HOW TO PREPARE FOR A
SOLDERING JOB
- There are many types of soldering pencils, guns and irons that are adequate for home use. Most home-use soldering tools are heated electrically. There are soldering tips that can be used with your propane torch. There is even a small refillable butane gas-powered soldering tool.
- The proper soldering tool depends on your project. The propane torch is for jobs requiring a high heat source like sweating copper fittings. The gun is for soldering tasks requiring a little more control of the amount of heat and where it is going, such as joining wires, while the pencil is for intricate soldering jobs requiring even less heat but more control, like circuit-board repairs.
- Before soldering with any pencil, gun or iron, be sure the tip is thoroughly cleaned. Use a light or medium file to remove any corrosion that is built up on the tip of the soldering point. The tip of a soldering tool should be clean at all times.
- Clean the tip after each use to eliminate much of the need for filing the tip.
- The shape of the tip of a soldering tool is also important. The modified chisel tip as illustrated is ideal for most soldering jobs.
- The tip of the soldering tool should be small enough to reach into tight places but blunt enough to ensure that heat is transmitted all the way down to the point.
- Before beginning the soldering job, apply a thin, even coat of solder to all sides of the tip. This coating process is referred to as "tinning". Tinning should be done frequently while you are soldering.
- To apply an even coat of solder on all sides of the tip of the pencil, gun or iron, hold a length of core-type solder against the hot tip. With the solder against the tip, rotate the soldering tool so all sides of the tip are covered evenly.
- Always be sure your soldering tool is at maximum heat. You cannot get a proper soldering job with a pencil, gun or iron that does not melt the solder quickly.
- Also, be sure the material you are soldering is completely clean. Dirt, grease or any foreign matter limits the holding power of solder. Any material to be soldered should be scraped, sanded or treated with a soldering flux before you apply the solder.
- Always do your soldering on a flat, even surface. For safety, it is best to work on a fireproof surface.
- A kitchen-type cleaning pad or a piece of steel wool is a handy cleaning device for the point of your soldering tool while you are soldering. This pad or piece of steel wool can be stapled or tacked to the work surface where you are soldering. An occasional wipe across the cleaning pad keeps the point clean at all times.
- Tack two crossed finish nails into a scrap piece of wood to make an ideal holder for your soldering pencil or iron. These nails keep the pencil or iron off the flat surface, hold it in place and keep the point of the pencil or iron clean while you are doing the job.
- Always apply heat with the point of the soldering tool held flat against the metal to be soldered. Do not try to transmit heat with only the tip–the tip is for shaping or forming.
- Keep the soldering point hot at all times. If either the solder or the metal to which the solder is applied is not kept hot enough, you will get a poor soldering joint.
- Although solder is also sold in a solid bar, core-type solder is most commonly used. One type of solder has a rosin core while the other has an acid core.
- Always use a rosin-core solder (this has a rosin flux in the center) for soldering electrical wiring and metals like tin and copper.
- Use an acid-core solder (this has an acid flux in the center) for soldering more difficult metals, such as galvanized iron. When you use an acid-core solder, the surface to which the solder is applied should be washed after each soldering to remove the corrosive effect of the acid.
- A special type of solder is required for soldering stainless steel.
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