[Elecraft] Random K2 building hints for those starting out

[Bob - AG5Q]

> Masking tape works better for me than bending leads to temporarily hold
> parts in place while soldering.

I don't feel comfortable using tape in contact with components because of the possibility of static electricity.
One crude test of your tape is to unroll it in a totally dark room. If you can see sparks, it's pretty charged up.

I just did an experiment with a roll of masking tape and a roll of plastic electrical tape.
I put the roll on my finger so it would turn easily and as I quickly unrolled several inches of tape, I could see a blue line where
the tape was separating from the roll.  This discharge was visible for both rolls. I don't know how long the static charge persists,
but it's there at least for a while.

For the K2 assembly I bent the leads a little bit on a few components at a time and then soldered only one lead of each component in
the group and checked them.
If a component did slip while the board was upside down, I only had to reheat one lead to reseat it.

This is not a perfect solution by any means.  There is a trade off between the risk of reheating a component vs. the risk of static
charge.  I think static charge is especially insidious  because you may be soldering resistors which are not likely to be affected,
but the tape might be in contact with a previously mounted FET or IC that is sensitive.

73/ Bob - AG5Q