Hi all,

I'm an absolute beginner and I'm starting to play around with Arduino and home automation....

As newbie, I wowou like to get a good electronic solder that is not going to be useless in 1 year (when hopefully my knowledge and implementation will be more advanced), but at the same time I don't want to spend a fortune....

Any good suggestion?

Many thanks

Ivan

 

Hi, Ivan. You can get a soldering iron where it is just a heating element you plug in with no temp control, or you can get a station that allows you to set the temperature. A basic iron costs around $10, and they have kits like this, too. If you decide to use RoHS solder (lead-free solder), you will probably want a station so you can make sure to get it to the required higher temperature. Most stations come with a stand and de-oxidizing stuff. They generally cost about $40-50. I'm sure you could get them for less, though.
https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Sold...sr=1-1-spons&keywords=soldering+station&psc=1
The tip does get oxidized, and this makes soldering a lot harder. You can use a file or special de-oxidizing stuff. This is the main reason you'd have to replace it. But you don't have to replace the whole station or iron. You can just replace the tip, and then you're good to go.

You will also want some thin solder, as it will allow for more precision. Maybe like this.
https://www.amazon.com/Mudder-Solde...d=1534888463&sr=8-1&keywords=rohs+solder&th=1
Leaded solder can be a little easier to use and is generally a little cheaper, but you may not want to have lead around if there are pets or children that could get to it. And then you have to be careful to wash your hands every time you solder.

You will want to solder in a room that has decent ventilation. So open a window, and don't breath in solder fumes directly. If they keep blowing in your face, which seems to always happen to me, try getting a fan. Being outside would also help, but that may not make sense. If there is poor ventilation, and that cannot be improved, get a good solder fume extractor. If you use RoHS solder, more potentially harmful fumes are generated. If you inhale solder fumes on a regular basis, it can lead to serious respiratory issues.

You can google tutorials on how to solder, and you should be good to go. Keep in mind that many components can get damaged significantly if you heat them up too much with the soldering iron.

 

I wowou like to get a good electronic solder that is not going to be useless in 1 year

Solder doesn't have a shelf life. I'm still using a roll that I acquired 40 years ago.

If you can use solder with lead, I haven't used any 63/37 wire solder that I didn't like. If you have to use lead free, you have my condolences.

 

You can't go wrong with this
https://www.amazon.com/Kester-24-6337-0010-Rosin-Solder-SPOOL/dp/B00068IJWC

You don't have to get a big roll like that but the last roll I had last I know over 20 years before I ran out LOL
I got a roll of this http://www.qualitek.com/SN60_RA300_TDS.pdf

It's good solder too This maybe be the last roll I have to buy it's a bit cheaper

 

Solder doesn't have a shelf life. I'm still using a roll that I acquired 40 years ago.

I'd add to that solder for electronics has not shelf life. But acid core solder for plumbing does. I had a roll that was my grandpas that I have no idea of the age, but it went bad, it was good when I got it. The outside of the lead was coated with an efflorescence, a white powder, that I assume came from the acid core over the years.

 

Please ignore the advice to start with non-lead solder unless you live where you can't get it.

 

It can be more difficult to use, but it is also less of a hazard to have around.

 

Years ago a good controlled heat soldering station was well in excess of $100 USD. Today relatively good controlled heat stations can be had for half that price as they pour out of China. Most reviews I have read as to the Chinese manufacture stations are favorable and if I were in need of a new station I wouldn't hesitate to get a Chinese manufacture station. Also years ago for the impoverished, a simple solution was to buy a basic cheap soldering pencil and run it off an inexpensive lamp dimmer. So it all comes down to what one wishes to spend on getting a soldering station and as to the impoverished I do suggest buy once and cry once. I suggest a soldering station which allows for removable tips for different applications.

As to solder I used Kester 60/40 through most of my life simply because I never knew of the evil lurking in lead. Then too as a kid I played with mercury. I also cast lead bullets and so far I am still alive and well, however I suggest you never ever eat lead solder.I also make it a practice to never eat lead bullets mostly because they are hard to chew. If you ever reach the point where there is a concern with inhaling lead fumes and you are soldering that much then just maybe a fume hood is in order.

Ron

 

As newbie, I wowou like to get a good electronic solder that is not going to be useless in 1 year (when hopefully my knowledge and implementation will be more advanced), but at the same time I don't want to spend a fortune....

Any of the Kester solders, either in 60/40 or 63/37, should do quite well. Unlike the solder pastes used for surface-mount devices, they last essentially forever without any degradation. Diameters of 0.020", 0.025" and 0.032" work well for most electronic soldering.

As for the "hazards" of solder fumes, this thread might be instructive.

 

I don't no, But soldering I have done a lot but just my opinion is if even if you live in a glass bubble something going to get you
but 46 years hasn't got me. I don't solder as much now but when I do I use a fan to move the air.
Don't like the smell anymore.

The 60/40 or 63/37 work great the lead free isn't bad just got keep the tip clean and hotter.
But I would stay away from lead free till your good at soldering and use one of the 60/40 or 63/37

I have a little roll I use in my bag It's old still works good i used it a week ago

 

Reloadron gets my vote: I learned to solder at age 7, I'm 65 now and suffer no apparent lunacy.
I've always used 60/40 but many have espoused 63/37 - bag the no lead stuff, WAY too much heat required.
Either way, buy Quality you'll regret otherwise.
I only go Ersin Multicore or Kester if Ersin isn't available (rare since I have spare rolls)

I use 2 diameters: 22 AWG and 28 AWG:
22 for wire and through-hole parts, 28 for surface mount (especially TSSOP pkg ICs).

I have 8W, 15W & 25W pencils then the ubiquitous Weller 100W / 140W gun for Big stuff.
Been looking at a 40W pencil to fill the gap, but haven't seen quality at a good price yet.
Oh, and insist on iron-clad tips, nothing else performs as well for as long.

 

The tip does get oxidized, and this makes soldering a lot harder. You can use a file or special de-oxidizing stuff.

Don't ever, EVER use a file to clean a soldering iron tip. Soldering tips consist of a copper core plated with iron on the outside; without that iron plating, they quickly erode as the hot solder dissolves the copper. Use a chemical cleaner instead, or GENTLY use a brass wire brush.

 

Don't ever, EVER use a file to clean a soldering iron tip. Soldering tips consist of a copper core plated with iron on the outside; without that iron plating, they quickly erode as the hot solder dissolves the copper. Use a chemical cleaner instead, or GENTLY use a brass wire brush.

That's another thing, take care of your tips and they will last. While working I keep a wet sponge and keep my tip clean. When I am done I wipe the tip and follow up tinning it with a light coat of solder. I also use brass brushes to maintain my tips and clean them well. Developing good soldering skills is much like developing many skills, it takes time and patience.

Always remember, the bigger the blob the better the job! Obviously, just kidding.

Ron

 

Yep the file is a bad idea the tip will last no time. I needed a small tip I got a old weller 25 watt so I figured what the heck I shape a tip for the job
I was soldering cat hairs on cell phone LCD I mean very small wires take's about 10x to see where your putting the wire it worked out ok about 3 wires and you reshape the tip 3 more file needed all 9 I was done tip was gone.

File is not good I use a brass pot scrubber works great I sometimes use tip cleaner but that stuff is hard on a tip too.
Not as bad as sanding or file which I wouldn't do if I had the right tip But sometimes you need one late at night to get the job done.

Just go the next day and get some new tip's cause you just ruined that one.

 

I used to work in a MIL-Q-9858 house, where there WAS an expiration on the solder. I have so many rolls of Kester 60/40 that they were going to trash that I was able to keep. There is so much that it will outlast me (unless I go into production on something). It is as good today as it was the day it was extruded.

 

I know others rubbish it, but I do subscribe to the "make sure you wash hands" after soldering school of thought.
And I always encourage the use of safety specs and ventilation.
The basis of good soldering, at least for normal through hole electronic work, is to heat the joint with a well tinned soldering iron then apply the solder. You should see the solder wick down through the hole. If you end up with a ball of solder instead of a smooth cone, redo the joint.

 

I used to work in a MIL-Q-9858 house, where there WAS an expiration on the solder. I have so many rolls of Kester 60/40 that they were going to trash that I was able to keep. There is so much that it will outlast me (unless I go into production on something). It is as good today as it was the day it was extruded.

Been there and done that, one pound rolls and one pound bars of Kester SN63.

I know others rubbish it, but I do subscribe to the "make sure you wash hands" after soldering school of thought.
And I always encourage the use of safety specs and ventilation.
The basis of good soldering, at least for normal through hole electronic work, is to heat the joint with a well tinned soldering iron then apply the solder. You should see the solder wick down through the hole. If you end up with a ball of solder instead of a smooth cone, redo the joint.

I also subscribe to that. Takes every bit of a few min to wash one's hands.

Ron

 

I know others rubbish it, but I do subscribe to the "make sure you wash hands" after soldering school of thought.

That's good advice. You definitely don't want to be handling food after handling solder, without washing up in between.

 

One thing no one has mentioned yet is flux.

For general electronic work for hand soldering I recommend "activated rosin flux", usually designated RA. It is fairly aggressive so it works more effectively on metals that might have slight oxidation, such as un-tinned copper wire or parts have have been in storage in uncontrolled conditions for a long time. For most applications there is no need to remove it, but for some sensitive circuitry, especially precision high-impedance circuits, it should be removed. I would also remove it from anything that would regularly be subjected to high humidity. RA flux used to be by far the most common flux in cored solders for electronics work.

The next level down in activity in rosin-based fluxes is "mildly activated" type, designated RMA. It is less aggressive and requires that the metals to be soldered be bright and quite free of oxides. The residues are less likely to cause problems.

Non-activated rosin flux exists, but I've never seen it in cored solder or even as a ready-to-use flux.

Both RA and RMA can be removed with a variety of organic solvents and with specialty water-based cleaners. Cleaning is a big topic.

There are now numerous choices of wire solder with "no-clean" fluxes. These are specifically designed with the intent that the residues don't need to be removed. The residues still can be a problem in some cases, such as where impedances are very high or where conformal coating is to be used. In my experience, the residues are extremely difficult to remove and none of the common solvents that work well with rosin work very well with no-clean flux. In general, I am no fan of no-clean for hand work, but I do use it sometimes for rework where post-soldering spot cleaning isn't easy or necessary. (If I've made a mess when removing a part I clean the board before putting on the new part. Solder wick, which I really hate but use sometimes, makes a disgusting mess!)

Wlre solder is also available with water soluble flux. It is quite aggressive, but you absolutely must remove the residues withing a few hours because they are both conductive and corrosive. I quite like water soluble flux for PCBs - except for the smell. It is not suitable for stranded wire, ever!

I have used a number of "exotic" fluxes over the years. Ersin (now long gone as a brand name) made one designated "399" that was adequate for properly prepared stainless steel. It was said that the residues were safe to leave on circuit boards.

I sometimes use extra flux for difficult things, but not often. I find a little extra flux a great aid to tinning stranded wire. It can be difficult to get the flux in cored solder to flow where it needs to be ahead of the solder, so a little flux in place first can be a big help. Depending on what I am doing I will use either diluted RA flux or a no-clean which is already low solids content. I sometimes use a solder pot for tinning, which makes pre-fluxing a necessity. I occasionally use zinc chloride flux for very difficult things (stainless steel), but it again absolutely must be removed completely and must never be used where it can wick into places from which it can't be removed. It can be useful for pre-tinning something that can be thoroughly washed before the actual joining soldering is done.

Fluxes in syringes are readily available on eBay. Beware - a great many of them are counterfeits.

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Some people will try to use solder paste intended for reflow soldering of surface mount parts with a soldering iron. It can be done, but unless you preheat or allow a very long time between application and trying to solder, the volatile components will boil and spatter the paste all over the landscape. It doesn't look too bad - until you get it under a microscope.

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Wash your hands and don't eat or drink while you are soldering. Also remember that tin-lead solder used to be a standard finish on component leads, so if you are using old parts, assume there is lead present. Some fast-turn prototype PCB houses also use tin-lead solder as the standard finish (the solder is actually the etching resist and is re-flowed after etching).

 

When I shifted to SMD components I asked myself a similar question. So I obtained a rather not bad boxes having as well the air-blower solderer as classical needle-tip soldering hammer. My conclusion after the nearly decade within SMD - the 98% of all SMD jobs may be done most well with the most rough ordinary three-dollar russian soldering hammer between 20-40W if on good lathe make its tip conical, about 15 degree, so the standard 6mm tip becomes a 0,5mm tip, for what You sliff the one plane in about 30 grade angle (so sharpest angle in the tip). Use a moderate temperature, sharpen it few-fold a day, and for one "good" device You may buy the 30-50 these devices instead. It sure will serve longer and better, and that fact You will be able to TAKE tin by the surface will give You a far better quality of each patch. By the way, In Your place I would more be concerned about where to get a good microscope instead. And there, as it seems You have a post-soviet IP, You have in very beneficial situation. Look for soviet MBR1 or MB1 or similar binocular optical microscope, and extract its second lense counting from below. Result - loss of magnification, instead of 4000x You will have about x200 as max, but it is more than enough. But the benefit will be hardly increase of deepth of sharpness (hopefully about plus/minus inch and still be sharp enough) and unique distance between pcb and objective lowest edge (about 4 inch) what is enough to push the components, soldering hammer and even the full hand at the need. I was much tried to get anytrhing similar with webcam based USB microscopes, even the tenth piece of such is plain impossible. So, go to nearest "bloshinij rinok" and buy it. That is an investition You will never regret.