soldering techniques and questions....

[ta2d]

I am not too bad at soldering , but a few pointers and I might actually get good at this.

What is the difference between Rosin Solder and Silver Bearing Solder?

I use both. I also use Rosin Solder Flux , applied with a toothpick to my solder points. Is this necessary with Rosin Solder?

My biggest problem is that I can't seem to get the TIP of my solder tip to tin.
The solder allways crawls up the angle of the tip. This makes it VERY difficult to tin bios pads and such. What might I be doing wrong.
I simply ground down a standard 15w tip to about the angle of a pencil tip , but with a sharp point. I have tried applying Flux to the tip first , then the solder. I have also just tried applying solder. Nothing I do seems to give me enough solder on my tip to get a good bead when tinning. This makes for some VERY tedious work.
I had a VERY difficult time trying to connect points T1 , T2 , F1 and F2 on my NeoFix XIV. I can't guarantee that the contacts were solid , and I think this is why my DVD drive no longer spins.

I have a very steady hand , and hopefully once I get this "tip tinning" down , my ps2 will see some happier days , as I still have the HDCombo waiting for me.........

Thanks for any help!
DJ

[sd5867]

Solders are usually 63% tin and 37% lead by mass in order to produce the lowest melting point.

Silver bearing solder, or silver solder is just what it's name implies, solder with some silver in it. The silver makes the soldered joint stronger, raises the melting temperature of the solder, and raises the price of the solder.

Both of the Solders can be rosin cored or not. The rosin solder flux is necessary with rosin cored solders, but it can help. Rosin helps the solder 'weld' better to the 2 metals by keeping the oxygen from contaminating the melted metals.

As far as tinning the tip, I found this on the net:
Heat your soldering iron up for the first time and then apply solder directly to the tip. The solder should melt and flow easily over the tip. Wipe any excess solder off by running it over the moistened tip cleaning sponge. Repeat this process several times until the tip is a shiny silver color.

Repeat the tinning process from time to time when you see that the tip is no longer a shiny silver color when heated. With use your soldering iron's tip may become dirty. To clean the tip let the iron cool to room temperature and remove any dirty or burnt plastic wire insulation that may have collected on it with a fine grade of emory cloth. Remember to tin the tip again after you've cleaned it.


A tip tinning compound may also help. It is basically powered rosin mixed with powered solder that you can dip your tip into.

[Hoyt]

A tip tinning compound may also help. It is basically powered rosin mixed with powered solder that you can dip your tip into.

That stuff works wonders on neglected tips. I've had a can I got from Radio Shack almost fifteen years ago and it still helps bring back contaminated tips.