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Good basic guide. I would add that most people get flux cored solder, so they don't need to work about fluxing before solder.
Second thing is, if you're going to do more than one keyboard's worth of soldering, I'd suggest ditching the sponge and getting a brass / copper wire tip cleaner.. It's not super great for the tip to be put on a wet sponge.
With a solder tip clean wire.
Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Iron-Tip-Cleaner-Black/dp/B00J66FSY2/ref=zg_bs_13837401_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=92GKA9DG5A3S32ANJ6RZ
Let the solder iron tip heat up and thrust the tip into the wire untill its clean.
Never ever use a cup of water, it does absolutely nothing except shock the iron tip. The purpose of a sponge is to wipe off the oxide that forms on the tinned tip. The only reason why it's wet in the first place is to keep the sponge from burning. You don't want it to be 'wet' just barely damp enough to prevent the scorching of the sponge. Too much water just sucks the heat right out of your tip which is exactly what you don't want happening when you're about to solder.
I switched over to brass wool and haven't looked back. I occasionally wipe the tip down with a paper towel after it's cooled down to right around when the solder starts to solidify, but be careful with over cleaning you don't want to wipe ALL the solder off the tip or there's a risk of the iron layer on the tip oxidizing which will kill the tip. Generally speaking you want to to make sure there's a thin layer of solder on the iron at all times and only wipe it off as much as is needed to keep that layer from turning brown.
So I would get a brass sponge holder. They're quiet inexpensive.
I have been there a couple of times. It seems a little bit like a club that I wasn't invited to and I wasn't very impressed with the tool selection anyway as most of it I already owned personally. Not to mention that I also wouldn't show my face there if they told me that Trump stuff but I visited way before that was a problem.
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On the soldering subject. I have built several quadcopters and fixed many cars/electronics with soldering and as far as learning that goes I say get yourself and iron and some solder and go at it. The one thing I got that helped me a lot was tip cleaner/tinner to help get started with a new tip/iron. I linked it below but besides that it isn't hard to learn. One tip that really helps me, besides the tip stuff is the melt so solder on the iron before you try to heat something else up. The heat transfer through the solder works much better than just putting the iron to it. If you have any questions you can DM me and I would be happy to answer them. thanks!
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What?! No. Damp rag while it’s hot followed immediately by fresh solder or tip tinner. My favorite is a brass Brillo pad.
Thermaltronics FBA_TMT-TC-2 Lead Free Tip Tinner, 20 g in 0.8 oz. Container https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NS4J6BY/
Soldering Tip Cleaner Solder Tip Cleaning Wire and Holder Soft Coiled Brass Tip Cleaner Kit with 5 PCS Solder Tip Cleaning Wire and 1 PC Holder for Cleaning Soldering Irons and Tips, No Water Needed https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076X1NYBB/
It also sounds like your tip isn't properly tinned either. With all new soldering irons/tip sand the tip with sandpaper and apply a generous amount of flux while cold. Heat the iron up, and apply solder to the tip. Also be sure to clean the tip quite often while using it, and I do mean often, with a brass wire type tip cleaner. If you didn't get one with your iron here's a very good one on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-599B-02-Solder-Cleaning-Holder/dp/B01MXMH47L
Run to or call your local hardware store to see if they have "Torch Tip Cleaning Files" (link used as example). These are just about the right size for expanding and cleaning up nut slots. You won't get a perfect size for each string, but you can work slowly with them and get the nut slot as close to perfect as you need. A more aggressive solution would make errors more likely, so go slow and test fit often.
I'm guessing he's referring to chemical tip cleaner products like Thermaltronics FBA_TMT-TC-2 Lead Free Tip Tinner, which are amazing at recovering grungy tips.
I'm also going to start learning to solder next week. One of the things I've seen highly recommended is to get tip tinner to prolong the life of the iron tips. Sorry I don't have any more suggestions but hope it helps mate.
>The very tip does not seem to get hot enough to melt solder, but even a little bit down the iron (less than a cm) it functions as expected.
Are you sure it's not just the lack of wetting/tinning on the tip?
>I've seen mixed accounts online of whether I should use something abrasive to clean the end, is that advised for this particular iron/tip?
No pretty much never, unless you have an old weller soldering gun with an unplated copper tip. Once you expose the underlying copper, your tip dissolves.
You could use something MILDLY abrasive, like the brass tip cleaners.
https://smile.amazon.com/Hakko-599B-02-Wire-type-soldering-cleaner/dp/B00FZPGDLA/
>When tinning the tip, I apply flux and wrap solder around the tip and then heat it up to 300c
Seems like an unnecessary and ineffective method. Just get the tip hot, use lots of flux or dab flux core solder until it sticks in every spot.
> Having a lot of difficulty removing potentiometers from an old midi controller (i figure i can use these for projects) The solder especially on the smaller joints seems incredibly stubborn.
Add lead solder to the joint, a lot of stuff is soldered with lead free and it's hard to melt.
> Also, should I kill the heat after solder melts when tinning
You need to tin constantly when soldering, not like, once in a while. Always maintain the tinned state of your tip. Every time you set the iron down when you pick it back up you should be cleaning and retinning.
I have an old thing of Radio Shack brand tip tinner but you can get it from Amazon by just searching "tip tinner". My Radio Shack stuff looks a lot like this.
Toss that sponge in the trash - get one of these instead.
Keep the iron tip nice and shiny with solder - don't let it get black and burnt. It'll oxidize and solder won't stick to it anymore.
If you plan on doing this more, consider getting an iron with a base that allows good temperature control. I'm partial to the Weller soldering stations, but I recently got one of these and it's not bad! I'm not a huge fan of the stand for it, but whatever.
Realistically though...it's just going to take time to refine the skill. Just keep practicing and make sure you have plenty of light and magnification (if you need it) while doing so.
Get some tip cleaner like this. https://www.amazon.com/Thermaltronics-FBA_TMT-TC-2-Lead-Tinner-Container/dp/B00NS4J6BY/
I get not using lead solder, but it is way better. Make sure to have good airflow around you tho.
What kind of soldering iron are you using? There are plenty of crappy ones out there. A good Weller, Hakko, or one of the new style like a PINECIL are worth it.
They make tip tinner, such as this one on Amazon. I only use it as last resort since it does eat the plating on your tip.
I don’t use a sponge. I just use the brass wool. When I’m done, I always touch a little solder to the tip of the iron while it’s still hot to keep it tinned while it’s in storage.
Lately I’ve been using tip tinner like this one. And it’s worked pretty well.
If your soldering isn’t going very well, watch some YouTube videos. There are some good ones showing soldering basics. And practice. It does take time to get your technique down.
Finally, make sure you always wear safety glasses. On the videos a lot of the people don’t, but hot solder in your eyes is not fun.
Tips needs cleaning. Get a steel wire soldering iron tip cleaner. I have been using mine for 7+ years, no issues ever. Never use sal ammonic block or anything. Clean tip every few seconds.
Tip looks a bit oxidized except for the very end which on these pointy tips have a hard time accepting solder. Tip tinner works well for these issues.
Here is how to use it for best results.
At the very least, it's a somewhat expensive solder practice board!
Definitely both good things to have on the list. Also something like this to keep the tip clean and blob-free
Buy some Tip Tinner and thank me later.
This is the one I use and it works great: Amazon link
To add what others have said, dip the solder wire in some flux as well and see if that makes any difference. Some tip tinner might help as well.
what about tinning compound like this? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NS4J6BY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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does this protect the tip from being dissolved?
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side note, when I use this stuff, it REALY smells. is that normal?
Haha Sorry! Its this thing - https://www.amazon.ca/Aoyue-Soldering-Cleaner-Sponge-Needed/dp/B005C789EU/ref=asc_df_B005C789EU/?tag=googleshopc0c-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=292953024923&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6488421255784275785&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9000183&hvtargid=pla-451646005908&psc=1
They are amazing when soldering. When you iron gets all gunky, the copper cleans it off without hurting the iron at all. Definitely would recommend!
What all have you tried? Also, which soldering iron did you get? What temperature are you working with?
There are several ways to tin the tip. Most will tell you to dip it in flux followed by jabbing it into copper shavings (or moist sponge) multiple times quickly to clean it and then try to melt some solder onto it. There are tip tinners sold for this particular purpose as well.
Better and more accurate advice will be given if you answer the questions from above and upload some pictures.
Cheap parts ironically require a lot more skill to use and manage. Cheap irons run way too hot and will oxidize the tips badly. They are difficult to keep tinned.
Your tip is probably badly oxidized. First you will need to restore it using a tip tinner:
Then once the tip is properly tinned, you need to learn technique to keep tip protected while it runs too hot since it has no temperature control. Apply a LOT of solder to the tip immediately before you return it to the stand. Cover it completely with a glob that looks like it will drip off the iron tip. This is how you let the iron sit in the stand at high temperature.
When you go to use the iron, brush or wipe the severely oxidized glob of solder off the iron tip. Apply fresh solder (with flux) and wipe it off, too. THEN you are ready to use the iron again.
After use and before you will place it back in the stand, re-apply a large protective glob of solder to the tip.
Cheap irons that have no temperature control are a recipe for constant frustration. Even crude temperature control can help a lot. I use a footpedal receptable to plug in my main-only iron. It's like having a power switch. This way the iron is switched off when resting and idling and it prevents the overheating and oxidation problem on most cheap irons.
> either solder or flux
No, flux burns off. Use solder; the flux will burn off but the solder will remain and protect the tip surface.
To recover a messed up tip, use tip tinner. If that doesn't fix it, get a new tip.
Just do it, both are great keyboards so both are winners . I'd personally go for the kyria because of the curved thumbcluster. I would look into getting a tenting kit.
Soldering is very doable, I learned to solder by building a drone.
I would recommend getting a few extra tools besides a soldering iron;
- nice narrow soldering tip as this is easier for small electronics.
- Desoldering braid or a solder sucker
- A tip cleaner, example
- solder wire with a rosin core
- Use a socket for the controller
- Multimeter.
- knife
- a helping hand or soldering clamp
If you can set the temperature on your iron, set it to the lowest temperature that still easily melts the solder. The pcb's are really forgiving and most soldering mistakes can easily be fixed but applying too much heat will destroy the traces.
Double check al your connections using a multimeter before powering on for the first time and fix any short circuits, small solder bridges can easily be solved using a knife.
And it's a keyboard so it only needs to make an electrical connection, it doesn't have to be perfect.
They look like very similar tip designs - even looks like the same handle design and cartridge system. I... Don't actually think buying the one I pointed out will help you. I DO hope you're using your own solder and flux, not whatever they gave you - bad solder with imperfections and contaminates will leave residue.
Also be aware, these things are almost never calibrated properly - your best bet for getting the right temp is to sit there and adjust until you get the tip hot enough to melt the solder on contact instead of relying on the readout - too hot and you'll have problems keeping it clean, too cold and well, it just won't work.
As said by other people, get a wire-style tip cleaner - This one is fine.
I wish you well going forwards, wish I could be of more help.
Can you post a picture of the iron? Does the tip look shiny or is it grey and oxidized?
Thermaltronics FBA_TMT-TC-2 Lead Free Tip Tinner, 20 g in 0.8 oz. Container https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NS4J6BY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_hwVUFb0ENRSE0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 You should get tip thinner regardless to keep your iron in good shape for as long as possible.
You can use a tip tinner such as this lead-free variant. Insert your soldering tip into the tinner, add a bit of solder to the tip, and go at it. This tinner will also get rid of the black oxidization you will accumulate. You might also want a flux pen in case you need to reflow any welds, especially when using lead-free solder.