guys, i got a solder gun- now what? you seem to think theyreneeded ,tutor me

[TrevorNasko]

turns out my dad had a solder gun(Craftsman 100watt) that he got a while back and never took out of the box. he gave it to me.now what? please be detailed.
seams to be top of the line, too

 

[Silviron]

You don't want to use a 100 watt soldering gun on electronics stuff unless you are REAL careful and REAL good at soldering.

For general electronics soldering, get a 25 or 30 watt "pencil" type soldering iron.

 

[busbar]

100 watt gun is good for fixing rain gutters. Unfortunately, there'a no way you could use it for soldering SMD stuff.

 

[Unabomber]

If you are really interested in soldering this is what you do: Heave that soldering gun off the highest building you can find. It will only get you in trouble, it has way too much power and severe lack of control. Kind of like using a blunderbuss to go rabbit hunting.

Run down to Target, Radio Shack, etc. and pick up the cheapest soldering iron you can find. Should cost you 5-10 bucks. Get some really cheap solder and perhaps a solder removal tool. Practice soldering/desoldering on any odd electronic pieces you can. Try to re-create the exact amount of solder content and quality that is already shown on the piece you are working with.

Once you have mastered this, you can buy the right equipment. You should have a quality soldering iron with adjustable temperatures, and replaceable tips. Liquid RMA flux and 63/37 solder are essential. WHITE typewriter eraser for cleaning components. Isopropyl Alcohol (look for high percentage stuff, not the stuff women use for whatever they use it for) for cleaning components AND your solder. A nice plunger type solder extractor with a BLACK tip. Solder wick is nice too. It is copper stuff that looks like braided dental floss. It removes solder through capillary action instead of sucking.

Those are about all the tools you would for general soldering...If you need any more advice or help, let me know. Part of my job for the Navy is micro-soldering and I can solder components down to the size of a flake of pepper.

 

[**DONOTDELETE**]

OMG 100w LOL
RS has 25w for 5$
for the price they work just fine

fair tips here http://trainweb.com/crocon/portlinesclinic7.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.elexp.com/t_solder.htmhttp://trainweb.com/crocon/portlinesclinic7.html</A> http://www.exclbr.com/101/iron.htm

 

[snakebite]

100w soldering guns are handy for lots of things but not smd stuff.
for smd my favorite is the wahl iso tip rechargeable with a 1/64 tip.
keep that gun around though.
i use mine daily and i repair modern stuff.
just takes lots of practice.

 

[Go Go Gadget Flashlight]

Yes, 100W soldering gun is way too big for almost everything we do. Sorry.

All above are good advice for you.

Especially Unabomber's advice to get any old device (that is junk anyway) and practice on it. That's how I got started. I used to take old TV's and strip the components off of the boards 'cause I couldn't afford to buy resistors and capacitos and such.

Go for the cheap stuff to start with. I still use my $8 Radio Shack soldering iron (30W) for every project I've posted here on CPF. For the delicate tiny parts, I use a light dimmer to cool the iron down a bit.

Bare basics... Iron, solder, solder-sucker OR desoldering braid.

My recommendations: (do you have a Radio Shack near you?)

64-2802 - $8
(Top to bottom, Left to right)
30W iron, part holder/pick?, heatsink, solder, iron stand

64-2060 - $10
desoldering iron, 45W
heats the connection directly pulling nearly ALL the solder off when you release the squeeze bulb.
I have one and LOVE it versus a trigger-type "sucker".

64-015 - $3
and some more solder.

 

[lightlover]

Way to Go,
Go, Go Gadget Flashlight !

Just for the record, what *exactly* are the things in the two photos you've posted above ?

(For the youngster's sake, of course: I do really know what they are ...... )

Do some soldering irons come with a rheostat
built in ?

Anyway, Real Men use 100w soldering irons to heat their coffee with. I think.

lightlover

 

[vcal]

-Or open cans of tuna with jackhammers

When your arm has a few burn marks, (learn marks)

you'll be able to solder...

 

[Unabomber]

I viewed the Solder Tips page that was suggested above. That goes over the basics. I can further amplify. You must always "tin" your component leads before soldering in. To "tin" you apply gobs of RMA flux to the component lead and then solder it. Remove any excees solder with solder wick. This ensures that solder will flow better during the final soldering process. Figure three on that web page is fairly good but as they have it shown, there is too much solder. The solder should have a concave appearance, but should only go 50% up the lead portion sticking through the hole. The amount that sticks through the board should be right at one lead diameter. To do this, you put your component through the board. Take another component lead and lay it flat on the board surface. Rest some flush cutting pliers ON the extra lead. Cut the protrusion and you have a perfect amount of lead coming through the board. I might be getting too precise for you, but with practice this is the standard of perfection, which is the NASA standard. With practice you will see that hand solder in almost all cases, is superior to the stinking robots.

Also ensure you use 63/37 solder. All that other garbage will only frustrate you. 63 solder goes from a liquid to a solid instantly. All the other stuff has a weird plastic state(called a eutectic state), where unless you are very careful, the component can shift and you end up resoldering again.

Also if the component is going through a plated through hole (look through the PCB board hole, if there is a metal tube there instead of just a drilled hole, it is a plated trough hole), you should tin that as well. Flux and heat the hole and solder the heck out of it. Heat and solder one side, suck from the other and repeat in the opposite direction. This is where a plunger type solder sucker is a must. This will ensure that during the final soldering process, solder will flow through and down into the hole forming a better electrical connection.

Have fun with your soldering and remember...the project isn't complete until you burn yourself with the soldering iron!

 

[Go Go Gadget Flashlight]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by **Something Ridiculous**:
Way to Go,
Go, Go Gadget Flashlight !

Just for the record, what *exactly* are the things in the two photos you've posted above ?

(For the youngster's sake, of course: I do really know what they are ...... )

Do some soldering irons come with a rheostat
built in ?

Anyway, Real Men use 100w soldering irons to heat their coffee with. I think.

lightlover <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks Jahn! "Gadget" is plenty, you don't have to type out the "Go, Go...."

I went back and edited the earlier post to list the items in the photos. Good idea.

And, Yes, some soldering irons (stations) are available with variable temperature controls on a rheostat in the base. They're kind of pricey usually. I prefer to use my cheap, home-made, light dimmer mod.

 

[Go Go Gadget Flashlight]

I made my own soldering iron "dimmer" using a plastic junction box, an extension cord, and the cheapest light dimmer I could buy.

I found this some time later. It would be a much mor elegant solution.

Leviton 837-6250 Cord Dimmer

It's a light dimmer that goes directly on the cord. I haven't searched extensively yet, but I found them online for about $11.
For another $1 or so, you can get a cheapo extension cord and use it to control your soldering iron without modifying the iron directly.

 

[TrevorNasko]

i geuse i asked for it but i didn't exactly want to here that i've still got to buy one. the box says you can use it for electronics and it has different heads. i can't afford even a cheap solder gun.

 

[Go Go Gadget Flashlight]

It wouldn't surprise me if you wouldn't find them at a pawn shop too. Maybe $2 or $4 there.

Unfortunately, homemade LED stuff isn't cheap. You have to have the right tools to be able to make any decent projects.

I hate to be a "downer", but it might be too early to get into it. You prolly have to find a way to have some spending cash first.