[Elecraft] Great Solder (for any kit or project)

Sun Sep 1 16:11:00 2002

I use Kester solder with a diameter of .015 and blend of sn63/pb37.  I
bought a 1 lb role in 1992 for 4 bucks and have used it for every kit I've
built since.  It is quite thin, melts fast and help you control the amount
of solder you apply.  I'm very big on using just the minimum amount - just
like Rod.  But, I like this really thin stuff.  I use an ancient Unger iron
with a fairly warm element but a tip no bigger than a ballpoint pen.  In
other words, real hot and real small.  The solder flows really well.  In all
of my recent kit building, which began around '92 (we won't talk about my
Heath, Knight-Kit, Eico and Ameco days in the 60's) I've only ever had 1 bad
solder joint.  Mostly because I'm really careful - except once.

Beyond solder and irons there is a concept I wish I could have taught my
kids.  I learned it years ago from Robert Persig in book titled "Zen and Art
Of Motorcycle Maintenance".  It's easy to sum up the idea in a sentence or
two:  When you start a kit, forget about building the kit, forget about what
it will be when you're done, in fact forget about it ever being done.  Focus
only on the one thing you have to do next.  If its placing a resistor on the
board, perform this task like it is the only task there is.  When you solder
it, do so patiently, carefully and as accurately as you possibly can.  If
you look beyond the task at hand, you're not fully concentrating on what
you're doing and then you'll make mistakes you'll regret later.  If you need
to read an instruction 5 times to understand it then read it 5 times.  The
kit will build itself as long as you do every step as perfectly as possible.

Building a kit is enormously fun and rewarding.  There simply is no good
reason to hurry.  Experienced kit builders know this.  Once its done and
working, there is a certain amount of regret experienced, a kind of
withdrawal from the state mind you adopt when you are in the process of
building.

My approach these days is one part at a time.  I inspect the part, place the
part, I inspect the part again, I solder it, I inspect the part again -
sometimes with a large magnifying glass.  It takes longer.  Sometimes quite
a bit longer.  But, I'm in no hurry to finish.  Because when I am, I'll be
back to searching around for something else to build.  And there's only so
many kits.  That's why not long ago I brought up the subject of a potential
follow-on for the K2 - possibly the K3.  My motives are quite selfish.
Elecraft needs to plan strategically.  Not because strategic planning is
important to maintaining a growing business, it is, but I just don't care.
My motivation is that someday soon, I really need to build something bigger
and grander than the K2.  Something that takes perhaps months to complete.
Wouldn't that be nice....

Doug -- W4DXV

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rod N0RC" <[email protected]>
To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" <[email protected]>; "cqc-l"
<[email protected]>; "Elecraft-list" <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, September 01, 2002 2:16 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] Great Solder (for any kit or project)

> The solder thread is going around again, here is my vote:
>
>     RadioShack #64-013
>     62% Sn/36% Pb/2% Ag (Tin/Lead/Silver)
>     0.022" DIA
>     Rosin Core
>
> I've used this on just about every kit out there, K1, K2&acces., MS-30,
> NC20, PSK-20s, Rock-Mites...the list goes one. Even HB stuff!! The thin
> DIA helps control the amount applied so you don't wind up with large
> "goopy" blobs of solder that weigh down TTF rigs. ;-) And the small
> amount of rosin in the thin DIA makes a good solder joint, without
> leaving excess flux on the board.
>
> Good stuff, try some.
>
> "Solder ON"
>
> 73, Rod N0RC
>
>
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