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This is, by far, the best video on soldering I have ever seen. Soldering by hand is a dying art...My dad had a car radio repair shop - when radios were repairab

This is, by far, the best video on soldering I have ever seen. Soldering by hand is a dying art...My dad had a car radio repair shop - when radios were repairable (Delco: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delco_Electronics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delco_Electronics) - taught me how...like riding a bicycle, you never forget...

dthakur 2y ago
I respectfully disagree, and say that hand soldering is not a dying art. If you’re working on boards on the regular you probably have a soldering iron and use it often.
- Taniwha 2y ago
  Yeah I agree, I solder parts like those in the video by hand (even occasionally BGAs with hot air)
- elihu 2y ago
  Yeah, hand-soldering as the means of mass production of consumer electronics devices has (mostly) died out, but the people who actually build and test things, or the people who fix consumer electronics devices, still usually do a lot of soldering. It's also a necessary skill in a lot of technical hobbies. Modular synthesis by means of DIY modules, the whole mechanical keyboard thing, electric guitar maintenance...
thebigman433 2y ago
Id definitely disagree about hand soldering being a dying art! There are lots of other great techniques, but hand soldering is still vital to developing hardware. Any hardware company worth it's salt has at least a couple rework technicians that are absolute wizards with soldering. Also stuff like reflow solder is/can still be done by hand! Its a common thing to do if you need to touch up or modify a PCB and dont want to reflow the whole thing/damage any components
weinzierl 2y ago
Soldering by hand is a dying art... I'm not sure. Back in the day we avoided SMD like the plague and it had a reputation of being unapproachable. THT parts were highly sought after and I would even say that a good deal of the success of AVR was because they offered THT versions of their µs long after most others had stopped. Some of us even engaged in the uphill battle of lead-free soldering only to be disillusioned. We thought hand soldering will die with THT but it didn't. I see a young generation that has mostly overcome these hurdles. With their young steady hands, sharp eyes, high-lead solder, small temperature controlled irons and other modern equipment they just go about. I envy them.
- nolist_policy 2y ago
  I actually prefer lead-free solder because its more aggressive flux and higher soldering temperature. This allows burning away and tinning enameled wire with the soldering tip. Though there are only two lead-free solders that qualify. I use the Felder Ultra-Clear EL Sn100Ni+. The other one is the Amasan BF32-3.
  - jve 2y ago
    I suspect tip oxidation is an issue with leadfree? Or isnt it? At what temperatures you solder mentioned leadfree?
    - lukego 2y ago
      Oxidation is a big problem with the harsh no-clean fluxes in many cheap lead-free solder wires. Switching to a rosin flux (RMA or RA) name brand solder should fix that (did for me.) Metcal have a great big doc on tip care that covers this.
    - jdietrich 2y ago
      Tip life is inevitably worse with lead-free solder. Using a brass wool cleaner rather than a wet sponge will help prolong tip life, as will the regular use of a suitable tinning/cleaning paste (e.g. Hakko FS-100 or JBC TT-A). Keep the tip wetted with solder as much as possible - a completely "clean" tip will oxidise much faster than one with a protective layer of solder. The correct tip temperature for any hand soldering operation is the lowest temperature that will allow the joint to be completed in two to five seconds. In practice, that depends on a host of variables - the composition of the solder alloy, the properties and calibration of your iron, the thermal mass of the joint etc. A usual rule of thumb is the melting point of the solder plus 150°C, but your mileage will vary.
martin_a 2y ago
> Soldering by hand is a dying art... Let me tell you that I'm holding up the flag. Very poorly and with shaky hands, but I'm trying to hold it up... :-D
- iamflimflam1 2y ago
  That’s something that is so obvious under a microscope. My hands are pretty shaky, under a microscope it looks like there’s an earthquake going on.

dthakur 2y ago

I respectfully disagree, and say that hand soldering is not a dying art. If you’re working on boards on the regular you probably have a soldering iron and use it often.

Taniwha 2y ago
Yeah I agree, I solder parts like those in the video by hand (even occasionally BGAs with hot air)
elihu 2y ago
Yeah, hand-soldering as the means of mass production of consumer electronics devices has (mostly) died out, but the people who actually build and test things, or the people who fix consumer electronics devices, still usually do a lot of soldering. It's also a necessary skill in a lot of technical hobbies. Modular synthesis by means of DIY modules, the whole mechanical keyboard thing, electric guitar maintenance...

thebigman433 2y ago

Id definitely disagree about hand soldering being a dying art! There are lots of other great techniques, but hand soldering is still vital to developing hardware. Any hardware company worth it's salt has at least a couple rework technicians that are absolute wizards with soldering. Also stuff like reflow solder is/can still be done by hand! Its a common thing to do if you need to touch up or modify a PCB and dont want to reflow the whole thing/damage any components

weinzierl 2y ago

Soldering by hand is a dying art... I'm not sure. Back in the day we avoided SMD like the plague and it had a reputation of being unapproachable. THT parts were highly sought after and I would even say that a good deal of the success of AVR was because they offered THT versions of their µs long after most others had stopped. Some of us even engaged in the uphill battle of lead-free soldering only to be disillusioned. We thought hand soldering will die with THT but it didn't. I see a young generation that has mostly overcome these hurdles. With their young steady hands, sharp eyes, high-lead solder, small temperature controlled irons and other modern equipment they just go about. I envy them.

nolist_policy 2y ago
I actually prefer lead-free solder because its more aggressive flux and higher soldering temperature. This allows burning away and tinning enameled wire with the soldering tip. Though there are only two lead-free solders that qualify. I use the Felder Ultra-Clear EL Sn100Ni+. The other one is the Amasan BF32-3.
- jve 2y ago
  I suspect tip oxidation is an issue with leadfree? Or isnt it? At what temperatures you solder mentioned leadfree?
  - lukego 2y ago
    Oxidation is a big problem with the harsh no-clean fluxes in many cheap lead-free solder wires. Switching to a rosin flux (RMA or RA) name brand solder should fix that (did for me.) Metcal have a great big doc on tip care that covers this.
  - jdietrich 2y ago
    Tip life is inevitably worse with lead-free solder. Using a brass wool cleaner rather than a wet sponge will help prolong tip life, as will the regular use of a suitable tinning/cleaning paste (e.g. Hakko FS-100 or JBC TT-A). Keep the tip wetted with solder as much as possible - a completely "clean" tip will oxidise much faster than one with a protective layer of solder. The correct tip temperature for any hand soldering operation is the lowest temperature that will allow the joint to be completed in two to five seconds. In practice, that depends on a host of variables - the composition of the solder alloy, the properties and calibration of your iron, the thermal mass of the joint etc. A usual rule of thumb is the melting point of the solder plus 150°C, but your mileage will vary.

martin_a 2y ago

> Soldering by hand is a dying art... Let me tell you that I'm holding up the flag. Very poorly and with shaky hands, but I'm trying to hold it up... :-D

iamflimflam1 2y ago
That’s something that is so obvious under a microscope. My hands are pretty shaky, under a microscope it looks like there’s an earthquake going on.