Good tips on soldering irons

[CovKid]

Another from Big Clive on the cost and functionality of cheaper soldering irons, as well as HOW to solder properly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIab66EgfHM" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[scottbott]

good to watch but he lost me a bit with the geeky stuff

[CovKid]

Well I suppose the upshot is, you don't need to part with £80+ when a sub-£30 Chinese one will work very nicely. Agree with him on Maplins ones though as tips work out expensive. The only good deal from Maplins in soldering irons is their big 100 watt one for £15 which works fine outdoors and will even cope with starter motor brush connections which need a good deal of heat in my experience.

The best this week though was Big Clives attempt at tasting meths! DO NOT TRY THIS. lol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep2I3Gf3Sec" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Smiffo]

Good vid CovKid.

I made a right mess of my hard-wire attempt at the dash. This chap makes it look easy
Although I was applying solder `correctly` I think I was leaving the iron on too long, so burnt the board a couple of times.

This was a good video to demonstrate how it should be done.

[CovKid]

Very important items to be soldered are clean too. I have occasionally used plumbers flux as a primer (usually on heavy-gauge cables admittedly) to ensure good contact. Lead-free solder is awful - agree with Clive on that. Certain wires are difficult/impossible to solder too. Theres a lot of fragile copper-coated aluminium wire about - avoid that stuff. Remember to add a heatsink (pliers will sometimes suffice) near to temperature sensitive components. Other than that its practice and I have to say addictive as well as satisfying when everything works as it should. You can salvage a lot of really useful components from discarded electrical items - often worth desoldering stuff and chucking it in a spares bin before you completely bin the item.

[ghost123uk]

Other than that its practice and I have to say addictive as well as satisfying when everything works as it should.

I make my own fuel tanks for my model aircraft from thin tinplate.
The shapes are quite complicated =

("Library pic" btw)
Ralph is right, there is a good sense of satisfaction from getting it neat and "right"

You can salvage a lot of really useful components from discarded electrical items - often worth desoldering stuff and chucking it in a spares bin before you completely bin the item.

I sure do that. Mind you, I am a compulsive hoarder of such things, all in neatly labelled little plastic component drawers

[Smiffo]

Very important items to be soldered are clean too.

Yes, I quickly learned that too when soldering in my leisure circuit relay to the blue wire behind the dash, a year or so ago. I had to really clean the crud off and it took a couple of attempts to get it pretty looking, so that the solder seeped into the strands rather than form a big blob on the outside...!!
The lesson learned there made the Pierburg loom work recently done far easier for me.

When I get round to it, I will have another go at hard wiring my dash.

As it stands I am just going to do the lights for the MOT first, just so it gets through. I will leave the ribbon in and hard wire the bulbs in for now.
Ultimately though I need to learn to not be too enthusiastic with the iron I think - that seems to be what catches me out.

The boards are cheap as chips, so it becomes a situation of practice makes perfect really, for me.
If I burn one, rather than bodge a strap in to loop over the burnt bit, I will just start again.
I think as long as I recognise that it isn't a 5 min job, then my patience will suddenly expand - plodding through the job without a necessity to get it done will make it a more leisurly process in which I can take my time to `get it right.`

Hard wiring in the bulbs so it all works anyway will certainly give me that space.

[CovKid]

Clamping the board so you can work on it more easily is good too. Much as I hate those 'helping hands' gadgets, they do work once its all tightened up.

Also getting ready for my MOT and beginning to realise just how many panels I'll need to replace over the Summer. Oh well. Has to be done as my lad wants it after me.

[seanmc1970a]

Laughing at the BigClive drinking the meths.
I used to work in a factory making air

[Smcknighty]

I used to work in a factory making air

????

[scottbott]

years ago I nicked some white spirit from work and the only bottle laying around was a Corona bottle,the home delivery soft drink not the mexican beer,I took it home for what ever I needed it for and left it on the floor in my living room and the next day I was thirsty when I got home and saw the \corona' bottle picked it up and took a big swig as soon as it was in my mouth I thought '"pooh"' but I had swallowed a mouthful,I puked up my dinner that night and had terrible burps all night and every time all I could taste was white spirit,what a "idiot"

[CovKid]

Not sure which would have been worse, white spirit or turps. I suppose only a gourmet of such things could say.

On the same subject, late for work one morning I hurriedly had a shower and instead of what I thought was underarm deodorant, I blasted my armpits with matt black paint. Took days to get that off and it stung like hell.

[scottbott]

what was matt black paint doing in the bathroom??

[Oldiebut goodie]

He had been touching in the grey hairs!

[Ant-t]

Excellent video CovKid, thanks for posting