Starting to do some light DIY, tips on soldering irons

[scrt80]

Hey guys,I'm starting to do some light DIY stuff on the truck. Ive got access to standard mechanic tools and was looking at getting a soldering iron. Will a normal base radio shack soldering iron work or there a specific specs I should be looking for out of an iron?

 

[rusty_tlc]

Hey guys,I'm starting to do some light DIY stuff on the truck. Ive got access to standard mechanic tools and was looking at getting a soldering iron. Will a normal base radio shack soldering iron work or there a specific specs I should be looking for out of an iron?

Lucky for you there is a pretty good thread right on this forum already.
LINK---->>>>https://forum.ih8mud.com/tools-fabrication/551534-soldering-station-recommendation.html<<<<--------

 

[rusty_tlc]

If you have never soldered before here are a couple of tips

#1 - Heat the work NOT the solder. Apply the soldering iron tip to the pieces being soldered, allow a moment for the work to heat. Touch the solder to the work, not the soldering iron tip. When the work is at the right temp the solder will flow onto it. You will get a feel for how much heat is needed for different size work and materials with experience.

#2 - Use a Tin/Lead (63/37) flux core solder for most applications, use a Tin/Silver solder for drinking water etc. For Lead solder look for an RMA flux, for lead free look for an RHA flux.

#3 - Use the right size tip for the job, you mostly learn this by trial and error. If the tip looks to big or small compared to the work it probably is.

#4 - Did I mention to heat the work NOT the solder. (This is the number one mistake made by people learning to solder.)

#5 - Never solder stranded wire.

 

[jdogg]

If you have never soldered before here are a couple of tips

#5 - Never solder stranded wire.

Why is this..... I'm also trying to self-teach some basic soldering to repair some sketchy wiring on the cruiser, as well as a few other small jobs, its all stranded wire, mostly 12-14-16ga. Just asking the question, not trying to tell you youre wrong, i just wanted to know.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Why is this..... I'm also trying to self-teach some basic soldering to repair some sketchy wiring on the cruiser, as well as a few other small jobs, its all stranded wire, mostly 12-14-16ga. Just asking the question, not trying to tell you youre wrong, i just wanted to know.

You might want to read the thread I mentioned here;

Lucky for you there is a pretty good thread right on this forum already.
LINK---->>>>https://forum.ih8mud.com/tools-fabrication/551534-soldering-station-recommendation.html<<<<--------

Post #11 from that thread;

We use stranded wire because it has the ability to flex with minimal metal fatigue. As soon as you fill the spaces between the wire with solder it for all intents and purposes becomes solid wire. Crimp connectors are designed to make a durable connection and preserve the stranded wires ability to flex. They actually make a more reliable connection than solder when used with stranded wire.

Please don't take my word for it, NASA, JPL, JEDEC, and IPC have all done extensive studies on this topic. You will not find solder used with stranded wire in any space vehicle, military or commercial aircraft or any other high rel application. Google it.


Get a proper wire crimp tool. Klien, Channelock, and Greenlee all make good ones. Learn to use it correctly. You will make a better, more reliable connection and do it much faster than you can with solder.

Save the soldering iron for repairing printed circuit boards.

 

[jdogg]

Good info. Thanks ! I must have missed the link, makes total sense, just never had it explained before.