Soldering

OG_Blues

Guitar Geezer
It's all about selecting the right tool for a particular job - there are so many different things that are somehow connected with solder.
The hair thin solder and extra small tips are used for the delicate work, such as when soldering surface mount devices (SMD) on printed circuit boards. These often also require some kind of auxiliary "third hand" device/tool to hold the component in place while soldering. These are often home made to suit the individual and some people refer them as a dufus. It can be as simple as a toothpick. SMD's have gotten so small, many are barely the size of a pin head - they are a challenge to work with, and require very steady hands - and the right tools. They can skipping into never never land with the slightest provocation. About the only way to find them is with a vacuum cleaner with a nylon stocking over the end.
Oddly, additional flux, pre-applied to the printed circuit board pad with a special pen that looks like a felt tip marker, is often used when working with SMD's. The home hobbyist can even use "reflow" techniques by positioning the SMD's on the board, and then heating the whole board up with a hot plate and a hot air gun. That is often when parts decide to take flight.
A good iron has continuously adjustable temperature with tip temperature digital display and tip temperature compensation control. One learns fairly quickly what temperature is required for a job with a given size / mass. Bigger, heavier connections = more heat, applied for a longer time, and vice versa.
Getting good at it is a combination of science and art.
 

Shodai

Blues Junior
As a geeky kid, I remember assembling several point to point wiring kits from Allied Radio of Chicago (Knight Kits) using a 100/140 watt Weller soldering gun.

That's about the sum of it right there. The primary differences is the power, and in turn the amount of heat generated.

As has already been pointed out, it is possible to damage parts, such as potentiometers, by applying too much heat.

Soldering iron generally run somewhere between between 15 and 50 Watts, though I've seen them as high as 80.

Guns generally run 100+ Watts and heat up really fast.

I usually use a heat sink clip when soldering wires, and in other places where I can use one. It keeps the heat where it's supposed to be, and away from where it isn't.
 

Silicon Valley Tom

It makes me happpy to play The Blues!
To me, using a soldering gun is "sacrilegious", if you are working on electronics equipment. Yes, soldering guns get hot fast and are "easy to use". But using a good soldering iron gives you more control. It is up to you to find what works best for your application.

I have been using soldering irons since I was a kid. I use them on my electronics projects, model trains, and other hobbies. In 1982, I built a S-100 Computer, and it required thousands of soldered connections. Then I built one at work for our department, and the guys could not believe how fast I could solder. The computer I build from surplus pc cards, had 22 cards each having 100 pins (thus the term S-100) that you pressed into the mother board. Each card had dozens of components - capacitors, resistors, diodes, IC's, etc.

You have to have the correct tool for the job and learn how to use it.

At Dalmo Victor, we used 6 layer pc boards for the APS-109 Radar System, and built systems for the LEM/APOLLO. No one used a solder gun.

When I was 12, I took Sheet Metal Shop in Junior High School. We used these large soldering irons, which were heated in a small furnace, and used flux to make the lead solder flow. I made many projects in that class including cookie cutters, which I still have.

Tom
 

blackcoffeeblues

Student Of The Blues
Soldering guns or irons don't work on jewelry. One piece of fabricated jewelry usually requires at least 2 to 3 some times more- soldering points each one using a different tempature of heat--usually 46 to 60 degrees variance that's why silver and gold- solder comes in different heat ranges-I don't know nothing about PC boards (not my job). But I have soldered a lot.
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Silicon Valley Tom

It makes me happpy to play The Blues!
Soldering guns or irons don't work on jewelry. One piece of fabricated jewelry usually requires at least 2 to 3 some times more- soldering points each one using a different tempature of heat--usually 46 to 60 degrees variance that's why silver and gold- solder comes in different heat ranges-I don't know nothing about PC boards (not my job). But I have soldered a lot.
.
There are so many different types of soldering, and they are unique to the job. Our job, is to understand the need at hand, use the correct equipment, and earn how to use the equipment.

Even them good ol boys on Moonshiners (tv program) solder! They know all about dat dar subject. :confused::Beer:

Tom
 
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