ubercat wrote:Is there anything that I might need that's missing from the tool list in that book?

Patience.
Good lighting.
Ventilation.

Not trying to be funny, but not everything works the first time. Good lighting is nice, squinting at colour codes on resistors/checking for solder bridges in poor light is fatiguing. Ventilation is good if you're soldering for a long time, although the smoke from melting solder seems to always follow your right eye. Other than that, that list is pretty much complete.

6079smith wrote:

johnnyshape wrote:What do you do if you get solder in the hole (or an adjacent one)?

A little fresh solder in the hole, and then the soldersucker while it's still melted usually works. I prefer to use solder wick for this, though.

If you're using it on a double-sided circuit board, prepare to have your head wrecked.

I also prefer using the braid over the sucker. If you have a stubborn hole full of solder, using a little rosin flux and some braid can do wonders. The flux conducts heat extremely well, and will allow you to melt solder that is stuck way down in a hole. A lot of people are averse to using straight liquid flux because its kind of goopy and sticky, but you can clean it up easily with isopropyl alcohol. Avoid the no-clean stuff because it evaporates too quickly to be of use in de-soldering.

reading all these soldering tips makes me realize how bad i am at it.

i have never used flux and to lose wrong solder i melt it, then flick the item with melted solder on it, spray molten metal everywhere.

i also don't wear safety goggles, but with my soldering skills maybe i should try a welder's mask.

that damned fly wrote:i also don't wear safety goggles, but with my soldering skills maybe i should try a welder's mask.

Like a Real Welder, eh?

that damned fly wrote:reading all these soldering tips makes me realize how bad i am at it.

i have never used flux and to lose wrong solder i melt it, then flick the item with melted solder on it, spray molten metal everywhere.

i also don't wear safety goggles, but with my soldering skills maybe i should try a welder's mask.

Hey, heat and flick is a time-honored method as well. Sometimes its the only way.

megathor wrote:heat and flick

I'd see `em.

johnnyshape wrote:Quick question: What type of solder did you use? Are there different types?

For electronic i've always find the 60/40 to be the suggested one. It means alloy 60% Sn - 40% Pb

I love the smell of hot flux and molten solder. Ventilation be damned!

I would recommend silver solder over lead. The lead fumes are very bad for you, the silver solder is still not good for you but is not a expressway to cancer.

http://generalguitargadgets.com/

Nice place for kits and boards. Check his links page from there to other places and electroics companies that let you buy in small lots or specialize in stompbox electronic parts. His kits are well documented and he will email you if you have questions. Even the boards have nice documentation.

I don't wear protections but i've found that when the iron is melt it can squirt easily on your face if it gets a some kind of shock.

For example, i was unsoldering a 50 pin sub-D connector and the wires were practically forced on the connection. It happened that when the iron got melt the wires came to their normal position ejecting the iron in the air. Working like a catapult.

Dangerous.

I do wear glasses which protect my eyes at least but i should learn to wear protective glasses