How to Solder: Tips/Tricks

This is a project for my high school robotics class. Helpful comments and suggestions are encouraged! This instructable will give you some tips and tricks to successfully solder. I will also give you advice on what not to do in order to be even more successful. I will also display the whole process of soldering.

This video will teach you the basics of soldering. You will learn how to solder joints, which will allow you to complete whole soldering projects. To make a basic solder joint, touch the soldering iron to the board and the solder at the same time. This will melt the solder onto the board. You should have enough solder to cover the whole joint, but not too much that it overflows over the single joint.

You need many materials to solder. The following few slides will show you what materials you need to solder.

This is the main component for soldering. It is extremely hot, so be careful. It will melt the solder, which will connect the components to the board.

This is the metal that you melt with the iron. It connects the pieces to the board of a project.

You need a fan to suck up all the fumes from melting the solder. The solder releases led fumes which are toxic, so be safe.

You need a board and components to solder to the board for a project. These usually come in kits that you can purchase.

Heat is a very important factor in soldering. Your soldering iron should be a certain heat, depending on what kind of solder you are using and what you are working on. The best way to find the right temperature is to look up what temperature you should use with what materials you are using.

A good tip is to clean the soldering tip often. This will help the solder melt when in contact with the tip, because the tip will be hotter. This is because it will not be obstructed by solder to block the surface of the soldering iron.

The helping hand can hold a board or other object for you while you solder. This is extremely helpful, and it is even necessary to successfully solder. This will make soldering much easier for you.

Cold joints are when there is not enough solder on a joint. This is visible by a gap or exposure in the joint where there should be solder. Fix this by putting more solder there. The picture above displays acceptable solder joints. If they look like this, they are not cold joints.

When soldering, the soldering iron is extremely hot. Therefore, whenever the soldering iron is on, do not goof off anywhere even remotely close to it. You could get seriously injured if it touches you. Always practice safety first when soldering. In this picture, you can see that the iron burned a hole in the table because it is so hot.