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Soldering Skills Any Kits?

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frozenfire75i

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Are there any good kits out there that have a soldering gun and stuff plus a guide/how to book and something to “practice” with? Almost like a “older kid” kit for teens and such.
I want to learn, but have never touched one in my life! ;-) The more idiot proof the better. Any Ideals and leads on a kit?

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You don't want a soldering gun except to do cables and stuff. Get a 15-25 iron. They're cheap. Then carefully take the parts off some piece of junk using needle nose as heat sink. Somebody made me do that when I was a little kid and I'm forever grateful. Every "electronics for beginners" book has a paragraph on it so read that and there you are. The rest is practice. I'm sure there's no kit out there - at least I hope not.

After you do a bit of desoldering, get yourself a kit of some sort. This is probably the easiest way to learn - and how it is comonly done. Most electronics stores have a rack full of kits, many of which are only 10-20 bucks. Make yourself a binary clock or other flashing led thingie. There's mini FM transmitters, audio circuties, you name it. A good idea would be a signal generator which you can use for debugging other projects. Here is an example site: http://www.mainelectronics.com/kiltsvelleman.htm but you will probably have some place more convenient.
 
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kits

kits

Ole Juul said...You don't want a soldering gun except
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Or to hold of your neighbours at gun point when they're trying to raid your parts bin...

Ramsey has some.
http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/
All Electronics, on occasion, has some.
www.allelectronics.com
You can also sometimes pick up demo evaluation kits for cheap.
I've got some in a box somewhere, for basic switchers, linear power supplies, and such. Nothing glamorous, but also hard to destroy.
PM me if interested, and I'll dig for the box.
patscc
 
You can't go too wrong with just a small soldering iron as suggested. If you put new components in a new board, soldering is almost impossible to get wrong. It just works. Where it can be a bit tricky is with older oxidised parts. Last night I was soldering some 20 year old resistors and they needed a quick shineup by running the leads gently through the wire cutters. Then there is the art of tinning - if you want to join two wires then put solder on each end sepearately before bringing them together. And sometimes you have to get out the soldering fluid if there is a lot of oxide around or if soldering to steel wire. Copper proto boards need a quick shine with fine sandpaper before using. But if you get a kit it will come with new components and everything will work very easily.
 
You can't afford cheap tools.

Get a good temperature-controlled iron. I've used my Weller WTCP soldering station for more than 35 years. It works and will probably keep on working after I'm gone.

Even though the design for the WTCP was patented in 1950, you can still purchase repair parts for them (like I needed to when I slammed a desk drawer on the handset cord).

I'm not saying that the Weller is the best iron, but get something that's of the best quality you can afford. Somewhere I have an Ungar 40 watt iron that I started with. When I got the Weller, I never touched it again.
 
frozenfire75i said:
Thanks guys for the points and links to kits, would something like this be a good iron to get? Ebay "150328037905" Just light use is all i will every do with it!
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That is a good iron and I like Weller myself - I used a WP35 for 12 years before it finally died and it was used when I got it. But if you're just starting out, why not go to your local Radio Shack and for eight bucks pick up this soldering kit? It has everything that you need for starting out including a heatsink and solder.

As for what Dr_Acula said about "... You can't go too wrong with just a small soldering iron as suggested. If you put new components in a new board, soldering is almost impossible to get wrong. It just works..." that's not exactly true. It will take time and practice to get to where you can create good solid connections and not "cold solder joint." Radio Shack used to sell a book on the basics of soldering, but I guess not enough of their clientèle would even know which end of the iron to hold these days. But you should still be able to find something on eBay or Amazon.
 
Yes maybe I was being a bit too upbeat there. Solder certainly does wick nicely though with new parts straight from the factory and a new board, but it is still possible to get a cold joint. Cheaper "fixed watts" irons can cool down too much if you have just soldered a lot of joints. "Temperature controlled" irons are a lot better as they supply whatever heat is needed. My first iron was a fixed watts one (30W I think from memory). It was frustrating to use and was replaced after a few months with a temperature controlled one. That iron is still going 25 years later.

Are you going to be soldering mainly ICs and components, or is it more for bigger things like power supply wires? If you are soldering electronic components it helps to have a fairly fine tip. I guess this seems obvious, but the irons you buy in electronics shops are the right irons for electronics. The ones I've seen in hardware shops are great for lead soldering gutters.
 
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Try some simple kits for practice:

http://www.electronickits.com/kit/complete/complete.htm

The ones I've seen in hardware shops are great for lead soldering gutters.
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Or stained-glass canes.

It's pretty surprising what a good TC iron will do, though. The other day I repaired a display and used my iron to unsolder the metal shield from the CRT base assembly, fixed a cold solder joint in the PCB without changing tips, then resoldered the shield to the PCB. Not a trace lifted or anything burned in the whole process.

For heavy-duty work, I use an acetylene torch.
 
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... For heavy-duty work, I use an acetylene torch.
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I can't afford the tanks so I just have an old Lincoln buzz box. However, my tiger torch will easily throw a six foot flame. (It's for torch-on roofing and other mischief)

Seriously though, I've never had a good temperature-controlled iron and perhaps that's worth a few bucks for what sounds like a deluxe experience. I recently picked up a 20 buck chinese one with a rheostat and, although I have only used it a bit, I don't think it's worth it. I should just have stuck with my old cheapie and saved my money for a real iron like you describe.

One thing I should say. I've done a lot of audio connectors over the years and electronics irons usually won't work properly. There's too much metal in XLR connectors to make a proper joint and thick shielding can suck up the heat too. My weapon of choice for that stuff is the good old fashioned 100/140 gun. Bottom line, you gotta have the right heat for the job.
 
Yeah, I forgot to mention that unless you are soldering high current transistors or 12 gauge wire exclusively, make sure you get the finest pencil tip that you can. And son't get me wrong, I love my TC station. After twenty five years, I finally decided it was time to take the TC plunge. :rolleyes: For heavy-duty jobs (ie. tuner shields) I use a small butane pencil torch. Hardly ever pull the 100/140 watt Weller gun out anymore in this SMT world we live in.

And don't forget about solder-wick and a a desoldering pump (solder sucker) for when you need to replace that transistor you just blew or you bridge two connections....
 
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And don't forget about solder-wick and a a desoldering pump (solder sucker) for when you need to replace that transistor you just blew or you bridge two connections....
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Solder-wick? That's not a bad idea but pretty luxurious. I think frozenfire was just wanting to do basic stuff. The pump or solderpult or whatever is probably only two bucks and a great thing to have. However, use a straw or whatever tube you got handy to blow it out with, and you'll do fine. Soldering isn't just for rich kids.
 
Ole Juul said:
Solder-wick? That's not a bad idea but pretty luxurious. I think frozenfire was just wanting to do basic stuff. The pump or solderpult or whatever is probably only two bucks and a great thing to have. However, use a straw or whatever tube you got handy to blow it out with, and you'll do fine.
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Ah, come on... you can get a small spool of wick for about five to eight bucks. And even doing this day in day out for a living, a small spool lasts me for several months. And I don't know where you got the soldapult for $2, but I wish you would give me that info! I paid $12 for mine. And that has lasted for many years, only having to replace a three dollar tip once or twice a year.


Ole Juul said:
Soldering isn't just for rich kids.
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That's why I suggested the cheapo Radio Shack kit instead of the Weller units everyone else was recommending.
 
Even Vince's kits (MicroKim and Replica-1) http://www.brielcomputers.com/ make a great soldering kit and for a functional replica computer kit the price is great.

Not sure if the seller is still around but someone on feebay a few years ago still had a lot of Sinclair ZX81 kits (original) you could also toy with. I recall them being under $100. I know that may be a lot but still, it's an actual computer kit you get to build.. and reduce to $30 value ;-). Still, they were cheap enough that I was excited when I saw them. Otherwise yes practice on a generic card you have lying around or a toy electronics kit.
 
rebeltaz: Ah, come on... you can get a small spool of wick for about five to eight bucks. And even doing this day in day out for a living, a small spool lasts me for several months. And I don't know where you got the soldapult for $2, but I wish you would give me that info! I paid $12 for mine. And that has lasted for many years, only having to replace a three dollar tip once or twice a year.
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My apologies, I came off a bit jerkish there. :) Perhaps the wick is a good idea. I remember not being able to affod it when I was young. Eight bucks is probably a good investment. Regarding the soldapult, I got it from Lee's Electronics (Vancouver BC) and perhaps it was a bit more - it honestly looks like it came from the dollar store. I see one in their catalogue which looks much better and is 7.50. The straw idea is quite workable though. I've done it many times: hold straw firmly to avoid melting, apply iron, close eyes, blow!

rebeltaz: That's why I suggested the cheapo Radio Shack kit instead of the Weller units everyone else was recommending.
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I moved a few years back and I couldn't find my iron and didn't want to spend much on something that I thought I had, so I went to the Source and got that very model. It's actually pretty servicable. Later I wasted my money on a 20 buck chinese toy with a rheostat that looks like a thermostat but isn't. That was a waste of money. (Don't know what got into me) My feeling about tools is to buy cheap or used to learn on because without experience, one doesn't know what is needed or wanted. Then spend the bucks and get the best you can afford - not until then. I'm still embarased about having bought the fake one. lol
 
Ole Juul said:
My apologies, I came off a bit jerkish there. :)
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No.. not at all! :)

Ole Juul said:
My feeling about tools is to buy cheap or used to learn on because without experience, one doesn't know what is needed or wanted. Then spend the bucks and get the best you can afford - not until then.
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I could not agree more. Which is why it took me over twenty years to finally fork out the cash on a temperature controlled solder station :cool:
 
Are we talking about the same things here? I just got a (admittedly rather small) roll of what I've heard referred to as "desoldering braid" for somewhere around the $2 mark. I could never get on with the non-heated solder suckers, which I suppose would probably go for $8-to-10-ish. I do have a relatively high-powered (30W) desoldering pump which works great, as long as you clean it out properly. I've even successfully (mis)used it for soldering in larger parts as my other iron is "only" 15W, although it's decent quality and has served me surprisingly well.
 
cosam said:
Are we talking about the same things here? I just got a (admittedly rather small) roll of what I've heard referred to as "desoldering braid" for somewhere around the $2 mark. I could never get on with the non-heated solder suckers, which I suppose would probably go for $8-to-10-ish. I do have a relatively high-powered (30W) desoldering pump which works great, as long as you clean it out properly. I've even successfully (mis)used it for soldering in larger parts as my other iron is "only" 15W, although it's decent quality and has served me surprisingly well.
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Desoldering braid is the same as solder wick, but I have never seen it for that little even at HamFests. $2 is a fantastic price.

I have one of those desoldering pump/irons as well, but I have never been too good at using it. I guess it's just a matter of what you learned on. I've been using the soldapult type for twenty five years so that's just what I am used to. And, like Juul was saying, I was trying to suggest cheap beginner equipment to start out with.
 
rebeltaz said:
I have one of those desoldering pump/irons as well, but I have never been too good at using it. I guess it's just a matter of what you learned on. I've been using the soldapult type for twenty five years so that's just what I am used to. And, like Juul was saying, I was trying to suggest cheap beginner equipment to start out with.
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Hmm, I suppose that the 50 rolls of it I picked up for $5 counts as a good deal... :)

I've used it more for cleaning up while soldering SMT stuff. For through-hole component replacement, I prefer the Soldapullt. Said Soldapullts are not created equal. I use the large model (DS017) that requires some effort to arm and have only rarely been disappointed with the results.

The little ones are pretty much useless.
 
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