Soldering

[RobbieGong]

I'm about to de-solder and re-solder the psu connections inside my Techie as part of some other work I'll be doing. Can anyone offer some simple tips to de-solder and re-solder properly / neatly. How do I remove / wipe any excess solder without burning myself to death ? :eek: Thanks. P.S - I have a basic Maplins solder, without temperature control which I've used before.

[myles]

Use a solder sucker or some braid to remove the old solder.

[RobbieGong]

Use a solder sucker or some braid to remove the old solder.

Hi, Thanks. What is a solder sucker and what is braid ? can I get these from the local diy / Maplins ? If so I'll pop out.

[CageyH]

Both should be available in Maplins.
A solder sucker is like a spring loaded vacuum pump. You heat the solder up, put the nozzle near the molten solder, and hit the button. Solder gets sucked away.

Braid is usually placed over the soldered joint of the components, then heated by the soldering iron.
The solder is wicked into the braid by capillary action. Remove the braid while the solder is still molten, and cut off the used section.

[struth]

..and use a damp sponge to keep your tip clean and solder free

[Firebottle]

Always heat the joint and then apply the solder, not the other way around.

A good solder joint is one where the solder has flowed properly around the wires/tag/pcb. The soldering tip needs to be hot enough and applied for long enough for this to happen.
Best to practice on a scrap pcb/components if you are new to it.

:cool: Alan

[Pete The Cat]

Have a practice with paperclips beforehand to perfect the technique, if you have kids you can make paperclip people and animals for fun.

Pete

[M6NTL]

I personally prefer de soldering braid over a sucker, braid just works better for me.
When soldering back together, always try to get a good mechanical connection between the two (or more) items you are joining, and solder over them to kinda 'close' the joint, rather than using solder as a glue to stick thing together.

[YNWaN]

If you use a solder sucker it must be used very, very close to the solder you want to suck up and the solder should still be molten (obviously).

Always melt a small amount of fresh solder onto the tip of the soldering iron before any work - de-soldering or re-soldering - this will help conduct the heat.

[fatmarley]

Check out Youtube for tutorials.