Soldering is especially useful for electronics because not only does it create a strong physical connection between metals, but it also creates an excellent conductive path for electric current to flow from one conductor to another. This is because the solder itself is an excellent conductor. For example, you can create a reasonably good connection between two wires simply by stripping the insulation off the ends of each wire and twisting them together. However, current can flow through only the areas that are actually physically touching. Even when twisted tightly together, most of the surface area of the two wires won’t actually be touching. But when you solder them, the solder flows through and around the twists, filling any gaps while connecting the entire surface area of both wires.
Procuring What You Need to Solder
Before you can start soldering, you need to acquire some stuff, as described in the following sections.
Buying a soldering iron
A soldering iron — also called a soldering pencil — is the basic tool for soldering. Figure 7-1 shows a typical soldering iron.
FIGURE 7-1: A soldering iron.
Here are some things to look for when purchasing a soldering iron:
The wattage rating should be between 20 and 50 watts. Note that the wattage doesn’t control how hot the soldering iron gets. Instead, it controls how fast it heats up and how fast it regains its normal operating temperature after completing each solder joint. (Each time you solder, the tip of the soldering iron cools a bit as it transfers its heat to the wires you’re joining and to the solder itself. A higher-wattage soldering iron can maintain a stable temperature longer while you’re soldering a connection and can reheat itself faster in between.)
The tip should be replaceable. When you buy your soldering iron, buy a few extra tips so you’ll have replacements handy when you need them.
Although you can buy a soldering iron by itself for under $10, I suggest you spend a few more dollars and buy a soldering station that includes an integrated stand. A good, secure place to rest your soldering iron when not in use is essential. Without a good stand, I guarantee that your workbench will soon be covered with unsightly burn marks. (The soldering iron, shown in Figure 7-1, includes a soldering station.)
A ground three-prong power plug is desirable but not essential.The grounding helps prevent static discharges that can damage some sensitive electronic components when you solder them.
More expensive models have built-in temperature control. Although not necessary, temperature control is a nice feature if you’ll be doing a lot of soldering.
Some models also have built-in static discharge. This can help eliminate the chance of damaging your circuit’s components while you’re soldering them.
Stocking up on solder
Solder, the soft metal that’s used to create solder joints, is an alloy of tin and lead. Most solders are 60 percent tin and 40 percent lead, but that ratio may vary a bit.
Although solder is wound on spools and looks like wire, it’s actually a thin hollow tube that has a thin core of rosin in the center. This rosin, called the flux, plays a crucial role in the soldering process. It has a slightly lower melting point than the tin/lead alloy, and so it melts just a few moments before the tin/lead mixture melts. The flux prepares the metals to be joined by cleaning and lubricating the surfaces to be joined.
Solder comes in various thicknesses, and you’ll need to have several different thicknesses on hand for different types of work. I suggest you start with three spools: 0.062 inch, 0.032 inch, and 0.020 inch. You’ll use the 0.032 inch for most work, but the thick stuff (0.062 inch) comes in handy for soldering larger stranded wires — and the fine solder (0.020 inch) is useful for delicate soldering jobs on small components.
You can purchase lead-free solder, although it’s considerably more expensive than regular solder made from lead and tin. However, lead-free solder is more difficult to work with than normal solder and is less reliable. If you’re concerned about the long-term effects of working with leaded solder, I suggest you switch to lead-free solder but only after you’ve become proficient at working with leaded solder.
Other goodies you need
Besides a soldering iron and solder, there are a few additional things you’ll need to have on hand for successful soldering. To wit:
Third-hand tool or vise: It takes at least three hands to solder: one to hold the items you’re soldering, one to hold the soldering iron, and one to hold the solder. Unless you actually have three hands, you need to use a third-hand tool, a vise, or some other resourceful device to hold the items you’re soldering so you can wield the soldering iron and the solder. (See Chapter 3 of this minibook for photographs of a third-hand tool and a hobby vise.)
A sponge: Used to clean the tip of the soldering iron.
Alligator clips: They serve two purposes when soldering. First, you can use an alligator clip as a clamp to hold a component in place while you solder it and, second, as a heat sink to avoid damaging a sensitive component when soldering the component’s leads. (A heat sink is simply a piece of metal attached to a heat-sensitive component that helps dissipate heat conducted by the component.)
Eye protection: Always wear eye protection when soldering. Sometimes hot solder pops and flies through the air. Your eye and melted solder aren’t a good mix.
Magnifying glass: Soldering is much easier if you do it through a magnifying