of-the-ro…

I got a KSGER T-12, and it's pretty good. I watched a few videos before buying, and it is able to put out a lot of heat, and it works with a variety of tips. I only wish that it was easier to change the tips.

Re: How To Get Started In Soldering

#174

Post by floating-io »

sureglymop wrote: post #115

Thank you, this is great! On another note, what to solder ? I've been playing around with arduinos and esp 32s but so far I've just used breadboards and didn't have to solder. Any recommendations for an easy project to take on?

Adafruit tends to sell things like their feather boards with loose headers, leaving the buyer to solder them. If you like playing with stuff like that it would give you an excuse to buy more boards.

Timely; I just finished soldering headers to a Feather about 30 minutes ago. :)

Re: How To Get Started In Soldering

#175

Post by i-use-nixos-btw »

bambax wrote: post #24

> just be careful not to overspend on your first iron. I first learned how to solder on an ultra-cheap hardware-store unit, and you should, too I beg to differ. I used to suck at soldering, and while I'm still no expert, swapping my €20 basic soldering iron for a serious Weller unit (starting at €150) changed everything. The Weller heats up almost instantly, goes up as high as you want, and stays at a constant temper…

Completely agree.

The lesson I learned was to not buy generic brand stuff from Amazon. The one I have is dreadful. The temperature dial is meaningless, the grip gets hot with the iron, and the tips that come with it* are absolutely awful. Even at low soldering temperatures they can’t take the heat, and at this point all of them have their cracked, chipped, or have otherwise become completely blunt.

But hey I got a nice generic tool bag full of wires that don’t conduct, insulation tape that doesn’t insulate, tiny screwdrivers, blunt snips, and “lead-free” solder that absolutely has lead in it.

* and it seems to be a fitting that nothing else will fit apart from the rubbish tips that come with a thousand other almost-identical generic soldering irons you can get from Amazon.

Re: How To Get Started In Soldering

#176

Post by gaze »

dale_glass wrote: post #131
gaze wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What people don’t understand is that Hakko and Weller ARE the low end units. The good units are made by JBC, Pace, and Metcal.

Hakko is also resting on their laurels. Hakko is what everyone recommends but I have no idea why. It's awful stuff with a design from the 80s. The UI is awful and inscrutable without the manual, the tech is long obsolete. Get a TS80 or something else that's actually modern -- it has excellent temperature control with a tightly integrated thermocouple like one of the expensive Hakkos (FX951), but costs less and actual…

yeah my god. These Chinese soldering stations that can accept JBC cartridges are _absolutely_ the way to go these days. The TS80 is not particularly ergonomic, but the thermal regulation and variety of tips just absolutely eclipse the 888 at a fraction of the cost. I see these units from SUGON and JABE which have the separate base station and JBC-like handpiece. Those seem like the ticket.

Re: How To Get Started In Soldering

#178

Post by cookie_monsta »

purpleblue wrote: post #96
cookie_monsta wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am Gen X and I have never written a cheque in my life. Manual transmission and maps I am ok with.

You're Canadian. I'm surprised you didn't write cheques for rent, like I did when I lived in Canada.

No, Australian and we have been depositing money for things such as rent directly into people's bank accounts via telephone and internet banking for as long as I can remember. Well, no. I have a dim memory of taking my landlord big wads of cash in the early 90s. Most of the passport application/ renewal process is online, but for a child passport you just go to the post office and tap your card as if you were paying in the supermarket. I remember my dad's chequbook. It's kind of quaint to think they're still in use, like if you went into a shop and they still had that pneumatic tube system for sending messages.

Re: How To Get Started In Soldering

#179

Post by purpleblue »

cookie_monsta wrote: post #178
purpleblue wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're Canadian. I'm surprised you didn't write cheques for rent, like I did when I lived in Canada.

No, Australian and we have been depositing money for things such as rent directly into people's bank accounts via telephone and internet banking for as long as I can remember. Well, no. I have a dim memory of taking my landlord big wads of cash in the early 90s. Most of the passport application/ renewal process is online, but for a child passport you just go to the post office and tap your card as if you were paying…

I didn't know Australians use "cheque" as well, I thought that was a French term!

Re: How To Get Started In Soldering

#180

Post by CarVac »

buescher wrote: post #150
CarVac wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Yes-clean" flux has absolutely been the cause of controller malfunctions due to its conductivity for makers of my controller project. It needs to be removed. But yes, no-clean flux is best left where it is.

Could be so, and it can depend on the flux and the processing, but it's almost never the flux. From a 10,000 ft look at your project, I wouldn't expect it to need the high isolation or high impedances that would drive a serious cleanliness spec. You could have other issues that a temperature and humidity test would uncover with no-clean, for example. We can discuss them if you'd like. Depends on what you mean by "yes…

The "yes-clean" flux I'm talking about is high-solids rosin flux that leaves a conductive residue. The conductivity can definitely cause a circuit to fail.

Makers come to our discord chat, asking why their builds aren't working and post a pictures.

I suggest cleaning the flux off, and they start functioning.

As an aside:

My current solder brand (Chip Quik) has a "no-clean water-soluble" flux that I'm curious about. Surely that's not going to be as corrosive as the flux you're talking about. (I probably wouldn't use it myself because it needs 140°F water to dissolve)

Post reply on HN