[Elecraft] soldering suggestions?

[Ian White GM3SEK]

Craig Rairdin wrote:
>
>So I think the secret is to use a little more heat, prime the tip with 
>solder, make sure you're laying the edge of the tip flat against the 
>board, use a little pressure, and make sure you have contact with the 
>lead. Touch the tip if necessary to get the solder flowing.
>
>When it works right you should clearly see solder flowing on the lead 
>and on the pad, not just one or the other.
>
Agreed - here's another vote in favor of a higher tip temperature and 
faster work.

It also helps a lot to use a stubby cone-shaped tip, and not a thin 
pencil/chisel shape. The cone shape stores as much heat as possible 
right behind the point, and this gives the fastest possible transfer of 
heat into the joint.

Thin pencil tips are much poorer in this respect. They have a much 
smaller mass of copper behind the point, and heat from the element has 
make its way down that long, thin stem.


-- 

73 from Ian GM3SEK         'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek