How to solder with tin? Soldering is the formation of mechanical contact between metal surfaces. Tin often acts as solder - a “gasket” between the surfaces of parts that holds them together. To solder two parts, it is not enough to heat the surface with tin and attach the second part to it, like glue.
The temperature of the surfaces must be different. It's better to buy a soldering station. The price for it is about 1000 rubles and more. You can get the following benefits if you work not with a soldering iron, but with a soldering station:
- The heating temperature at the soldering station is regulated;
- the tip does not burn out, so the set temperature during operation is maintained constantly;
- The soldering station usually has a heat-resistant tip;
- There are antistatic soldering stations. This property is indispensable if you are going to solder field elements. An antistatic soldering station costs $150-200;
What you need to solder tin
In addition to a soldering iron, you will also need flux to remove oxides. Well, tin will be solder - the “glue” for joining metal parts.
Which flux should I choose? Previously, they soldered with rosin. But it’s difficult to wash off the remaining rosin, especially if the board is soldered. Especially if the gaps are small: dendrites grow.
On the modern market you can easily find a large selection of alternative fluxes to rosin. They are washed off with water and do not harm the soldering iron tip. For convenience, such fluxes are also packaged in syringes. And the price may vary - it’s quite possible to find inexpensive ones.
Pure tin solder is practically not used today. Multi-channel solder is sold in coils and reels. This means that there is already flux inside the tin wire!
And in small jars you can find a sting activator. Before starting soldering, it must be tinned. It is also necessary to do this after soldering.
Also, for soldering with tin you will need a knife and pliers. Let's start cooking workplace. Take a disposable plate. It will serve for waste. Take care of the lighting. Tin the contact surfaces of the parts. You need to take flux and then apply tin using a soldering iron. The tin from the soldering iron will flow around the contact pad even with a light touch if the temperature has been selected correctly. Remove any remaining flux.
The ability to solder well is quite difficult to acquire. You'll have to practice, but the results are worth it.
We hope you now know how to solder with tin, or at least we helped with advice. If you have any questions, ask them in the comments.
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:
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
How to use a soldering iron?
Foreign substances are removed from the surfaces of parts by cleaning 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 ground 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. Heat shrink tubing is placed over the exposed wire. larger diameter, which decreases with increased temperature, after which it forms reliable insulation. 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. ends with reverse side bend it a little 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 ones are mastered, you can move on to complex compounds, for example, dissimilar metals using gas, furnace 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. At correct connection details and maintenance temperature regime The soldering is reliable and lasts a long time.
Sometimes the question may arise, how can you solder a wire without using a soldering iron, because soldering is the most common way to connect large details at home. There are situations when an urgent wire connection is required, but a soldering iron used as a simple and convenient tool, is in broken condition. Almost everyone knows how to combine metals armed with it. But how soldering is carried out if there is no electricity at home is another question that we will consider below.
Using a homemade sting
Not everyone at home has such an ordinary tool as a soldering iron, but there are plenty of different breakable devices. Most often these are phone chargers or headphones from which the plug has broken off. Of course, if necessary and possible, you can buy new accessories, or you can breathe new life to the old ones. You can replace the soldering iron using ordinary available materials. In a word, a simple soldering iron tip is made, for heating which any fire source is suitable.
The available materials are as follows: a single-core piece of copper wire (diameter - 0.5 cm), as well as a small piece of fabric resistant to high temperatures. You can use the wire as a tip; one side of it needs to be carefully sharpened at an angle of about 45 degrees. This will serve as a soldering tool in the future. As for the other end of the cable used, it is reliably thermally insulated so that it can be safely held. Fiberglass or, at worst, ordinary jeans will be suitable as an insulator. Simply cut a long piece of fabric and wrap it around the wire. To fix the fabric, use thread or glue.
Now let's move on to the most important thing: how to carry out soldering with such a homemade tip. First of all, you will need a source of fire. For example, it will serve them gas stove. You should take the sting and heat it thoroughly. Next, when it heats up, it touches rosin and solder, as a result of which the end of the tip becomes tinned. A tool, even a handy one, in this condition, is suitable for soldering.
For example, what to do if your phone charger is broken. First of all, you need to carefully strip the ends of the wire using a knife. Next, a heated tip is used, with which the ends of the copper wire are tinned. Soldering is used to connect the break point.
Important! When soldering, make sure that the wire being processed is thoroughly stripped. Most often used to remove oxides from the surface. regular knife, resulting in high-quality tinning.
Applying homemade sting, replacing a soldering iron, you just need to lightly touch the damaged wire, as a result of which it will tin normally and quickly.
Soldering with foil
Using this method, soldering is completed in 5 minutes. In this case, foil is used as solder, which is rolled into a thin strip. This form is considered very convenient, since it will not spread over the area and leak with a larger dosage, which is physically impossible.
The type, location and size of the contacts can be any; with this method there are no specific restrictions. Foil soldering is useful in a variety of situations, from soldering a wire to a board to connecting the contacts of two twisted wires.
In order to prepare the contacts, you will need to remove the insulation from them and clean them of any residue. Next, the ends of the wires are connected by twisting and cutting off required amount foil, remove the adhesive tape, and wrap the wire. Next, uniform heating is carried out, for which a candle or a regular lighter is suitable.
How to solder a garland using improvised means
In the case of a garland, first of all, you will need to find the place where the wire was disconnected. The reason for this may be:
- Often the contacts break in the control unit, where thin wiring does not provide sufficient adhesion area;
- Also, the gust can be along the entire length of the garland;
- If the lamps are connected in parallel, then if one burns out, the entire circuit will open.
Note! Before starting work, you must disconnect the garland from the network.
As a rule, contacts that have moved away can be easily found with the naked eye. In other cases, a special tester may be needed: each half is measured, after which the search range is gradually narrowed until a non-working element is found.
Having found the location of the rupture, you can begin the soldering procedure. It should be noted that in this situation the solderless method is most relevant, which is explained by the small diameter of the wire. Paste and heat shrink tubing will be effective here. The diagram looks like this:
- The wire is cut at the break point;
- It is being cleaned;
- The tube is put on in advance and moved to the side (until soldering is completed);
- The twist is done and the paste is applied (there is no need to touch the edges of the insulation);
- The solder is thoroughly heated using a candle or lighter;
- The cooled area is covered with an insulating tube, which must also be heated.
You can solder broken headphones using the same method.
The soldering iron is known as a convenient and simple tool, but there are situations when it fails. There is no need to worry, since soldering can be done using improvised means. It is enough just to know some nuances.
Video
The soldering iron is used for a wide range of works. Using a soldering iron you can repair headphones, connect LED strip, repair electrical appliances, microcircuits and circuit boards. Soldering with a soldering iron is simple and, with careful preparation, does not cause difficulties even for those who have never encountered such work before.
Tool selection
A soldering iron is a tool with a heating element used to join fusible materials. According to the method of heating they are divided into:
- electrical;
- hot air;
- gas;
- induction
1-Electric, 2-Hot air, 3-Gas, 4-Induction
For working with electrical circuits and SMD boards use electric soldering irons. On average, they have a power of 15-40 watts. Using devices with a power of more than 100 W, large parts are soldered: radiators, copper tubes of different diameters, etc. Large hammer soldering irons with a power of up to 550 W are used in various industries: mechanical engineering, metallurgy, etc.
The choice of a particular tool is influenced not only by the size of the parts, but also by the thermal conductivity of the material from which it is made. It is this that determines the heating temperature, and, consequently, required power. For example, copper may require a higher heating temperature than a similarly sized steel part. It is worth noting that when soldering copper parts, a situation may even arise where high thermal conductivity leads to unsoldering of connections made earlier.
The main element of the device (I remind you that we work mainly electrically) is the heating rod. He is copper tube and a nichrome spiral wound around it. On one side of the rod, hidden in the handle of the device, current flows, and on the other, a tip made of a knurled copper rod is inserted. The tip of the sting is sharpened to a bevel. The tip is heated by closing the current on the nichrome spiral.
For electrical work, a lightweight, compact size tool with low heat capacity is suitable. To avoid voltage dissipation, it is better to choose a model that has a three-way ground plug. For a novice electrical engineer, a model up to 30 W will be sufficient. If you plan to repair a car using a soldering iron, then it is better to use 40-watt devices - for quickly connecting wires of any type over a large area. For comfortable work soldering irons in cars are sold with special attachments.
Many electronics repairmen use a soldering station. This design includes a set of all the tools necessary for soldering work: a soldering iron with replaceable tips, a stand, a voltage control unit, a hot air gun, cleaners and a desoldering pump.
Many people are interested in the question of whether it is possible to solder without a soldering iron. Yes, you can, in this case the solder and parts will have to be heated for tinning and soldering over an open fire. This allows you to create more or less high-quality connections, but the technology is less secure. In addition, a beginner who does not have sufficient experience may have great difficulties when working with materials such as copper, aluminum or stainless steel.
Solders and fluxes
Before soldering wires or electrical circuits it is necessary to select a suitable solder. Tin-silver and tin-lead solders and rosin are suitable for this work. Solders containing lead provide higher quality soldering, but have the disadvantage that this metal is harmful. Tin is used for soldering parts and materials that require safety for the body, for example, dishes.
The marking of solders indicates the metals included in its composition and their content. So, for example, POS-40 solder contains tin and lead (tin-lead solder). The number 40 indicates 40% tin content. The amount of lead in PIC solders affects the color (becomes darker) and the melting point (increases). For electrical work, POS with a tin content of 30% to 61%, as well as PSR-2 and PSR-2.5, are most often used. In the marking of tin-silver PSr-2.5, the number indicates that 2.5±0.3% of the solder is silver.
To clean the surface for soldering from oxides, special mixtures are used - fluxes. They are among the most important factors, affecting the quality of soldering. The flux must be selected to match the properties of the material being soldered and be strong enough to destroy the oxide film. Active acid-based fluxes are prohibited from being used for soldering microcircuits and circuit boards, as they cause corrosion and destroy contacts, but when working with chemically resistant metals, you cannot do without them. Today, when soldering, as a rule, they use soldering acid (zinc chloride), alcohol-rosin solution LTI-120 and borax (for soldering metals such as copper, cast iron, steel, brass).
If you are going to solder headphones, speakers or motherboard contacts, then you can use rosin as a flux. However, it should not be used for soldering microcircuit elements and circuit boards. AND Special attention Please note the following: rosin should not be used for musical instruments! It heavily contaminates the adhesion site.
Preparing for work
Of course, in order to become a master and solder parts of any complexity, you need time and experience. However, in order to repair headphones, attach an LED strip, or change capacitors on a computer board at home, you do not need to have special knowledge. Compliance with the instructions and electrical safety rules will allow you to complete this work without difficulty.
The condition of the tip is of great importance for the quality and efficiency of soldering. The process of caring for it is called tinning - the process of covering its surface with a thin layer of solder. This is done so that the copper from which the soldering iron tip is made does not oxidize. A soldering iron with an oxidized tip interacts poorly with solder and the material being processed. Each time, before soldering with a soldering iron, you should prepare it. First, we treat the tip of a cold soldering iron with a file or a stiff brush, cleaning the copper from dirt.
Cleaning the soldering iron with a brush (you can also use a file)
Then, after heating the soldering iron to operating temperature, you need to alternately touch the rosin and then the solder several times. The alloy should evenly cover the working part.
Below is a video on how to tin a soldering iron and prepare it for use. Perhaps the video shows it even better than our photographs, so we recommend watching it.
Soldering boards and microcircuits
Below is a video that clearly describes the whole process:
This soldering method allows a beginner to easily solder a radiator to the circuit, solder a button on a modem, an LED strip (more on this below) or repair a plug.
Soldering wires
The ability to solder wires can be useful in many situations. One of the most suitable examples You can call headphones that came out due to a broken wire. There are two main methods used to connect wires:
- The cores are placed on top of each other and soldered using solder.
- The wire strands are pre-twisted together and then tinned using solder.
In both cases, rosin is used. If it is necessary to clean the wires, liquid flux is applied with a brush. Other methods of soldering wires together are based on the two main ones described above and are presented in the following figure.
To solder radioelements without printed wiring, two methods are used. The first (lap) is faster, and the second (twisting) provides greater reliability of the connection.
In order to repair headphones, the second indicated method is best suited (as it will provide greater connection strength). The procedure is approximately as follows:
- Find the damaged section of the wire and cut it out. Strip the edges of the wires to a sufficient length. To remove insulation, it is best to use a heated soldering iron or a flat, not very sharp knife.
- Place the wires next to each other (by color) and tin with rosin or FS-1 mixture.
- Wrap the treated area with electrical tape.
If the wire is damaged at the plug or headphone input, you will need to disassemble the case and solder the wires directly to the input pins.
Soldering LED strip
Today, LED strips are actively used for installing interior lighting of varying complexity. She gives wide design possibilities, It has small sizes and is not inferior in performance characteristics to other lighting devices.
Regardless of the size and installation conditions, the tape is soldered according to the same instructions:
- Cutting the tape to required length, the surface on which it is to be attached is degreased and dried.
- Tearing off protective film on the reverse side, the tape is glued to the mounting surface.
- After this, the wires are soldered on the input contacts, small parts, dimmers, controllers. During operation, you must avoid overheating the tape, this can lead to failure of the diodes.
Pay attention when soldering two strips! Plus should go to plus, and minus to minus!
The soldering process is shown in the photographs below:
We fix the LED strip (electrical tape was used)
Soldering irons with a power of up to 40 W are well suited for soldering diode strips. It is best to use wires with a cross section of 0.75 mm. Red ones are soldered to the positive contact, and black ones to the negative one.
Now let's talk about how to solder LEDs directly onto the board to create LED backlight with your own hands. To do this, you will need the diodes themselves, a piece of board for them (can be bought at a radio store) and soldering accessories. To remove scale, we will use aluminum flux and tin as solder.
- We insert the diodes into the board so that the positive contacts (long “legs”) are located on one side, and the negative ones on the other. And bend the contacts to the sides. Be careful - if even one diode is connected incorrectly, everything will burn out.
- After treating the “legs” with flux, we solder them to the board.
- Cut off the excess length of the contacts using wire cutters. We strip the power wires to a length equal to the length of the diode row, apply them to the corresponding contacts and solder them.
- Ready! Now you can check the operation of the circuit by connecting the wires to a 12 V power source.
Soldering aluminum
There seems to be no difficulty in how to solder aluminum. After all, this material has high thermal conductivity and is easy to process. Despite this, when processing this metal, it is necessary to take into account some features.
Aluminum under influence high temperature very quickly forms oxide films on the surface, and therefore for its soldering it is necessary to use special fluxes and soldering tips (coated with steel). And if the processing of aluminum wires is practically no different from working with other metals, then soldering flat aluminum surfaces- the process is much more complex. First of all, you will need a soldering iron with a power of 60-100 W in order to heat large parts well.
- Before soldering aluminum, its working surface is cleaned of scale with sandpaper or a file.
- Afterwards it is degreased with gasoline, acetone or another solvent. Then the joint must be lubricated with a special flux.
- The soldering iron tip is lowered into rosin or ammonia until a slight haze appears. This cleans the copper from which the tip is made from oxides of other metals.
- Further actions are practically no different from working with other materials: the tip is lubricated in solder, after which a small amount of it is transferred to the soldering site for tinning. After this, the main layer of solder is applied.
Stainless steel is soldered in a similar way - this process also requires careful cleaning of the working surface before applying solder.
This article will help you learn how to solder correctly with a soldering iron if you have not held one in your hands before. A soldering iron is a really necessary thing if you are a radio amateur, a system administrator, want to repair home electronics yourself, or if you want to learn something new and useful.
It is important to understand that if you need to resolder wires today household appliances or soldering the motherboard in a computer, reading one article will clearly not be enough. Despite its apparent simplicity, working with a soldering iron is almost an art that requires care, experience and a steady hand. Before you solder anything for a wire that has value, you should practice a fair amount on the consumable material.
Soldering iron operating principle
Understanding how a soldering iron works is not difficult. The heating element heats up to a high temperature ( 300 and above degrees). Soldering is the process of absorbing a special substance (solder). It has a melting point lower than that of soldering wire.
The soldering iron melts the solder, which fills all the micropores of the metal, interacting with them at the molecular level. When cooled, it “sticks” and forms a stable connection between the two parts of the wire.
Soldering iron and tools needed for work
When answering the question “how to solder with a soldering iron”, it is necessary to touch upon the topic of the tool and Supplies necessary for soldering. So, in order to solder correctly and efficiently, you will need:
- The soldering iron itself
- Special stand
- Solder
- Additional tools
Soldering iron
There are many most different models necessary to solve a wide range of technical problems. But the main criterion is power. Based on power, they are divided into several types:
- 3-10 W. These are the lowest power models. They are designed for soldering the smallest and most sensitive microcircuits
- 20-40 W. They belong to the category of “household” or amateur radio. With their help you can solder a wire, a transistor or other part
- 60-100 W. If the wires requiring soldering are very thick, this type will do. It is often used by car enthusiasts or professional mechanics
- 100 W and more. With this soldering iron you can solder a thick wire, a pan or even a car radiator. They are used only by professionals, and for obvious reasons are not applicable in everyday life.
If you plan to solder radio components, it will be enough 25 watt tool. To solder a regular wire, the power should be enough, but for everyday use it is worth choosing a model in 35 W and higher.
Stands are often sold as a set. They not only keep your workbench free of solder stains, but also allow you to always control the position of the tool. When working, it should be on the edge of the table. It is important to monitor the power cord.
Solder
This special low-melting alloy typically uses the following substances:
- Tin
- Lead
- Cadmium
Or any other metal with a suitable melting point. The most fusible ones have a melting point up to 80 degrees, and the most stable ones are over 900.
Flux
This is the name of a special substance that acts as a connecting link between the solder and the metal of the wire. It helps solder adhesion, and successfully protects it from oxidation and helps degrease. The most popular brand is LTI 120.
If necessary, it can be done independently. To do this, just dissolve rosin in alcohol (about 60 to 40%) and shake thoroughly.
Additional tool
To solder conveniently and safely with a soldering iron, you should acquire the following items:
- Wire cutters. They bite off the wire, remove the insulation, and support the part during operation.
- File - for cleaning the heating part of the soldering iron
- Scalpel with tweezers. They will help you avoid burning your fingers when working with small parts.
Getting Started
The new soldering iron must be cleaned and tinned. It should be included in the network for 15-20 minutes. In this case, the factory lubricant often begins to burn out, and the tool itself may smoke a little, this is not a big deal.
After warming up, carefully clean work surface file, after which they immediately dip it in solder. It is important not to let it oxidize. The tool is now ready for use.
It is important if the tip of your tool is made of metal ceramics. It cannot be processed with a file. There is a special damp cloth for this, and you need to gently wipe the surface with it.
How to solder a wire: process
It is very important to prepare the surface. There should be no foreign substances on it, such as grease, paint, varnish, or insulation residues. The success of all work depends on cleanliness. If there is anything, you should carefully clean it with a scalpel and wipe it so that no dust remains.
Next, you take a little solder with the tip and carefully solder it in the right place. This is not a very complicated process, but it requires a “tough” hand, and the very first time you are unlikely to get a beautiful and neat solder.
While working, it is worth remembering a number of rules:
- Soldering must be fast
- If you can't solder the wires right away, you should let them cool before the second attempt. This applies doubly to radio components or microcircuits
- The end of the tool should be applied with the entire surface, the process will be most effective
How to solder wires more securely? You should twist them before starting the procedure. After cooling, they are insulated with electrical tape to avoid short circuits during operation.
A good solder is shiny, even, and free of any cracks. Then it will last as long as possible, and you will not have problems with the device.
Safety precautions
How to solder with a soldering iron without getting burned? Safety precautions must be observed. Working with a soldering iron - no best time to try your luck with violating safety rules. There are some simple tips:
- Clear the work surface of foreign objects
- Remove overly curious children and animals from the room
- Watch the cord - if you touch it with your foot or hand, there is a risk of burns
- If there are strangers in the room, warn them that you are working with a soldering iron on.
- Flux - just a little. If you use too much, it can splatter on your hand, or in the worst case, directly into your eyes.
- Each time you should take no more solder than 2 rations. If you overdo it, it can drip onto the table, hand, or even worse - onto the soldered chip.
By observing these simple rules, you will save yourself from extreme unpleasant consequences. If you take your work seriously and don't leave your soldering machine unattended, there shouldn't be any problems.
Solder the wires properly
The further operation of the entire device depends on how the wire is soldered. Experienced craftsmen give a number of tips for high-quality and reliable soldering:
- If there is not enough solder, it will not be able to properly hold the parts together and fill all the gaps
- If there is insufficient amount of flux on the tip, the soldering site turns out to be heterogeneous and uneven, which negatively affects the result. This can happen when the instrument is heated, then the rosin evaporates before soldering is completed.
- When there is too much rosin, it can splash out and touch adjacent contacts or wires, and in the worst case, get on your hand
With experience comes the ability to heat the soldering iron to the desired temperature and use exactly as much solder as needed. Maintaining a perfect balance, the solder independently accepts the required form and wraps around the contacts correctly. This is exactly what we need to strive for.
It is best to use soldering irons that have a thermostat. Then it is easy to maintain the desired temperature, which has a positive effect on the process and result of the work. A soldering iron without a regulator can quickly overheat, and its tip can turn black from oxidation. Then you have to turn it off periodically. Maintaining the required temperature is very difficult, and the soldering is not of sufficient quality.
How to solder efficiently with a soldering iron?
The best way to learn how to do something is to practice. Soldering is no exception. There are a number of exercises to help you master this undoubtedly complex but useful instrument.
You should take a bare or insulated wire (to practice stripping) and cut it into 12 identical pieces. To ensure that they are not too small, the optimal length is 30-40 centimeters(before cutting).
After cutting, you should take a soldering iron and form a cube from these blanks, using only a soldering iron and pliers. This will allow you to feel the instrument and get used to using it. Then the finished cooled cube should be taken in the palm of your hand and squeezed into a fist. The work is satisfactory if the adhesions remain intact. This can be practiced to maintain skills at high level, even if you are an experienced specialist and confident.
The second method of training to work with a soldering iron requires thin wire and a stripped cable. It needs to be wrapped around a wire, and then carefully soldered using a soldering iron and pliers. You should practice until you can solder the wires well the first time. After this, you should begin normal responsible work.
Regular practice will allow you to achieve significant progress in soldering very quickly. In no time, you will be able to repair your radio, wiring (with caution), or other home appliances yourself. But before that, you should entrust this matter to specialists so as not to risk expensive items.
