• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Soldering Video Thread and Soldering Questions??

KingBubba

KingBubba

"Too Much Stuff"
I remember a thread a while back that had a video that was a great how to for soldering. Does anyone remember what thread it was in. I have been searching but remain unsuccessful.

The issue I am running into is the solder is sort of standing up instead of laying flat. It ends up looking like a Hersey's Kiss. I have turned down the iron and that seems to help some, but I'm still not happy with what I see in my work.

I also am having some issues with solder removal. My solder removal iron works great when the component's wire is not bent over When it is bent over, too much solder is left behind. Here is a quote from Echowars in a thread I searched. I think I'll try this advice in the future.

"On small connections with little solder, the braid works best. On slightly larger connections with more solder content, the sucker followed by the braid does the job. This should remove all the solder except a tiny bit holding the lead to the pad.

Once the solder is removed, use the solder iron tip to 'break loose' the wire lead. Do not 'lift' the lead away from the board, rather, 'push' it like the hand of a clock (assuming the lead is bent at a right angle to the board, as is commonly done), and once you see it is free of the pad, then you can lift it with the iron tip. Once lifted, clip the lead flush with the pad with a pair of side cutters designed for electronics work, and you should be able to remove the old part fairly easily. Yeah, this practice can be rough on solder iron tips, but tips are replaceable...lifted pads are not.

A small dab of paste flux on the connection to be desoldered can help a lot before hitting it with the solder wick. I don't recommend the paste flux trick before using any type of solder sucker, as it tends to gum things up inside the tool."

Any soldering advice is welcomed here especially if you can tell me the cause of the "Kiss" solder joint. Anyone know where that video is? Thanks to all
 
Register to hide this ad
Bubba
I'm not really following you.!!!!!!!!!

For these boards I'm much more comfortable with just braid for removal.
I think the sucker is good for large parts(BIG CAPS 10,000uf etc.) where there is lots of solder on the joint.
But for general board work I think the sucker makes you stay on the pad longer than necessary and leads to lifted pads and burned spots.
EW has the perfect strategy for those bent over pins. Sometimes you can slide the braid under the bent leg to free it when desoldering.

On parts like transistors I'll sometimes remove some solder from one leg and then go to the other two and go back and forth if I feel I'm getting the connections too hot.

Easy to make a mistake on some of these old boards. Happens to everyone.
 
The "kiss" is normally called a cold solder joint, which is when the lead your soldering too it not hot enough to redaly accept solder, so it tries to come up with the soldering iron tip. try pre-heating the joint for at least several seconds, heatsink delicate components if need be. I started doing that and it helped alot:yes:. I'll add some other advice late (I hope), but that's something to think about.
 
If you're keeping the heat on the connection too long, you'll also burn up all the flux and can end up with the 'Kiss'-looking solder joint. Wait for it to cool, smear a bit of paste flux on it, and reheat the joint just long enough to reflow it and then get outta there. Also, drag the iron away from the joint while in contact with the board...don't simply lift it up and away.
 
Ah ha! Echowars may have hit it on the head. I have been lifting the iron straight up. I'll try the slide tomorrow.
 
I'll add that I use a bulb type solder sucker on most PCB boards to remove as much solder as possible, followed by EW's tip about sliding the wire lead on the pad. Once you get some space between the lead and the pad and break the joint, I pull the heat away and many times I can snip the lead, slip it out and the pad is ready for the new component. You don't have to completely remove all the old solder, the idea is to remove the component without damaging the pad. The braid comes out when I can't get good heat contact with the solder sucker tip and there is still too much solder on the pad for removal.

New solder with flux will make a nice connection that should not kiss. I use minimal heat to reduce flux burn off and once the solder flows, I add enough to make a nice fillet and pull the heat away.
 
Last edited:
I started that thread, after finding a really good site with a whole instructional video series that I thought was excellent, and I'll be damned if I know what happened to it! A few other people added other good online instructional courses. Between them were commercial/industrial, military and private materials that were really EXCELLENT for learning soldering. One of the links even led to the entire US Navy Electrical/Electronic Engineering course materials! I've been soldering for decades, but I still learned a bit and improved my skills from that information. It's buried in the archives, somewhere. Too bad it wasn't converted into a sticky; soldering is something we all need to master, if we are working on old electronic stuff! Learning the techniques of doing it well can save a newbie much frustration, and give anyone better, more consistent results.
 
I guess I start searching the threads you started Arkay. Do you happen to rmrmber how long ago it was that you posted that thread? It was a good one.
 
Since we are on the subject of soldering, what to do about white residue on the foil side of the card after cleaning. I generally use IPA to clean the back of the card to get rid of rosin and even after rinsing with water, there is still a whitish residue dulling the card. Does anyone have any suggestions. I have heard of using turpentine but am reluctant to try it. Any pointers out there for this problem? Thanks for all opinions and comments.
 
This page suggest that IPA may not clean what they call "no-clean" flux, and will leave a white residue behind;

http://www.circuitnet.com/articles/article_40058.shtml(NOTE; i'm not sure about accuracy, so take it with a grain of salt)

I've had that junk on my boards too, but haven't tried removing it. Maybe a pure flux-cleaning product would help?, don't quite know the full extent of IPA.
 
I'm not using no-lead solder so this may or may not be of use. It is no doubt that the residue is most likely resin from the solder which has been dissolved in the IPA. Thanks for the link. It was a good read from some obviously knowledgeable people.
 
Earlier today, I was searching AK for soldering info and came across a thread in which was mentioned that there was a sticky about soldering that was recently added to...... I thought I remembered the DIY forum. It is not there and I can not remember what thread I read it on. I have checked for soldering stickies on a bunch of AK forums with no luck. Does anyone know of the existence of this sticky and where it might be?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom