Question from a beginner

Thread Starter

jonp

Joined Jan 2, 2014
1
I would like to get a soldering kit specifically for soldering small components.
Just just something with a small tip.
I know I need flux or the solder with flux. What do you that is better?
Also I need one of those holders with the clamps and magnify piece due to the how small these components are.
I have soldered numerous times before just never did a good job at it lol. And it's something I need to learn.

I would greatly appreciate any advice you can give me.

Thank you,
Jon
 

panic mode

Joined Oct 10, 2011
2,715
if you plan to solder small components like SMD, that is ok but make sure you get good at working with through hole components first. if you can't do good job with through hole parts, debugging surface mount will be nightmare.

for working with small components one or two things are not enough because you also need to do repairs and desoldering. I would say have decent iron with 2-3 tips, solder of different sizes, flux, solder wick, flush cutters, few tweezers, exacto knife, "second hand" holder, lamp with magnifier etc. check instructions on converting webcam into a microscope (or get proper one). then you can see things clearly on a computer monitor.
 

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
I would like to get a soldering kit specifically for soldering small components.
Just just something with a small tip.
I know I need flux or the solder with flux. What do you that is better?
Also I need one of those holders with the clamps and magnify piece due to the how small these components are.
I have soldered numerous times before just never did a good job at it lol. And it's something I need to learn.

I would greatly appreciate any advice you can give me.

Thank you,
Jon

Hi Jon, welcome to the forums.

Soldering is like religion, everyone has an opinion and thinks it is a God given truth.

I have solder both in a spool form and as a paste in a syringe. Both have flux, and I very rarely use any other flux.

A work holder can be very helpful, but usually isn't a necessity if your board is flat and can sit on a flat surface.

Personally I have a very good microscope I got for a song, but a desk magnifying lamp will also do fine. (My microscope has a very tiny field of view, though I see that small spot in very good detail.) I am peeking around to pick up some sort of magnifying light, either desk mounted , or even head mounted (one you wear like a jeweler uses).

My soldering iron also has a hot air pencil; I got it off EBay for under $100. I only use the very smallest Hakko tips on the iron side.

Solder wick is an essential tool for me. It is braided copper with flux, and when you heat it with your iron against extra solder it wicks it up and off your board. Very handy stuff.

You will also need very good tweezers. I have several pairs, some with very fine tips for small components, some wider so I can twist wires around.

I have no idea why you would need to know thru hold soldering before you learn SMD soldering, but some people pray to some funny Gods.
 
Last edited:
Top