Soldering Tools and Supplies

[Twi'lek Pam]

.

 

Soldering is a fairly easy task to learn. It does take a bit of practice to get the hang of soldering strong, conductive connections... but it's worth the time to learn if you want to add lightsabers, LED's or other accessories to your costuming projects!

 

 

CAUTION: An iron hot enough to melt solder can do serious damage to skin and work surfaces, so always use caution while working with the iron. NEVER leave a soldering iron where a child or pet can knock it off the table or otherwise burn themselves! Also, remember that you will be working with lead wire. You don't want to get lead poisoning, so always wash your hands after soldering.

 

 

 

Here's an overview of the tools and supplies you will need...

 

 

 

Soldering Iron

Don't bother with "Cold Heat" or low watt battery powered soldering irons. They're not much better than toys. If you're going to invest in a soldering iron, get a good one. You can get one that plugs in to the wall, or one that is attached to a control station. Either works well. A 30-45 watt iron is a good place to start for average electronics work. Don't get a soldering gun, those are designed for a much higher temperature than electronic projects will ever need!

 

Soldering irons will oxidize quickly. They won't look brand new for very long at all. You should always keep the tip clean, because a dirty or oxidized iron tip will not conduct heat efficiently, resulting in a low quality solder joint that may break, or may not conduct electricity well.

 

The entire tip of a soldering iron needs to be covered with a layer of solder before you begin to use it. This is called "tinning" the iron. This is the way I was taught to tin an iron: Plug in the iron and let it begin to heat up. As it heats, hold a piece of flux-cored solder against the tip. Let the solder cover the tip of the iron, and then wipe off the excess solder against the hole in a wet sponge. Shock the tip of the iron by pressing it against the clean area of a wet sponge to remove the oxidized layer at the tip. Now it's ready to solder! Repeat the tinning process each time you solder a joint.

 

When you store a soldering iron, always melt a large bead of solder on the tip first. The solder will protect the tip while the iron is being stored.

 

 

Here's a brand new iron, and one that has seen quite a few projects:

 

 

 

 

 

Helping Hands

While soldering, you must hold on to the soldering iron with one hand, and the solder wire in the other. That doesn't leave your hands free for holding the wires or components you're working on... so it is a very good idea to invest in a Helping Hands station. These come in different configurations. The most important part or the station is the arms. They have multiple joints and end with alligator clips, so you can bend them to any configuration you need. They will hold your wires and components in place while you're soldering, and will continue to hold them securly until the solder joint has cooled.

 

This is the Helping Hands station that I like to use. I seldom use the magnifying glass, so it's usually bent backwards out of the way. I like the heavy (and secure) metal base and the little tray for holding components while I work.

 

 

 

Here's another example of a Helping Hands. This one has a magnifying glass as well as a built-in coil holder for the iron, and a spong holder. It's too cluttered for my taste!

 

 

 

 

Damp Sponge

A damp sponge is used to keep the iron tip clean and free of oxidation or contaminants. It should only be damp- not dripping wet! The damp surface will not burn while wiping the iron tip, and it also serves as a "shock" or "steam" cleaner. I always cut a small hole in the center of my sponges. When I wipe off my iron tip, I use the edge of the hole. Any beads of solder left on my iron are rubbed off by the edge of the sponge, and wind up deposited safely in the hole as little beads of solder. I always use the left side of my sponge for wiping the iron tip while it is "dirty" and the right side for wiping when it's fairly clean. You don't want any contaminants on your iron when you're about to solder!

 

 

Iron Holder

Some soldering stations or Helping Hands come with a coil holder for soldering irons. If yours did not, then get a holder. You MUST have an iron holder! A coil holder is designed to keep your iron safely on the table (as opposed to rolling off and burning you or the floor), and the coils are designed to safely dissipate heat. It's a good idea to get an iron holder that comes with a place to hold a damp sponge. NEVER set your iron down on the table, not even for a moment!

 

 

 

 

Wire

There are many different types of wire, varying in thickness, type, and even how many lengths of wire are connected together. For general electronics work, it's best to get stranded wire. Stranded wire is lots of tiny wires twisted together and then covered with a plastic insulation coating. This type of wire is very flexible, and can be stuffed inside lightsaber hilts and other components without breaking. Solid core wire is a single thicker length of wire. It is less tolerant of bending, and can break if bent or flexed too much.

 

Wire comes in different gauges. 24-28 guage is a good place to start for most electronic projects. The numbering system for wire seems strange, but it actually make sense. Wire starts out large, and then it is drawn through smaller and smaller circular dies. Each pass through the dies makes the wire become thinner and longer. The gauge number refers to how many times the wire passed through the process. Each time it goes through, the wire gets a bit smaller... so the higher the gauge number, the smaller the wire!

 

It is often very important to keep track of the positive and negative wires when assembling electronic components. For this reason, I recommend that you always have black and red insulated wire on hand. Traditionally, black wire is used for negative, and red wire is used for positive.

 

 

 

 

 

Wire Cutters and Strippers

When using wire to connect electrionic components, you first need to cut the wire to the correct length, and then you must strip the plastic coating off about 1/2" of the wire to allow space for a good soldering joint. You can purchase tools that do only one of these jobs, or you can buy a single tool that will cut and strip a wire in one motion. I prefer to cut wire with a pair of wire cutters, and then I like to use the wire stripper on the left to remove the plastic covering from the strands. This kind of wire stripper tends to do less damage to the wire strands than the stripper in the center. (The one in the center has seen a lot of projects over the years!)

 

 

 

Solder

Always use rosin core solder when soldering electronics. This type of solder wire has a thin core of flux, which will help your solder flow well around the joint you are soldering, and it will help remove any oxidation from the metal as you solder. The most common solder found in electronics stores is 60/40, which means 60% tin, and 40% lead. This is a pretty good solder, but if you can find 63/37, use that instead. 63/37 tends to make better joints because it sets quickly and is less likely to be damaged by movement while cooling. When not in use, always store solder in a sealed plastic bag to keep it clean!

 

A roll of solder is usually fairly heavy, and it's unwieldy to hold while working. I prefer to cut off a 2' piece of solder, which I then wrap into an easy shape to hold.

 

 

 

 

Desoldering Braid or Solder Pump

Sometimes you need to remove solder from a project. Either you put too much solder on a joint, or you need to unsolder a joint in order to make a change. There are two common ways to remove unwanted solder. The first is using a length of desoldering braid. This is braided copper wire that you place over the solder that needs to be remobed. Then you press your soldering iron on top of the braid, and capillary action will cause the melting solder to travel up the copper wire. There is a a spool of copper desoldering braid in the picture above. Another option is a solder pump, which uses a spring action vacume pump chunks of solder out of the way. I prefer to use the braid, so I have no pictures of a desoldering pump.

 

 

 

Electric Tape or Heat Shrink Tubing

You should never leave soldered joints unprotected if there is any chance that they can touch another surface. This can lead to damaged joints or shorting out of the electronics... two issues that can cause big problems! Whenever possible, use heat shrink tubing to protect soldered joints. This tubing slides over the wire and joint, and then shrinks down to a secure protective cover when heated with a hair dryer. Heat shrink tubing comes in many different sizes. Use a diameter that is just slightly larger than the wire that you are covering. If heat shrink cannot be used to protect a joint, then electric tape or a brush on plastic coating can be used. (I don't like them because they tend to be messy, and I prefer neat, orderly projects!)

 

One very important thing to remember when using heat shrink tubing is that you often need to put the tubing on the wire BEFORE soldering a connection. If you are creating a closed loop, if you don't put the tubing on before you close the loop, you won't be able to put it on at all. Slide a length of tubing onto the wire, push it out of the way, solder the joint, and then slide the tubing into place and shrink it.

 

 

 

 

Work Surface

It's never a good idea to work with a hot iron on your favorite table top. Always work on a heat resistant surface. I keep a 2'x2' sheet of 1/2" plywood handy for projects that involve soldering, epoxy, etc. It's a safe work surface that I can put down anywhere I happen to be working that day... and if something drips, spills, or burns, it really won't matter!

 

 

Fan

The rosin inside a roll of soldering wire turns to vapor as it burns. It's never a good idea to breathe any type of smoke or chemicals, so you should always solder in an area with plenty of ventilation. If you don't have good air flow around your work station, put a fan nearby to blow the vapors away from your face.

 

 

Flux

Flux is a substance that prevents oxidation and removes any oxide from the material about to be soldered. Flux helps solder to flow smoothly and evenly over the surface of the wires or components being soldered, resulting in a stronger and more conductive joint. Flux can be purchased in a tube or bottle, or you can purchase wire that has a flux/rosin core inside of it. (That's your best option for most work!)

 

 

 

.