Electronics > Beginners
Trying to solder correctly
FreddieChopin:
Soldering is a lot like TIG welding so if you master one you'll easy pickup another. :-+
tooki:
--- Quote from: SPFC on July 30, 2019, 04:22:24 am ---
--- Quote from: HB9EVI on July 28, 2019, 10:09:28 am ---I consider 20W as too weak for many soldering works; it maybe still works well on small pcb islands, but as soon as you're facing e.g. bigger gnd areas, you're lost with 20W; you have to excessivly heat the working area for a longer time what can cause fatal thermal stress to the component you want to solder.
It's a widespread misunderstanding to use low power irons for example for smd works - the result always is increased heat exposure to the components; not only it sucks to work like that, it can cause harm to your components and to the pcb itself.
--- End quote ---
HB9EVI,
I already know and understand that Americans like powerfull things. But as I am from Brazil, life here is more difficult and I won't use it for working, I don't intend to spend so much on it. A soldering station, even buying from abroad, is expensive.
--- End quote ---
I'm not sure why you felt it appropriate to bash on Americans; the advice that HB9EVI (who isn't American) gave you is factually correct, and has nothing to do with preferences (and even less to do with stereotypes).
Old Printer:
I have used both the newer brass wool or whatever it is and the damp sponge, sometimes I have both ready at the same time. I have found there are different qualities of the brass wool. Get some from one of the major manufacturers like Hakko. I bought a cheap knock-off brass wool cleaner and it did not work nearly as well as the good stuff.
Shock:
--- Quote from: Old Printer on September 10, 2019, 09:36:44 pm ---I have used both the newer brass wool or whatever it is and the damp sponge, sometimes I have both ready at the same time. I have found there are different qualities of the brass wool. Get some from one of the major manufacturers like Hakko. I bought a cheap knock-off brass wool cleaner and it did not work nearly as well as the good stuff.
--- End quote ---
If you have the cheap stuff still, test it to see if it's magnetic. Real brass wool should not be magnetic. Genuine Hakko wool will also have flux added.
macboy:
--- Quote from: Old Printer on September 10, 2019, 09:36:44 pm ---I have used both the newer brass wool or whatever it is and the damp sponge, sometimes I have both ready at the same time. I have found there are different qualities of the brass wool. Get some from one of the major manufacturers like Hakko. I bought a cheap knock-off brass wool cleaner and it did not work nearly as well as the good stuff.
--- End quote ---
I bought a 10-pack of Thermaltronics brand brass wool things ("Thermaltronics BC-10") on Amazon for just a few dollars, so "proper" ones do not need to be expensive. I do use them, but most of the time, I prefer the damp sponge. I am slowly warming up to using the brass more frequently. It takes time to re-train an old brain.
A neat trick that you sometimes see is a layer of hard rosin at the bottom of the brass wool holder. If your tip gets especially nasty, you can press it through the brass wool, right into that rosin layer, which eats away the oxides. Then use the brass to remove the smoking rosin, and the tip is nice and fresh. It works great. A soldering iron/heat gun combo I bought a few years ago came with this setup, and at first I didn't understand why the rosin was there. It seems obvious once you know.
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