Soldering: I just cannot do it!

[gorber]

I just cannot solder for the life of me.

I started off with a 30W iron, the cheapest Maplin had, and I could not do it.

So I bought a butane powered soldering iron, and I still couldn't do it.

A few tries later, and having melted a solder pro 70, I have an Antex 50W adjustable temperature controlled one, and I still cannot do it.

It is like the solder would rather be anywhere but on the thing I am trying to put it on. Solder on the plates of my deans connectors is like water on a ducks back, it just forms into a ball and rolls off.

When it does finally stick to the plate, it is rock solid and will never melt again to fuse with the wire I try to attach it to.

I simply cannot do it.

Why can they not make this easy? What is wrong with crimp fittings? Or something else that does not involve this dark f***ing art??

Am I the only person that this is beyond?

I really love my electric 450 and 500, and it really annoys me that I am simply incapable of buying and fitting a battery without outside help.


AAAARRRGGGGGHHhhh I am so angry

[Si_B]

Are you using flux ??, without it, you are wasting your time.

[LipolyGone]

your not using plumbers solder are you?
If so it is not fluxed & just wont flow into the wire your soldering.

[GravityKills]

have a look at your solder. If it says "70/30", throw it as far as you can throw it. Which is most likely quite far, since it's essentially a lead weight
Get decent 60/40 ("eutectic") electronics solder. Containing flux.

Then get a good electronics soldering iron (for example "Weller"). Forget about the junk products from the hardware store, they are usually much too hot.

There are many pages on the web that explain proper soldering, no use to repeat it here.
In a nutshell,
* surfaces must be clean
* You heat the surfaces, not the solder. Most people fail at this step.
* Apply solder to the surfaces, not the tip of the soldering iron.
* DO NOT MOVE the parts until the solder has cooled down. This implies, you may need a vice and a clamp or the like.

A properly done solder joint with tin/lead solder is shiny and bright. If it's dull and grey, it's not OK and will fail sooner or later.

[Smoothound]

A good tip for getting solder to flow on Deans nicely is to just lightly sand them with super fine grit first just to break up the surface

[p4ddy]

Bin the Deans & get some 3mm bullets.....Problem solved. I know because i'm shyte at soldering & if you get it wrong your heli will fall like a brick when the connection gets loose.

[Dannyyy]

Same Problem I am using solder with flux

[joe.lel]

EC3 connectors and a blow torch

[gorber]

I am using solder which is 99.3% tin and 0.7% copper, and I have a tub of flux.

I know what you mean about the bullet connectors, it is a lot easier soldering into a cup, even I did it once. But everybody at my club uses deans and there is lots of sharing going on that I want to be part of.

[Ross Northcott]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYhmzY5wQAA]YouTube - How to solder Deans Connectors[/ame]
Really simple if you follow what is said

[forbsy]

Soldering

For deans connectors.First make sure you have a flat tip on your iron.Wet your sponge,then wring it out.Make sure you let the iron heat up.Put a bit of solder on the tip and then wipe off on the sponge.Next apply the tip to one blade on the deans and feed solder between the angle of soldering iron and blade.The solder will run onto the blade.This takes all of 5-10 secs any more and you run the risk of melting the plastic on the deans.Repeat for the second blade making sure you wipe the tip on the sponge before to clean off excess solder.Next get your cable and tin the cable.With thick wire i find it easier to do one side then turn it over and do the other side to completely tin the strands of wire.Again do not leave the iron on for too long as you will melt the insulation.Next i put the cable in my pliers and give it a squeeze,this makes the end rectangular shape.Lastly put the cable end up to the blade and apply the tip.Voila,solder runs into each other to create the perfect joint..not dry...nice and shiny....just like my electronics lecturer taught me....no flux in sight

[Downdraft]

As said in an earlier reply "get a good quality iron, Weller are one of the best" It need'nt be of massive wattage somewhwere around 15 to 30 watts is fine, with the weller it's the tip choice thats far more important than the wattage. Buy some good quality solder 1 to 1.5mm nothing any bigger is required and when trying to solder be sure to tin the tip of the iron first and then make sure you heat the object you want to solder too rather than the wire you want to attach.
A bit of practice on an old bit of wire for half an hour and you'll be a pro.

[GravityKills]

well...
regarding the video: re-heating solder on the wire, that's exactly how you should not do it
it's one of those topics that can lead to quasi-religious discussions, which isn't my thing... Take it from the textbook: Heat the surfaces, apply solder...

[p4ddy]

Exactly, you run the risk of melting the plastic. I don't like risk that's why i use premium bonds.....sorry Bullets. They are fool proof so why choose the more advanced option??

[Ross Northcott]

Exactly, you run the risk of melting the plastic. I don't like risk that's why i use premium bonds.....sorry Bullets. They are fool proof so why choose the more advanced option??

works perfect every time for me