The Living Soldering Thread

[StrikeEagleCC]

I use petrol and find it cleans much better than 99% IPA.

As in gasoline? Phew, I don't think I could stand the smell.

[mkawa]

mineral spirits are basically kerosene (actually usually naptha petroleum byproducts and turpentine). they are quite effective organic solvents when it comes to hydrocarbons.\

the other major solvents are lithium and silicone based. silicone tends to have pretty good stability and chemical resistance but is highy susceptile to ketones, among other things, less susceptible to petroleum derivatives. lithium soaps are highly susceptible to petroleum derivatives.

polymer lubricants each have their own special solvent story. basically the endcaps protect the polymer chain pretty effectively in most polymers (obviously there are some not so happy endings here -- ketones and almost any polymer is one of them, alcohols also tend to be pretty effective at attacking polymers.

[MJ45]

i use a branded flux remover. it's either made by mg chem or chemtronics, but it's frickin effective. it's basically every organic solvent at once. they skip the solvents that will destroy the pcb itself, but that's it.

When I ran out of flux remover I tried some R/C car Nitro cleaner and it worked better than the MG chemicals stuff I normally use. I may use this stuff from now on.

[mkawa]

woah! how can deny trying out something called nitro?! duly noted

[loadstar81]

This thread is a goldmine, thanks doods

[MOZ]

I use petrol and find it cleans much better than 99% IPA.

As in gasoline? Phew, I don't think I could stand the smell.

Yes.

[TheSoulhunter]

I use petrol and find it cleans much better than 99% IPA.

But doesn't it leave residue by itself (in difference to IPA which fully evaporates, which is the reason they use it for optic equipment I guess)?

[MOZ]

I use petrol and find it cleans much better than 99% IPA.

But doesn't it leave residue by itself (in difference to IPA which fully evaporates, which is the reason they use it for optic equipment I guess)?

In my experience, yes, but negligible which soon evaporates as well, since petrol is highly volatile.

[mkawa]

both IPA and hydrocarbon solvents (of which petroleum distillates such as naptha kerosene, etc. etc. etc. are all such) are incredibly volatile and will vaporize quite quickly. the most annoying thing about them actually is that they disassemble/dissolve the thing you don't want on there and then they vaporize and then you have the remains of the thing to clean up with yet another cleaner. BLURGH!

[JPG]

Hey, what kind of tips does the Hakko FX888D come with? Does it have the "popular" chisels tips?

If not, where do you buy them? They are like 10$ each + shipping (like almost another 10$ for me) on ebay...

[mkawa]

it comes with a t18-d16 1.6mm chisel. the cheapest place i've found tips is actually fry's. ebay tips are usually knock-offs, so don't bother with that. the reseller that consistently gets the buy box on amazon for the 888D also sells tips FBA and they only charge a couple bucks for the pick and pack fees. imo though, unless you need a really weird SMD tip or you know you're going to be soldering something GIGANTIC (even my welder didn't need more than the d16 by the way), don't bother buying more tips until you have a lot more experience and something particularly weird to solder

[JPG]

OK, thx for the info, that 1.6mm should work just good!

[bpiphany]

why not the second one?

It has the flat sides, which is a good start. But the tip is too round. It should be a sharp edge, like a knife, no radius. It's too blunt to put it in other words. It probably does pretty good for large stuff like through hole soldering.

I usually cheat a little when soldering through hole. I start of by melting the solder wire against the iron to get the heat transfer going. After that I continue feeding the solder directly onto the contact surfaces.

For cleaning I use regular rubbing alcohol and a brush (ESD just to play it safe). Then I rinse off in a second cleaner bath of the same alcohol. If I have access to it I finish off by blow drying with pressurized air. That way remaining solids are blown off rather than drying onto the surface.

[StrikeEagleCC]

I usually cheat a little when soldering through hole. I start of by melting the solder wire against the iron to get the heat transfer going. After that I continue feeding the solder directly onto the contact surfaces.

That's actually exactly what you're supposed to do. IPC soldering manuals provide instruction to do exactly that.

e) Place the soldering iron tip on the connection at the point of maximum thermal mass.
f) Create a heat (solder) bridge by applying flux-cored solder to the junction of the pad, the lead, and the
iron tip (Figure 7-33).

[pixel5]

Building a new keyboard soon...need some solder...whats the best deal on the web right now? Bonus points if I can get it from mouser (do they even sell it?)

[mkawa]

i have a lb of solder that i can divvy up right now as a test to see how people like NOS vs old stock kester 44

[mkawa]

i mean NEW NEW stock vs new OLD STOCK. sorry.

[pixel5]

i have a lb of solder that i can divvy up right now as a test to see how people like NOS vs old stock kester 44

I'll be building a handwired keyboard...is that a good test subject? Or are you looking for people doing PCB stuff?

[damorgue]

i have a lb of solder that i can divvy up right now as a test to see how people like NOS vs old stock kester 44

I'll be building a handwired keyboard...is that a good test subject? Or are you looking for people doing PCB stuff?

That application has even higher demands than PCB work so you are probably suitable. It needs an even stronger mechanical bond and since you are soldering a bunch of free hanging wires you are more likely to move them which is a strong suit of eutectic solder. You do not want to move around a non-eutectic solder joint when it is solidifying. (Not that you want to move around a joint with eutectic solder either, it will just cause less problems.)

[MJ45]

Frys has the Hakko 888D on sale this week for $69.99 which is a good deal if you have a Frys near you. I have the older 888 and its a great solder station for the price range.

[SpAmRaY]

Frys has the Hakko 888D on sale this week for $69.99 which is a good deal if you have a Frys near you. I have the older 888 and its a great solder station for the price range.

That's a really good deal. Too bad I've never even seen a fry's store 

[JPG]

Frys has the Hakko 888D on sale this week for $69.99 which is a good deal if you have a Frys near you. I have the older 888 and its a great solder station for the price range.

That's a really good deal. Too bad I've never even seen a fry's store 

^this...

How much would it cost to send one to Canada? 

[jdcarpe]

Frys has the Hakko 888D on sale this week for $69.99 which is a good deal if you have a Frys near you. I have the older 888 and its a great solder station for the price range.

That's a really good deal. Too bad I've never even seen a fry's store 

^this...

How much would it cost to send one to Canada? 

Medium flat rate box priority from the US to Canada is $41.95

[tjcaustin]

Frys has the Hakko 888D on sale this week for $69.99 which is a good deal if you have a Frys near you. I have the older 888 and its a great solder station for the price range.

That's a really good deal. Too bad I've never even seen a fry's store 

Fry's does online ordering/shipping.

[Parak]

I'll just leave these here for possible inclusion in sticky; as relevant today as they were back in the day they were made:

list=PL926EC0F1F93C1837

list=PL958FF32927823D12

[SpAmRaY]

Frys has the Hakko 888D on sale this week for $69.99 which is a good deal if you have a Frys near you. I have the older 888 and its a great solder station for the price range.

That's a really good deal. Too bad I've never even seen a fry's store 

Fry's does online ordering/shipping.

 Shipping: Available In-Store Only

[tjcaustin]

Frys has the Hakko 888D on sale this week for $69.99 which is a good deal if you have a Frys near you. I have the older 888 and its a great solder station for the price range.

That's a really good deal. Too bad I've never even seen a fry's store 

Fry's does online ordering/shipping.

 Shipping: Available In-Store Only

Where you live?

[SpAmRaY]

Frys has the Hakko 888D on sale this week for $69.99 which is a good deal if you have a Frys near you. I have the older 888 and its a great solder station for the price range.

That's a really good deal. Too bad I've never even seen a fry's store 

Fry's does online ordering/shipping.

 Shipping: Available In-Store Only

Where you live?

middle of nowhere between st louis, chicago, nashville and indianopolis

you have my address ccng haha

[tjcaustin]

Frys has the Hakko 888D on sale this week for $69.99 which is a good deal if you have a Frys near you. I have the older 888 and its a great solder station for the price range.

That's a really good deal. Too bad I've never even seen a fry's store 

Fry's does online ordering/shipping.

 Shipping: Available In-Store Only

Where you live?

middle of nowhere between st louis, chicago, nashville and indianopolis

you have my address ccng haha

Doesn't mean I memorized it

Make it worth my while to get one and mail it to you.

[SpAmRaY]

Frys has the Hakko 888D on sale this week for $69.99 which is a good deal if you have a Frys near you. I have the older 888 and its a great solder station for the price range.

That's a really good deal. Too bad I've never even seen a fry's store 

Fry's does online ordering/shipping.

 Shipping: Available In-Store Only

Where you live?

middle of nowhere between st louis, chicago, nashville and indianopolis

you have my address ccng haha

Doesn't mean I memorized it

Make it worth my while to get one and mail it to you.

But then I'd have to do something with the hakko 888 I already have

I'd better not, thanks for offering though 

[dragonxx21]

Hey guys, I'm looking to get a soldering iron as I may do some DIY boards in the future. The only concern I have is that I don't know how much soldering I will be doing in the future, so I'm unsure on whether or not I should spend a lot of money on an iron just to have it laying around doing nothing. How good are the budget irons? I noticed that the Yihua 936 here is basically a clone of the Hakko 936, but the price of $15.34 has me pretty skeptical. Do you think it would be worth it to go for something like the Hakko FX-888D (I found it online at a Canadian retailer for $110 shipped), or should I go for something cheaper?

[Photekq]

Hey guys, I'm looking to get a soldering iron as I may do some DIY boards in the future. The only concern I have is that I don't know how much soldering I will be doing in the future, so I'm unsure on whether or not I should spend a lot of money on an iron just to have it laying around doing nothing. How good are the budget irons? I noticed that the Yihua 936 here is basically a clone of the Hakko 936, but the price of $15.34 has me pretty skeptical. Do you think it would be worth it to go for something like the Hakko FX-888D (I found it online at a Canadian retailer for $110 shipped), or should I go for something cheaper?

I have the Yihua. Nothing special, but it does the job quite well. Far better than anything with a price anywhere near $20.

[Thimplum]

Hey guys, I'm looking to get a soldering iron as I may do some DIY boards in the future. The only concern I have is that I don't know how much soldering I will be doing in the future, so I'm unsure on whether or not I should spend a lot of money on an iron just to have it laying around doing nothing. How good are the budget irons? I noticed that the Yihua 936 here is basically a clone of the Hakko 936, but the price of $15.34 has me pretty skeptical. Do you think it would be worth it to go for something like the Hakko FX-888D (I found it online at a Canadian retailer for $110 shipped), or should I go for something cheaper?

I have the Yihua. Nothing special, but it does the job quite well. Far better than anything with a price anywhere near $20.

I don't own one, but I've used one a few times. It's quite solidly built, and heats up fast. I recommend it if you're on a budget.

[mkawa]

that is what is known as a deal folks

that said, frys has been running some in-store only deals where they have like 1 unit in a region. if that's the case, not worth it for 10 bucks

[dragonxx21]

Hey guys, I'm looking to get a soldering iron as I may do some DIY boards in the future. The only concern I have is that I don't know how much soldering I will be doing in the future, so I'm unsure on whether or not I should spend a lot of money on an iron just to have it laying around doing nothing. How good are the budget irons? I noticed that the Yihua 936 here is basically a clone of the Hakko 936, but the price of $15.34 has me pretty skeptical. Do you think it would be worth it to go for something like the Hakko FX-888D (I found it online at a Canadian retailer for $110 shipped), or should I go for something cheaper?

I have the Yihua. Nothing special, but it does the job quite well. Far better than anything with a price anywhere near $20.

I don't own one, but I've used one a few times. It's quite solidly built, and heats up fast. I recommend it if you're on a budget.

The Yihua 936 will run me about ~$45. Would it be worth it to go up $65 and get a Hakko FX-888D, or should I use that saved money for things like a fume extractor, solder, extra tips, etc.? For ~$45 would there be any better alternatives, or is the Yihua 936 the king of budget?

[VesperSAINT]

Hey guys, I'm looking to get a soldering iron as I may do some DIY boards in the future. The only concern I have is that I don't know how much soldering I will be doing in the future, so I'm unsure on whether or not I should spend a lot of money on an iron just to have it laying around doing nothing. How good are the budget irons? I noticed that the Yihua 936 here is basically a clone of the Hakko 936, but the price of $15.34 has me pretty skeptical. Do you think it would be worth it to go for something like the Hakko FX-888D (I found it online at a Canadian retailer for $110 shipped), or should I go for something cheaper?

I have the Yihua. Nothing special, but it does the job quite well. Far better than anything with a price anywhere near $20.

I don't own one, but I've used one a few times. It's quite solidly built, and heats up fast. I recommend it if you're on a budget.

The Yihua 936 will run me about ~$45. Would it be worth it to go up $65 and get a Hakko FX-888D, or should I use that saved money for things like a fume extractor, solder, extra tips, etc.? For ~$45 would there be any better alternatives, or is the Yihua 936 the king of budget?

+1 to this. I'd love to know as I have to get a replacement soldering iron too by the end of the month!

Also where can you get a Hakko FX-888D for $65?

[dragonxx21]

VesperSAINT, sorry if it was a little confusing, but I meant spend an extra $65 to get the Hakko FX-888D (It's $110 shipped in Canada).

[Melvang]

So I am in the process of building a custom detachable cable for a keyboard project and have a question.  On a standard USB cable does the wire wrap for shielding really need to be soldered to the shroud of the plug for the USB to function?  Or does it even need to be soldered to the shroud at all?

If it does any suggestions if the shielding on mine won't take solder?  I can get it hot enough to melt the solder on the wire itself but it just beads up and runs off with none sticking to the wire.

Melvang

[tjcaustin]

So I am in the process of building a custom detachable cable for a keyboard project and have a question.  On a standard USB cable does the wire wrap for shielding really need to be soldered to the shroud of the plug for the USB to function?  Or does it even need to be soldered to the shroud at all?

If it does any suggestions if the shielding on mine won't take solder?  I can get it hot enough to melt the solder on the wire itself but it just beads up and runs off with none sticking to the wire.

Melvang

It does not need to attach, no.

[mkawa]

the shielding is literally just there to shield. it doesn't need to be tied to ground, it just needs to block E field. metallized foil does that no matter what potential it's at, for the most part.

[Melvang]

Excellent thanks guys.  You just made this cable a lot easier.

[mkawa]

 

[JPG]

Hey guys, I'm looking to get a soldering iron as I may do some DIY boards in the future. The only concern I have is that I don't know how much soldering I will be doing in the future, so I'm unsure on whether or not I should spend a lot of money on an iron just to have it laying around doing nothing. How good are the budget irons? I noticed that the Yihua 936 here is basically a clone of the Hakko 936, but the price of $15.34 has me pretty skeptical. Do you think it would be worth it to go for something like the Hakko FX-888D (I found it online at a Canadian retailer for $110 shipped), or should I go for something cheaper?

I have the Yihua. Nothing special, but it does the job quite well. Far better than anything with a price anywhere near $20.

I don't own one, but I've used one a few times. It's quite solidly built, and heats up fast. I recommend it if you're on a budget.

The Yihua 936 will run me about ~$45. Would it be worth it to go up $65 and get a Hakko FX-888D, or should I use that saved money for things like a fume extractor, solder, extra tips, etc.? For ~$45 would there be any better alternatives, or is the Yihua 936 the king of budget?

I am having the same dilemma, but right now I consider that the Yihua is a deal at 15$, but at 45$ it's not worth it while at least with the FX888D you know you will get some better quality that should last.

[jdcarpe]

For my money, the Yihua 936 is the best soldering station you can get for $50 or less. Above that, you might as well spring for the Hakko FX-888D ($90), or a used Hakko 936 ($75).

The Yihua is definitely a "deal" at $15 plus shipping (also $15), so the total shipped to the US has always been $30. I still think it's far better than the Weller WLC-100, which typically runs $50.

[mkawa]

i have bought many tools in my lifetime and the only ones i still have are the ones that i put the extra scratch into. the others all end up broken. a broken tool is a useless tool. buy quality tools that are designed to be rebuilt and resharpened and used for the rest of your life. it may be a 50% premium, but over time, an eg 500$ multimeter is like 25$/year if you use it for 20 years. my last 200$ multimeter went 10 years and is going to go another 10 years with ron.

another thing you find when you're constantly breaking tools is that THEY COST YOU EXTRA TIME. you have a tool and a job. you need to accomplish the job, so you use the tool, it breaks you swear, YOUR JOB IS STILL NOT DONE. eff! buy another cheap one and the cycle repeats. buy tools to last.

[damorgue]

another thing you find when you're constantly breaking tools is that THEY COST YOU EXTRA TIME. you have a tool and a job. you need to accomplish the job, so you use the tool, it breaks you swear, YOUR JOB IS STILL NOT DONE. eff! buy another cheap one and the cycle repeats. buy tools to last.

Not only that, but some tools which break while you use them can damage the actual object you are working on. If you work on expensive or otherwise important objects, use decent tools.

[JPG]

Ok Ok:

Birthday list:

- Hakko FX888D

[Melvang]

another thing you find when you're constantly breaking tools is that THEY COST YOU EXTRA TIME. you have a tool and a job. you need to accomplish the job, so you use the tool, it breaks you swear, YOUR JOB IS STILL NOT DONE. eff! buy another cheap one and the cycle repeats. buy tools to last.

Not only that, but some tools which break while you use them can destroy the object you are working on.

on top of the possibility of damage to yourself.  I don't care what you are doing, no job is worth a finger.

[Tarzan]

For my money, the Yihua 936 is the best soldering station you can get for $50 or less. Above that, you might as well spring for the Hakko FX-888D ($90), or a used Hakko 936 ($75).

The Yihua is definitely a "deal" at $15 plus shipping (also $15), so the total shipped to the US has always been $30. I still think it's far better than the Weller WLC-100, which typically runs $50.

I'm very pleased so far with the Aoyue 937+ I bought via Amazon; $61 shipped.  Digital heat settings, heats up fast, hold temperature well, comes with spare element, and takes the same tips as Hakko.

[Melvang]

I have the Weller WLC-100 with the 1-5 heat settings and I haven't had any problems with it yet.  Heats up quick and seems to hold heat setting pretty well.  I got mine at a local Sears for around 50.