Recommend a good all-purpose soldering kit

[RoscoeElegante]

Hey, all. Hope you're staying warm. Getting frosty and windy in the East.

What's a good all-purposing soldering kit for general guitar, amp, and old-radio restoration work?

Please opine about the iron, solder, flux, fumes, technique tricks, etc. I haven't done this since I was about 12. And most of what we soldered then was done to get the Shop teacher (Mr. Keister Kick You In Your Buster) angry. E.g., things turning back on when they're switched off, his chair made "lively," etc.

(Don't worry: Karma/consequence has gotten me back for that. Bonus-size.)

Thanks.

 

[5ofeight]

Good topic as I was looking at soldering kits online last night. Sorry, I have nothing to recommend but I am interested to read everyone's opinion on this..

 

[awasson]

You'll want 30 watts or more. A Fairly fine tip.

I used to use Weller soldering guns and soldering stations. They are probably the industry standard.

I Picked up a cheap Chinese soldering station recently. IT has a a temperature rheostat and is a 50 watt pencil. I'm pretty happy with it.

 

[DonM]

Hey, all. Hope you're staying warm. Getting frosty and windy in the East.

What's a good all-purposing soldering kit for general guitar, amp, and old-radio restoration work?

Please opine about the iron, solder, flux, fumes, technique tricks, etc. I haven't done this since I was about 12. And most of what we soldered then was done to get the Shop teacher (Mr. Keister Kick You In Your Buster) angry. E.g., things turning back on when they're switched off, his chair made "lively," etc.

(Don't worry: Karma/consequence has gotten me back for that. Bonus-size.)

Thanks.

I responded to the same request several weeks ago on this or the AGF site. I got this on Amazon for $29.99 and I really like it. Heats up quick, easy to use, and has enough power to do a nice, clean job.

Aoyue 469 Variable Power 60 Watt Soldering Station with Removable Tip Design- ESD Safe

 

[Urshurak776]

I have been using this for 5 years now.

(link removed)

 

[5ofeight]

Lots of good info thanks, There is onevfor sale local which has variable temp, tops out at 40 watt.

 

[john_cribbin]

I bought one of these a few months ago and can highly recommend it.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-W...904000?hash=item58baf77e80:g:4YMAAOSw7I5Tw3bX

It's based on the Hakko units. Not something I've come across yet, but some people have said that the solder bits are not as good as the Hakko bits. But as it's Hakko compatible, you can buy the top quality bits if needed.

Just use the traditional 60/40 multicore solder. You won't find much love for the modern silver solder.

 

[jvin248]

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Guitar soldering is a lot more technique rather than a magic iron. You only need the temperature control if you are doing tiny devices or surface mounted components and so on.

I just get a $5 iron from Harbor Freight that are in the 25 to 45 watt range and take a block of scrap wood for a base and a coat hanger to coil up like you see on those soldering stations and you're ready to go. Check that the tip is tight in the iron and tin the tip before using. You can use a file to shape the tip. I like chisel tips best but round can work. Get one of those $2 solder-suckers from Amazon. That will get you out of trouble sometimes when doing old-work.

Here's the technique part: Sand a spot on the backs of pots and wet with a dot of solder, wet the ends of wires with a dot of solder, then press the wires to the pots and heat with a little dab of solder. Your finished solder joints should look like pictures of Mount Fuji not beads of silver marbles.

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[RogerC]

You can use a file to shape the tip.

Don't think I'd advocate for this course of action. Tips are plated, and if you go filing them down, you're removing the plating which will of course not be good for the tip and shorten its lifespan. Get a decent soldering station (they're not terribly expensive) with an iron that has interchangeable tips.

 

[mrmousey]

Get yourself a good soldering station with adjustable temperature. They are not that expensive. There is a certain Zen in the joy of using quality tools that puts you in a good "headspace" to do good work. If every solder joint is a work of art as in jvin248's reference to Mt Fuji above, you're guaranteed a trouble free installation/repair that you can rejoice in.

 

[awasson]

A solder sucker is a pretty handy tool to have. Buy a spare tip for it while your at it too, just in case you need to replace it. I usually use a solder sucker for circuit board work but it's also really handy for pot and pickup replacement.

Regarding the iron, I'd recommend a high wattage one with a temperature control. You don't need 50 or 60 watts all the time but when you need it, you need it. A short concentration of heat is less damaging to components than a long period of just under the right amount.

Regarding technique, two things...

1) solder doesn't like to bond to dirt, oxidized metal or grease so clean connections are your best bet.

2) solder flows towards heat so tin your ends, wet the end of the iron with a little solder, then heat one side of the connection and feed a little solder from the other side so the molten solder flows towards the iron. A good connection will be shiny and continuous.

 

[Eddie Bray]

A trick I found very useful is to buy a small amount of Silicon Tubing. I bought a mtr as it was the smallest amount I could get, I got 6mm OD with a 3mm ID, this is then cut to about 3/4" and pressed onto the tip of a spring loaded solder sucker. The silicon does not melt even when the tip is set to give 500 degrees and allows you to get the suction much closer to the liquid solder. I have been using the same bit of tubing for months now with no ill effects showing.

Depending on your budget, if you can afford it I would go for one of the Chinese Hakko unit copies, the one I got also has a hot air blower, brilliant when using heat shrink. If you do buy a Hakko type unit, you can get a selection of different bits for it for not too much extra. Use the bigger chisel bit for soldering to large surface area items such as Pots, tremolo blocks etc but use a smaller bit for soldering wire and components to solder tabs etc.

Variable temperature makes for much reduced contact time especially on large surface area items like pots and as previously stated, the best way to ensure a good solder connection is to have both items as clean as possible prior to starting, I actually scratch the surface of any pots I am using immediately before I begin soldering to it to ensure the contact area is clean metal.

Another important tip is to ensure there is some solder on your tip before applying it to the area to be soldered, this gives a greater and quicker heat transfer to the item to be soldered to, then as said above, apply solder to the part to be soldered and wait for both areas to become continuous.

 

[RoscoeElegante]

Thanks, everyone! I'm learning a lot.

 

[Nickfl]

A set of "helping hands" like these http://t.harborfreight.com/helping-hands-60501.html are great for holding parts, especially when tinning pots and wires. Get some alligator clips and or purpose designed heat sinks to protect sensitive parts like capacitors when you are soldering them.

 

[Greenstreet]

You'll want 30 watts or more. A Fairly fine tip.

I used to use Weller soldering guns and soldering stations. They are probably the industry standard.

I Picked up a cheap Chinese soldering station recently. IT has a a temperature rheostat and is a 50 watt pencil. I'm pretty happy with it.

Mm- me too. The brand name is Stahl, it was on Amazon for 20 clams, and it's pretty decent for my needs.