3 ms·

Watching how forgiving solder can be, and me still being bad at it is blowing my mind right now.

aulin 2y ago
could it be that you are using lead-free solder? that's almost impossible to use without precise temperature control and it's the most common source of annoyance in recent years with hobby soldering
- RulerOf 2y ago
  I had that problem for an embarrassing number of years because I didn't know what flux was. Today, I won't even plug in the iron if I can't find my flux first.
- progbits 2y ago
  I respectfully disagree. I'm a mediocre hobbyist at best, I have cheap gear and use exclusively lead free solder/solderpaste without problems. The trick is to just use a lot of flux. I have a flux pen for hand soldering, and solderpaste usually has enough flux in it.
- anymouse123456 2y ago
  The hate for lead-free is wild. Hey kids - don't listen to the old geezers (though I'm one too). Get lead-free and figure it out. It's really just about getting in reps, and caring about the results. In my personal experience, leaded is maybe 5% easier. If you're doing hobby level work, it is definitely not worth having lead around getting into and onto your other stuff and possibly being licked by kids or pets or whatever, and turning your projects into hazmat.
anymouse123456 2y ago
Moar flux. Really. Just add more flux than you think it could possibly need. The biggest failure mode I've seen with solder of all kinds is not enough flux. This Amtech no-clean is really gooey[0], but pretty useful for rework. This Kester water-soluble is incredible, but needs to be washed[1]. If you need to hand-clean PCBs, a small photography developing tub and a sonicare (or similar) toothbrush is a game changer. [0] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Y7N6QHF https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Y7N6QHF [1] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DEDB5CM https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DEDB5CM

could it be that you are using lead-free solder? that's almost impossible to use without precise temperature control and it's the most common source of annoyance in recent years with hobby soldering

RulerOf 2y ago
I had that problem for an embarrassing number of years because I didn't know what flux was. Today, I won't even plug in the iron if I can't find my flux first.
progbits 2y ago
I respectfully disagree. I'm a mediocre hobbyist at best, I have cheap gear and use exclusively lead free solder/solderpaste without problems. The trick is to just use a lot of flux. I have a flux pen for hand soldering, and solderpaste usually has enough flux in it.
anymouse123456 2y ago
The hate for lead-free is wild. Hey kids - don't listen to the old geezers (though I'm one too). Get lead-free and figure it out. It's really just about getting in reps, and caring about the results. In my personal experience, leaded is maybe 5% easier. If you're doing hobby level work, it is definitely not worth having lead around getting into and onto your other stuff and possibly being licked by kids or pets or whatever, and turning your projects into hazmat.

anymouse123456 2y ago

Moar flux. Really. Just add more flux than you think it could possibly need. The biggest failure mode I've seen with solder of all kinds is not enough flux. This Amtech no-clean is really gooey[0], but pretty useful for rework. This Kester water-soluble is incredible, but needs to be washed[1]. If you need to hand-clean PCBs, a small photography developing tub and a sonicare (or similar) toothbrush is a game changer. [0] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Y7N6QHF https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Y7N6QHF [1] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DEDB5CM https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DEDB5CM