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I hate soldering

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Re: I hate soldering

#221
post #109

This is somewhat off topic, but a question to Americans: Why do none of you seem to pronounce the "l" in soldering? Every US video seems to say "soddering"

This word has a surprising amount of regional pronunciations. Each of the US, UK, and Australia pronounce it slightly differently. [0]

[0] https://languagehat.com/solder/

Re: I hate soldering

#222
post #109

This is somewhat off topic, but a question to Americans: Why do none of you seem to pronounce the "l" in soldering? Every US video seems to say "soddering"

Don't know - we also don't pronounce plenty of other letters too. Plumbing is plumming not plum-bing. Also apparently the word solder comes from Middle English 'soudure' which doesn't even have an L in it.

[deleted]

Re: I hate soldering

#223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Starting with soldering, I find these 200$+ recommendations (regardless of which tool) hard to justify. # Soldering iron I'd recommend the Pinecil V2 with IronOS. https://github.com/Ralim/IronOS # Solder fume extraction I've built a simple fume extraction with an old plastic case, a 120mm fan and a sheet of carbon filter attached to a 120mm dryer / air conditioning hose. Around 15$ and good enough for soldering from…

How well does the pump work? A couple times I've had to desolder a connector or IC with lots of pins from a PCB and it's a painful process. I've always wanted to buy one of those, but I've seen lots of reports about getting clogged easily. I rarely desolder, but I can easily justify a hundred bucks if I can avoid all that hours of work, where I'm also risking damaging an IC, lifting a pad, or something else...

It's been awhile, but the best experience I've had desoldering ICs with many pins was with JBCs hot air extractors. They're little metal funnels you put around the component you want to desolder to contain hot air, with a tiny suction cup to lift the part once solder starts to melt.

JBCs stations are expensive though, but you should be able to use just the heat deflectors and a pair of tweezers, rather than a vacuum pump as long as you already have a hot air station.

Re: I hate soldering

#224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had bad experiences with USB irons, they generally don't have stellar compatibilty with USB power banks, and when your 60W iron can only draw 20W from your 100W power bank or PSU (but sometimes it works). They even come with these compatibility wikis of what PSU or bank to buy.

I simply cannot recommend a Pinecil + compatible 20A battery pack enough. Not being tied to a socket is amazing and the device is good to go in literally seconds!

Dunno, I had a TS80P, and bought a compatible Xiaomi powerbank and had a lot of issues. What sort of worked for me, is they make adapters for Makita batteries that have Weller connectors, those have a lot of juice and are far less fussy.

Re: I hate soldering

#225
post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you know that "real" Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano) is made in copper vats? And copper plumbing is super common for potable water? And plenty of spirits are distilled in copper stills? I mean, encouraging handwashing is fine but copper isn't what you need to worry about.

Maybe not. I don't know. I'm not a scientist. I have to err on the side of caution with these things because I don't know.

Copper is an essential trace element for many living organisms, including humans, meaning you need copper to survive. Generally, copper has low toxicity. (That is, unless you have rare genetic defects such as Wilson's Disease)

Lead is nothing like that. We don't need lead to survive, we shouldn't put lead in our bodies. Lead is also known to accumulate in your body (especially your brain). Avoid lead exposure as much as you can.

Re: I hate soldering

#226

I had to click, because it turns out that I love soldering. It's relaxing and has a skill curve such that there's a trick to it but with a bit of practice, you can be someone who is really good at soldering, too. For anyone reading, the key is to invest in a proper stereo microscope and a decent fume extractor. I recommend this one: https://www.strangeparts.com/a-boy-and-his-microscope-a-love... If you're up for a bi…

Starting with soldering, I find these 200$+ recommendations (regardless of which tool) hard to justify. # Soldering iron I'd recommend the Pinecil V2 with IronOS. https://github.com/Ralim/IronOS # Solder fume extraction I've built a simple fume extraction with an old plastic case, a 120mm fan and a sheet of carbon filter attached to a 120mm dryer / air conditioning hose. Around 15$ and good enough for soldering from…

Pinecil is a nice idea until it stops working due to a lack of strain relief for the power input or the clips snap and your tip falls out.

You need a Pinecil to repair your Pinecil and don't forget plenty of spare parts.

Re: I hate soldering

#227
post #109

This is somewhat off topic, but a question to Americans: Why do none of you seem to pronounce the "l" in soldering? Every US video seems to say "soddering"

Too similiar to "soldiering" and nobody wants to go there.

Re: I hate soldering

#228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> # Desoldering Pump > > Because I needed it (beginners won't) Funny you mention that, because I just instructed someone how to solder for the first time and on probably their 4th joint they needed the desoldering pump because they added too much solder. I think it's easier to teach a beginner how to use a desoldering pump than how to use desoldering braid.

That might be true in some cases, but you can also use a bit of brass wool to wipe of excess solder. The iron will suck the rest of the connection pretty well. However, this is also something where it might pay of to buy a good one (ENGINEER SS-03) instead of a cheap knock-off in the long term.

This thread is no good for my bank account. Ordered

Re: I hate soldering

#230
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With you overall, but given the toxicity of the fumes some quality / rated fume extraction might be the one area where cheap/self made item isn't worth it

I'd love agree with you... Unfortunately I bought some They also contain a 120mm fans, a carbon filter and NO way to lead the fumes out oft the window. However, you may be right that professional tools are the better choice in this case

I had to read your comment a few times to understand the confusion.

The issue is that you've concluded that a $50 fume extractor qualifies as spending real money, when in fact you're still well into the realm of cheap and crappy. What you're describing is quite literally a PC fan blowing into some foam. It's better than nothing, but you'd still be better off with a [real] fan and an open window.

Good fume extractors cost real money yet will seem very cheap if you are running the numbers while waiting for a chemotherapy appointment. JBC makes several, and they are FAR from the most expensive available:

https://www.jbctools.com/fume-extractor.html

Its your life, but IMO you really don't want to fuck around on this detail if you plan to do a lot of soldering. You might not care, but there could be people who love and rely on you to not try and to save a few hundred bucks on the thing that keeps you from premature death.

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