Soldering N00b Having Issues

[Ackocin]

I am 100% new to soldering and have watched a great many tutorials. I started with a basic stunt saber, which came together, but very slowly because of soldering issues (not enough heat being the biggest one). Now I'm upgrading to sound.

I spent some more cash and purchased a soldering station. At first it was flawless and I thought I had it figured out. I'm doing everything I think I'm supposed to do (tinning the tip, cleaning it with a wet sponge), but after making only a few connections my tip is burnt black and I can't get it shiny again, nor is it useful as it just seems to evaporate the solder into nothing, not even keeping any on the tip. The solder I'm using is just what came with the station. No idea its composition.

I'm sure this is something so stupid I'll laugh when I discover it, but any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

I am 100% new to soldering and have watched a great many tutorials. I started with a basic stunt saber, which came together, but very slowly because of soldering issues (not enough heat being the biggest one). Now I'm upgrading to sound.

I spent some more cash and purchased a soldering station. At first it was flawless and I thought I had it figured out. I'm doing everything I think I'm supposed to do (tinning the tip, cleaning it with a wet sponge), but after making only a few connections my tip is burnt black and I can't get it shiny again, nor is it useful as it just seems to evaporate the solder into nothing, not even keeping any on the tip. The solder I'm using is just what came with the station. No idea its composition.

I'm sure this is something so stupid I'll laugh when I discover it, but any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

You should check your temperature for starters. Also, you should invest in a brass sponge, which will help keep your tip clean between solders. You could also try using a SOS pad to clean the tip (once it has cooled down, and is disconnected from power. You're not really suppose to keep solder on the tip, it's suppose to come into contact with solder to melt it onto a board/wire/etc.

[Ackocin]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I played with the temp early on. Anything lower seemed to have an issue melting the solder.

I'll try cleaning it when I can and definitely go grab a brass sponge tomorrow before I commit to the upgrade. Definitely don't want these problems when I get to working on the board.

[Forgetful Jedi Knight]

You should practice a lot before trying to work on a sound board.

[craig139]

www.makershed.com has lots of practise boards to learn soldering on. There is also this book for 3 bucks:
http://www.makershed.com/products/learn-to-solder-book

[Ackocin]

www.makershed.com has lots of practise boards to learn soldering on. There is also this book for 3 bucks:
http://www.makershed.com/products/learn-to-solder-book

Great resources! Thank you. Already ordered the book and am checking out the site.

[Sevinzol]

my tip is burnt black and I can't get it shiny again

I'm thinking 2 possibilities: Oxide or residue build up.

A lot of solder tips are copper/copper alloy. You probably have and oxide build up. Try using fine grit sand paper. You can also try taking the tip off and soaking it in vinegar with a sprinkle of salt. (rinse it well afterwards).

Its possible that you have burned the rosin on the tip. Effectively seasoning it like a cast iron pan. Car guys call it "varnish" if its in an engine. You might need an organic solvent like carburetor cleaner or turpentine, you could also give fingernail polish remover a try.

Either way once you have the tip shiny again, make sure to tin it completely.

The big problem with soldering circuit boards is "Lifting a trace". That is when you heat the board up so much, you melt the epoxy holding the circuit lines on the fiberglass board. To practice soldering I would grab an old junk computer and de-solder stuff from the motherboard and then try to re-solder it back. this will give you a lot of practice controlling your heat.

[Silver Serpent]

Sandpaper *works* to remove the residue on the tip, but you need to be VERY careful or you'll remove the coatings on the tip. The brass sponge method is the best way I've seen for cleaning your tip.

I had several jacked up tips from when I was still learning to solder. El-cheapo Radio Shack irons. Tips were blackened and nasty. After I got them up to temp, it took a few good swipes on the brass sponge and they looked good as new. I can't recommend the brass sponge enough.

[Ackocin]

Can't thank everyone enough for the advice. Haven't gotten the brass sponge yet (need to get to the store asap) but did manage to get the tip clean with the Scrubbing side of a simple sponge. Going good so far. Lowered the heat a tad, too, and that helped keep it from happening again.

[Ackocin]

So thanks again everyone. Got the sponge and it worked so well I may start a religion around it. Finished wiring my first sound board (NBv2) and it fired up first try!