Re: Soldering for Dummies
 

What a great idea.

ASH, when you twist the wires together try to fan each wire out, then you will get a better/stonger 'twist'.

Re: Soldering for Dummies
 

Gotcha, fan wires


Bluetak - will have to get some :D

Boot, no worries...my dad made a temporary fix to my laptop cable a few years back which allowed me to continue working until the replacement came. He's dead handy with the ol' soldering iron, but he's an 80 mile ride away and my hands will get too painfully cold before I get there :lol:

psyching myself up now to go get the bits, spending money...commmeeee ooonnn!!!

Re: Soldering for Dummies
 

Get yer mitts on one of these:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=34959

I bought one a while ago and it makes soldering easy, and the hot knife attachment comes in handy too when cutting ropes/plastics etc.

Re: Soldering for Dummies
 

tip #2, instead of using a 'hot gun' to shrink heat shrink just run the soldering iron up and down the shrink till it shrinks. much faster (only really works with 'single wire' shrink and not the 'cable bundle' shrink).

Re: Soldering for Dummies
 

Tin the tip- always tin the tip.

Or you'll be swearing an awful lot more!

Asidef from that, ensure that what you're soldering to is nice and hot first then apply solder- or it won't stick.

I got a £10 soldering station from Halfords- cracking bit of kit for not much cash.

I use lead free solder- most solder these days contains flux, so you don't need any more.

Re: Soldering for Dummies
 

thanks guys for all the tips and hints and recomendations so far :D

Re: Soldering for Dummies
 

I learned to solder with a couple of huge irons that you heated in a small gas furness, dipped into killed spirits before applying a bar of solder to the tip.

Wonderful the the aroma as the killed spirit is heated with a hot iron. But don't get enthusiastic and splash it on your arms/face eyes. It bloody hurts.


Learn to be neat with a two inch tip and it amazing how you struggle with a tiny electric jobby. Especially the day after a mega session

Re: Soldering for Dummies
 

:lol:

Cidering sounds awesome to me ;)

Re: Soldering for Dummies
 

my dad taught me to sweat lead pipe joints when i was a teen.

i also know how to lead/stave/pair balustrading/railings including using rope for the copes. (worked as a blacksmith specilising in cast iron gates and railings).

Re: Soldering for Dummies
 

Eh, cast iron -> blacksmith?


Maybe wrote iron. you go near cast with a forge/anvil, hammer and it will shatter all over the place.

Learned to hammer weld at my local forge and to punch holes as easier than drilling