Author Topic: The Living Soldering Thread (Read 1854115 times)

ideus · « **Reply #2600 on:** Thu, 26 March 2015, 19:49:48 »

Is it better a soldering torch, or a regular iron for SMD components?

Melvang · « **Reply #2601 on:** Thu, 26 March 2015, 20:49:43 »

Quote from: ideus on Thu, 26 March 2015, 19:49:48

Is it better a soldering torch, or a regular iron for SMD components?

No torch for anything with electronics. Hot air is ok, but no torch, that is only for pluming and jewelry.

ideus · « **Reply #2602 on:** Thu, 26 March 2015, 20:50:37 »

Quote from: Melvang on Thu, 26 March 2015, 20:49:43

Quote from: ideus on Thu, 26 March 2015, 19:49:48
Is it better a soldering torch, or a regular iron for SMD components?

No torch for anything with electronics. Hot air is ok, but no torch, that is only for pluming and jewelry.

Thanks bro. But I am referring to the ones that use a butane flame to get a metal tip to get hot. Similar to a regular electric soldering iron.

Melvang · « **Reply #2603 on:** Thu, 26 March 2015, 20:56:09 »

I still wouldn't, I can't imagine being able to accurately control the temp at the tip. We had one in the AT shop in the navy, never saw it work right. I would rather have a plug in one that I don't have to worry about keeping full of fuel.

ideus · « **Reply #2604 on:** Thu, 26 March 2015, 20:57:22 »

Quote from: Melvang on Thu, 26 March 2015, 20:56:09

I still wouldn't, I can't imagine being able to accurately control the temp at the tip. We had one in the AT shop in the navy, never saw it work right. I would rather have a plug in one that I don't have to worry about keeping full of fuel.

Alright, thank you again.

phoenix1234 · « **Reply #2605 on:** Thu, 26 March 2015, 22:55:51 »

Quote from: ideus on Thu, 26 March 2015, 19:49:48

Is it better a soldering torch, or a regular iron for SMD components?

Usually the soldering torch has no temperature control even it has hot air nozzle supported, so it would easily burn the SMD components. The regular iron on other hand may require more effort because the SMD is very small, we may need to microscope for the tiny soldering joins.

slip84 · « **Reply #2606 on:** Sun, 05 April 2015, 09:29:24 »

So, I should have probably invested before I left the US, but...

Where in the GTA (Toronto area) can I pick up some good soldering equipment without breaking the bank? Amazon.ca has a mediocre selection from what I can tell. I need to desolder some switches from two boards for starters. Any help I can get would be deeply appreciated!

I'll go pick through this thread and see if anyone has any insight for starters.

Baxter · « **Reply #2607 on:** Mon, 06 April 2015, 11:51:42 »

A few pictures of how I stripped the wires for my columns on a grid-layout board, I used single core wire and a wire stripper.

Taking each piece cut to about the height of the grid:

Strip the end off in the normal way:

And for each following piece align them to about the width of a single key body:

If you trigger the strippers just until they almost bite you'll get nice clean sections of insulation cut down the core.

I threaded these behind the rows and aligned them into place before soldering, it's useful to slide the insulated sections as far away as possible from the solder point to prevent melting or neighbouring wires pressing through the through the warmed insulation:

You may be able to make out some small dimples in some of the pieces of insulation indicating their position while the wire was hot mid-solder, none of them melted all the way through but it's probably best to make sure they're repositioned so the row wires aren't sitting over them when in normal operation.

twiddle · « **Reply #2608 on:** Wed, 08 April 2015, 17:26:09 »

PACE just made a bunch of process guides available on their website:
http://paceworldwide.com/pacenter/process-guides

Bunch of videos and PDFs available, too. Perhaps these will be useful? I know PACE's old videos on youtube were highly regarded by some.

En4cer408 · « **Reply #2609 on:** Wed, 08 April 2015, 17:52:06 »

what kit should i buy for a 1st timer

Bovakine · « **Reply #2610 on:** Thu, 09 April 2015, 11:04:40 »

I'm completely new to soldering and trying to figure out what kind of equipment I should buy. I had done some research and found the Weller WLC100 40-Watt Soldering Station to buy highly recommended for beginners. Also, the price is only $40, which I like. Would I be better off getting a more budget/beginner station like the Weller, or should I make a more significant investment in an Edsyn station?

Rose · « **Reply #2611 on:** Thu, 09 April 2015, 18:31:51 »

Here is my first practice soldering. I was surprised by how quickly the solder turned to liquid (instantly). I never felt like I was getting enough on there and every time I tried to add more it seemed to disappear. I think it was sticking to the tip of the iron. I am using 40 watt Weller with a 0.8 mm tip and 63/37 0.02 inch solder. The connections all seem to be holding. I realize the second diode is backwards. Do these look acceptable?

tbc · « **Reply #2612 on:** Fri, 10 April 2015, 02:44:34 »

what does it mean when a switch only actuates when fully depressed and only sometimes at that.

is that a solder problem or a switch problem?

bpiphany · « **Reply #2613 on:** Fri, 10 April 2015, 04:17:44 »

Quote from: Rose on Thu, 09 April 2015, 18:31:51

Here is my first practice soldering. I was surprised by how quickly the solder turned to liquid (instantly). I never felt like I was getting enough on there and every time I tried to add more it seemed to disappear. I think it was sticking to the tip of the iron. I am using 40 watt Weller with a 0.8 mm tip and 63/37 0.02 inch solder. The connections all seem to be holding. I realize the second diode is backwards. Do these look acceptable?

If your solder melts onto the iron, that usually indicates your joint is not getting enough heat. The tip should hold a tiny bit of solder to help transferring heat to the joint. After that the solder should be added to the joint, not the iron. If the surfaces you are trying to solder are very oxidized or covered in some other gunk (like lacquer) you may experience similar problems as well.

You picture is a bit blurry. It's hard to tell about the joints, but at least they don't look horrible.

mkawa · « **Reply #2614 on:** Fri, 10 April 2015, 07:19:37 »

The wlc-100 is not a good iron. It's variable power fixed temp and the iron heater is horrid as are the tips. You are better off with a high quality fixed temp iron instead.

Rose · « **Reply #2615 on:** Fri, 10 April 2015, 10:30:03 »

Quote from: Rose on Thu, 09 April 2015, 18:31:51

Here is my first practice soldering. I was surprised by how quickly the solder turned to liquid (instantly). I never felt like I was getting enough on there and every time I tried to add more it seemed to disappear. I think it was sticking to the tip of the iron. I am using 40 watt Weller with a 0.8 mm tip and 63/37 0.02 inch solder. The connections all seem to be holding. I realize the second diode is backwards. Do these look acceptable?

If your solder melts onto the iron, that usually indicates your joint is not getting enough heat. The tip should hold a tiny bit of solder to help transferring heat to the joint. After that the solder should be added to the joint, not the iron. If the surfaces you are trying to solder are very oxidized or covered in some other gunk (like lacquer) you may experience similar problems as well.

You picture is a bit blurry. It's hard to tell about the joints, but at least they don't look horrible.
[/quote]

Hopefully one of these pictures is better. I did notice on the last one that I had the most success when I heated up the joint only and then quickly removed the tip and applied the solder. I hadn't intentionally put a dab of solder on the tip to help transfer heat but I think there was already some on the joint from a previous attempt. I'll try putting a little on the tip, heating the joint, then applying solder to the heated joint. Would it make sense to use a larger tip in this case? The solder I'm using is very thin and I can be fairly precise when applying it so maybe heating up a larger area of the joint would make things easier.

IMG_0190.JPG

IMG_0198.JPG

Joey Quinn · « **Reply #2616 on:** Fri, 10 April 2015, 10:52:08 »

Quote from: Rose on Fri, 10 April 2015, 10:30:03

Hopefully one of these pictures is better. I did notice on the last one that I had the most success when I heated up the joint only and then quickly removed the tip and applied the solder. I hadn't intentionally put a dab of solder on the tip to help transfer heat but I think there was already some on the joint from a previous attempt. I'll try putting a little on the tip, heating the joint, then applying solder to the heated joint. Would it make sense to use a larger tip in this case? The solder I'm using is very thin and I can be fairly precise when applying it so maybe heating up a larger area of the joint would make things easier.

(Attachment Link) (Attachment Link)

You don't need to remove the iron then apply the solder, just use the tip to heat the joint and place the solder near the tip but not on it. In this case a larger tip could help but as mkawa said the 40W Weller is pretty rough, a better station will help you more.

hasu · « **Reply #2617 on:** Tue, 14 April 2015, 03:08:15 »

Damn. I can't get JBC station even if I win the first prize!

http://bit.ly/1Cv9NxG

Evo_Spec · « **Reply #2618 on:** Tue, 14 April 2015, 03:19:36 »

Unfortunately I already finished my board but someone mentioned something about their PCB bowing which brought up this question in my head.

When I have a PCB that has a slight bow in it should I be bending it to straighten it out or just deal with that when I'm soldering the switches to it? (cause that's what I did, I did the 4 corners and then slightly pushed the middle and soldered some joints there to hold it)
I was worried about bending it back because of the controller and other components that were already soldered on the PCB.

fknraiden · « **Reply #2619 on:** Sun, 26 April 2015, 04:41:32 »

Just started my project, does it look like I'm doing this right so far?

Ouro · « **Reply #2620 on:** Mon, 27 April 2015, 09:10:44 »

Picked up some stuff to build my RS84. How did I do?

Picked up:
Hakko FX888D
Chisel tip for the Hakko
Kester "44" Rosin Core Solder 63/37 .031"
Desoldering braid

Will be desoldering a Cherry MX8100 G80-8113 with MX Clears.

My only previous experience with soldering has been with my PSU cables.

fknraiden · « **Reply #2621 on:** Mon, 27 April 2015, 19:42:53 »

Quote from: Ouro on Mon, 27 April 2015, 09:10:44

Picked up some stuff to build my RS84. How did I do?

Picked up:
Hakko FX888D
Chisel tip for the Hakko
Kester "44" Rosin Core Solder 63/37 .031"
Desoldering braid

Will be desoldering a Cherry MX8100 G80-8113 with MX Clears.

My only previous experience with soldering has been with my PSU cables.

You dun did good. I'm about to get a 880 myself, please let me know how you like it. Desoldering will take the most time, especially with braid. I suggest getting a soldapult.

hasu · « **Reply #2622 on:** Mon, 27 April 2015, 21:18:58 »

I prefer conical cut tip(BC or C) than chiel tip(D) but it is totally personal preference. Try both and ohter tips if possible.
Get solder sucker also. Both braid and it are needed for desoldering.

TomBodet · « **Reply #2623 on:** Mon, 27 April 2015, 22:12:37 »

OK, I'm going to add to the "what should I get" part of this thread...

I've got a Dox Infinity coming once the drop ships and have read this thread top to bottom and am no closer to figuring what I should pick up.

I'm not new to soldering but my experience is limited to cable repairs and connectors, no board work (unless you count the Heath kit I never got working in high school). For the last 2 decades I've had the same fixed watt iron I probably got at either RS or from some cheapo tool kit. It's tired and is not gonna hack it for this.

I thought about the Hakko until mkawa re-evaled it months later. Weller has always been in every shop I've ever worked out of but have read comments in other places that their quality has slipped a little; don't know if that's just a couple angry guys that got a bum unit or if there's anything to it, but a WES51 looks to be next on the list of options. The 951sxe on geekhackers is of a curiosity but don't really know anything about them (ok like I know anything about any of these companies...).

Frankly I pull the iron out once or twice a year. This will be by far the most soldering I've done in say the last 10 years put together. I just want something that's gonna last me a long while so if I pay for it now, I'm not re-paying in another 5 years (I can be ridiculously cheap). That's my biggest concern about the digital stuff, more things that can go wrong even when not being used.

Recommendations?

Thanks!

margo baggins · « **Reply #2624 on:** Tue, 28 April 2015, 00:58:57 »

https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=D2061ACA9EDE7042&id=D2061ACA9EDE7042%2110753&v=3&authkey=%21AB_CFwR7YMCLrTY

I recorded a session of me soldering, so this is how I do solderings

Joey Quinn · « **Reply #2625 on:** Tue, 28 April 2015, 01:07:18 »

Quote from: margo baggins on Tue, 28 April 2015, 00:58:57

https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=D2061ACA9EDE7042&id=D2061ACA9EDE7042%2110753&v=3&authkey=%21AB_CFwR7YMCLrTY

I recorded a session of me soldering, so this is how I do solderings

That bin of trimmings at the start.

margo baggins · « **Reply #2626 on:** Tue, 28 April 2015, 02:03:46 »

Yes there is no space left in that anymore :S have to place each new addition carefully

I should throw them away, or at least some of them, but they are so useful! Fix up loads of stuff with old legs.

Joey Quinn · « **Reply #2627 on:** Tue, 28 April 2015, 02:36:01 »

Yeah, I always save a little baggie of legs to use as jumpers. At this point how quickly can you do a JD40?

margo baggins · « **Reply #2628 on:** Tue, 28 April 2015, 02:45:03 »

I don't know really. That video didn't have putting all the diodes in place and soldering them, which is maybe the slowest bit. And it doesn't include sanding the case and screwing it all up together.

I would like to think if I went really quick I could do it in an hour, including the sanding and the diodes and trimming the switches, but it's probably more like 1.5 hours. The idea of just building 1 JD40 at a time, is weird to me though haha.

Joey Quinn · « **Reply #2629 on:** Tue, 28 April 2015, 02:50:48 »

Ok, that's about what I was expecting. When I made my 42% it took about 2.5 but I had a bunch of SMT to solder and the case needed some sanding and filing.You really do crank them out though. Keep up the good work and don't let yourself burn out!

greath · « **Reply #2630 on:** Fri, 01 May 2015, 10:27:49 »

Is this the solder most people are recommending to pick up?

I am planning on doing a switch swap out for right now. I have an Edsyn 951sxe and Soldapullt coming in. I have a multimeter. Looking at the list on the front page, I'm missing:

* Solder spool holder
* Magnifying lamp/Jewler's visor
* Smoke Absorber
* Separate Flux
* Helping Hands
* Heat gun

Do I NEED any of these things? I feel like most of these are quality of life enhancements. Not sure about the smoke absorber...

Is there something else you all would highly recommend I get (besides practice) before I start the project? I spent an entire summer soldering at an internship in high school, but that was almost 15 years ago I don't remember all the ins and outs.

Evo_Spec · « **Reply #2631 on:** Fri, 01 May 2015, 19:59:27 »

Quote from: greath on Fri, 01 May 2015, 10:27:49

Is this the solder most people are recommending to pick up?

I am planning on doing a switch swap out for right now. I have an Edsyn 951sxe and Soldapullt coming in. I have a multimeter. Looking at the list on the front page, I'm missing:

* Solder spool holder
* Magnifying lamp/Jewler's visor
* Smoke Absorber
* Separate Flux
* Helping Hands
* Heat gun

Do I NEED any of these things? I feel like most of these are quality of life enhancements. Not sure about the smoke absorber...

Is there something else you all would highly recommend I get (besides practice) before I start the project? I spent an entire summer soldering at an internship in high school, but that was almost 15 years ago I don't remember all the ins and outs.

Is this just for one keyboard? or are you looking to be using this station pretty regularly?
If you're not looking to do many projects then this stuff isn't needed but if you're going to be using this station weekly/bi-weekly then this stuff would make life a lot easier.
All i have is an iron, solder, solder sucker and tweezers because i only needed it for a board or 2.

Ouro · « **Reply #2632 on:** Fri, 01 May 2015, 20:18:17 »

De soldered a bunch of switches on the mx8100 I purchased on eBay without the use of the de soldering ribbon. I have to admit, I was skeptical at first but it actually works!

Cleaned most solder points well AND no marks were left on the PCB.

Was soldering at 510F. Too high?

greath · « **Reply #2633 on:** Fri, 01 May 2015, 22:05:50 »

Quote from: Evo_Spec on Fri, 01 May 2015, 19:59:27

Quote from: greath on Fri, 01 May 2015, 10:27:49
Is this the solder most people are recommending to pick up?

I am planning on doing a switch swap out for right now. I have an Edsyn 951sxe and Soldapullt coming in. I have a multimeter. Looking at the list on the front page, I'm missing:

* Solder spool holder
* Magnifying lamp/Jewler's visor
* Smoke Absorber
* Separate Flux
* Helping Hands
* Heat gun

Do I NEED any of these things? I feel like most of these are quality of life enhancements. Not sure about the smoke absorber...

Is there something else you all would highly recommend I get (besides practice) before I start the project? I spent an entire summer soldering at an internship in high school, but that was almost 15 years ago I don't remember all the ins and outs.

Is this just for one keyboard? or are you looking to be using this station pretty regularly?
If you're not looking to do many projects then this stuff isn't needed but if you're going to be using this station weekly/bi-weekly then this stuff would make life a lot easier.
All i have is an iron, solder, solder sucker and tweezers because i only needed it for a board or 2.

Just one board for now. I see myself using the iron maybe 5 times a year for random projects and fixing things around the house.

Thanks, I guess that's all I really need for now then

asgeirtj · « **Reply #2634 on:** Sat, 02 May 2015, 09:19:50 »

So I was modding the switches on my ikbc today and when I soldered everything back together and tried to connect the keyboard I got a "USB device malfunctioned" error and it doesn't work. Now I reckon it's impossible for you guys to know what went wrong but my thinking is that I maybe grazed something on the pcb which I shouldn't have with my iron. The thing is, I have a pretty bad iron I think and I think it's maybe not optimal for this kind of soldering. It's just the cheapest iron I found, it was about 15$. It's only 30w, so I didn't think it would get too hot, but people have asked me if I'm soldering with a blowtorch. It doesn't have any temperature settings. Here is a picture of my setup.

Here are pictures of the soldering job.

It's pretty messy, anything I could be doing better?

Also, this isn't the first time I've had problems. see http://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/30n0dp/soldering_issue/

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_lChtXnCm4PejBXcnZxVHVUaG5vV3RxVWxqb1Q1aFpUeFNB/view

So do I need a better Iron? I'm not looking to spend much, just something that does the job, I don't solder much. At minimum an iron which doesn't ruin my boards

.

asgeirtj · « **Reply #2635 on:** Sat, 02 May 2015, 16:12:23 »

Ok so update: I realized that one of the diodes was a little burnt (C3)

Apparently I had grazed it with my iron accidentally. I removed the diode and that fixed the problem. I gather that diodes are for NKRO, does that mean that removing this one diode that I have NKRO -1 ? Anyway after this problem was solved I had another problem, two of the switches didn'twork, turns out that the iron (?) on the other side of the pcb had disappeared:

How does this happen? And is there a way to fix it?

Joey Quinn · « **Reply #2636 on:** Sat, 02 May 2015, 17:30:34 »

That tends to happen after soldering/ desoldering a switch a few times or overheating the trace when soldering or desoldering. The fix is to jump from the pad or switch pin to another one of the same row or column (depending on which trace failed).

Parak · « **Reply #2637 on:** Sat, 02 May 2015, 17:53:44 »

Quote from: asgeirtj on Sat, 02 May 2015, 16:12:23

Ok so update: I realized that one of the diodes was a little burnt (C3)

Apparently I had grazed it with my iron accidentally. I removed the diode and that fixed the problem. I gather that diodes are for NKRO, does that mean that removing this one diode that I have NKRO -1 ?

That's not a diode. It's a ceramic capacitor, and you likely shorted it and the pads it's on with that blob of solder as they are somewhat hard to 'burn'. It's probably a decoupling capacitor, and you should clean it up and solder it back.. ideally. If the board works without it, I suppose you could leave it off. If you had removed a diode instead, the switch on that diode would stop working.

smknjoe · « **Reply #2638 on:** Sat, 02 May 2015, 18:15:54 »

Right, C3 stands for capacitor 3.

mkawa · « **Reply #2639 on:** Wed, 06 May 2015, 18:16:38 »

Quote from: greath on Fri, 01 May 2015, 10:27:49

Is this the solder most people are recommending to pick up?

I am planning on doing a switch swap out for right now. I have an Edsyn 951sxe and Soldapullt coming in. I have a multimeter. Looking at the list on the front page, I'm missing:

* Solder spool holder
* Magnifying lamp/Jewler's visor
* Smoke Absorber
* Separate Flux
* Helping Hands
* Heat gun

Do I NEED any of these things? I feel like most of these are quality of life enhancements. Not sure about the smoke absorber...

Is there something else you all would highly recommend I get (besides practice) before I start the project? I spent an entire summer soldering at an internship in high school, but that was almost 15 years ago I don't remember all the ins and outs.

yah, keep in mind that solder is probably as old as i am. no worries though; just make sure you have a dropper full of flux hanging out to get the solder flowing.

vindaon · « **Reply #2640 on:** Fri, 22 May 2015, 19:52:37 »

Are lead free/ROHS compliant solders worth looking into or should I just stick with the standard 63/37?

Spopepro · « **Reply #2641 on:** Sat, 23 May 2015, 10:38:27 »

Quote from: vindaon on Fri, 22 May 2015, 19:52:37

Are lead free/ROHS compliant solders worth looking into or should I just stick with the standard 63/37?

It depends... I've had some good experiences with high silver (4%) solders, especially when joining silver stranded ptfe coated wire (63/37 doesn't always want to wet). However, the working temp of this solder, and indeed many lead-free solders, is much higher than 63/37. It's probably not a big deal for most keyboard parts, but more temp sensitive components (like electrolytic capacitors, some transistors and ICs, parts with plastic housings) require great care. You will also need an adjustable temp iron in many cases.

tl;dr yes, but not for beginners, and only if you're dedicated.

Blaise170 · « **Reply #2642 on:** Tue, 26 May 2015, 23:35:35 »

Hey guys, what is the best temperature controlled station for ~$70? It needs to be Amazon so that I can get one day shipping on it. Thanks!

Spopepro · « **Reply #2643 on:** Wed, 27 May 2015, 09:18:24 »

Quote from: Blaise170 on Tue, 26 May 2015, 23:35:35

Hey guys, what is the best temperature controlled station for ~$70? It needs to be Amazon so that I can get one day shipping on it. Thanks!

There isn't one I'd reccomend at that price. At ~90 there's the venerable weller wes51 (and the similar hakko is the same price, I just don't remember the number). This is assuming that by "temp controlled" you actually mean "adjustable temp".

jdcarpe · « **Reply #2644 on:** Wed, 27 May 2015, 09:27:58 »

Quote from: Blaise170 on Tue, 26 May 2015, 23:35:35

Hey guys, what is the best temperature controlled station for ~$70? It needs to be Amazon so that I can get one day shipping on it. Thanks!

This one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I30QBW

berserkfan · « **Reply #2645 on:** Mon, 01 June 2015, 14:09:30 »

I have a problem. I opened my Filco minila and discovered this.

You know how tough it can be when one switch lead is bent? Well, all the switch leads are bent on this keyboard. Including most of the 'tough' legs that normally are quite stiff.

Together with it being lead free solder and double sided PCB, I have no idea how to desolder this. But without desoldering, I can't get rid of the original switches and put in my own jailhouse mods.

Blaise170 · « **Reply #2646 on:** Mon, 01 June 2015, 14:35:54 »

I ended up spending the money and just getting the Hakko FX-888D. It's my first high-end soldering station and I love all of the features of it. I wish it were a little more intuitive to use the digital controls, but no real complaints.

digi · « **Reply #2647 on:** Mon, 01 June 2015, 14:42:32 »

Quote from: berserkfan on Mon, 01 June 2015, 14:09:30

I have a problem. I opened my Filco minila and discovered this.

You know how tough it can be when one switch lead is bent? Well, all the switch leads are bent on this keyboard. Including most of the 'tough' legs that normally are quite stiff.

Together with it being lead free solder and double sided PCB, I have no idea how to desolder this. But without desoldering, I can't get rid of the original switches and put in my own jailhouse mods.

hey berserker, someone can correct me if I'm wrong but you'll just need to desolder and solda-pult the solder out like you normally would. Then with some needle nose pliars bend the switch wire straight. You may have to desolder twice, once before bending the wire and again after bending the wire.

...I hate it when they bend the switch leads like that too.

Blaise170 · « **Reply #2648 on:** Mon, 01 June 2015, 14:47:06 »

Quote from: digi on Mon, 01 June 2015, 14:42:32

hey berserker, someone can correct me if I'm wrong but you'll just need to desolder and solda-pult the solder out like you normally would. Then with some needle nose pliars bend the switch wire straight. You may have to desolder twice, once before bending the wire and again after bending the wire.

...I hate it when they bend the switch leads like that too.

That's what I do but I'm not sure if it's any different for lead-free.

mkawa · « **Reply #2649 on:** Mon, 01 June 2015, 20:19:50 »

lead-free has a slightly higher melting point, but if you apply fresh rosin flux when you desolder, you should be able to desolder it without screwing around with tip temperatures. another way to make it a bit easer to clean is to melt some fresh leaded solder on. with fresh flux and solder, particulates of the old joint will (in expectation) flow into a new ball of alloy, with any unmelted fragments becoming encapsulated in fresh metal. once mixed, the entire mass can be cleaned in one go without necessarily reprocessing all the metal in the old joint.

News:

Author Topic: The Living Soldering Thread (Read 1854115 times)