What solder to get?

[Wally Joe]

Hi, gang.

Faced with a limited budget, I am realizing I need to make my own cables.

I just went to my local electronics store to buy some solder but came up empty-handed, not because they didn't have any, but because they had too much! I was confused by the different kinds available.

What type and size of solder will get most studio jobs done? I'm working with high quality snakes, switchcraft/neumann connectors, and dsub.

And as far as soldering irons go, I have a Radio Shack 40watt. Will this suffice?

Many thanks,
WJ

[Scinx]

It should suffice for wattage...whether its a nice iron or not I cant comment on...I have a Weller which is a solid piece...in any case - your RS should do the job...
As far as solder you basically have a couple options...Kester 44 60/40 rosin core solder or the Kester 62/36/2 Silver solder. The latter is a bit more expensive but is theoretically better stuff. Do not buy ACID core solder whatever the case as its not suited for electronics...As far as diameter, .025 diameter or .031 should be fine...I use the latter but know others who use the former.
I have my solder on a Weller SM1 Solder Mate...I have a solder iron holder for the iron...and you can get vacuum vise clamps to hold your work...

[ulysses]

Originally posted by Wally Joe
What type and size of solder will get most studio jobs done? I'm working with high quality snakes, switchcraft/neumann connectors, and dsub.

And as far as soldering irons go, I have a Radio Shack 40watt. Will this suffice?

You want solder that's a reasonable size for the work you're doing. I typically buy .022" diameter solder for PCB work. It'll work fine for cables too, though you might develop a preference for thicker stuff if you're doing a lot of cables. That's not terribly important. You can get solder that's a 60/40 tin/lead alloy that's standard plumber's stuff or you can get 63/37 which flows a bit better for electronics work. Then there's 62/36/2 which adds 2% silver and that's essential if you're using gold- or silver-plated connectors. If you're not, you can still use it but it doesn't really do anything for you. There are other alloys out there too, including some lead-free formulations which are a good idea if you're working in an environment where there are children. Lead poisoning is a much bigger risk for kids than adults, though it isn't good for any of us. But as long as you wash your hands after handling it and don't eat while working, you should be okay. It helps to have a fan blowing across the desk while you work but that's for the flux fumes, not the lead.
The much more important consideration is that you want to buy rosin-core solder. Rosin is a flux that makes the solder flow well. You can also use plain solder and dip it into a container of flux, but that's superfluous hassle and mess when rosin-core solder is readily available. There are other kinds of flux, but rosin is probably what you want. It can be removed with a chemical solvent, but doesn't hurt anything if you leave it there in most cases. There's also "organic" flux which washes off with plain water, but it's an acidic flux which will slowly destroy the copper if you don't wash it off thoroughly.

As for soldering irons - you want a temperature-controlled iron. If your iron plugs directly into the wall, it's not temperature-controlled. It keeps getting hotter and hotter the longer you have it plugged in, until it eventually burns itself out and you have to buy a new one. It's also difficult to get the hang of soldering if the iron temp keeps changing. Temperature-controlled soldering irons have a "control" box between the iron and the power cord and usually have a knob to control the temperature. Some even have a digital read-out of the actual tip temperature, which is probably overkill for your needs. You should be fine with a simple knob for "more" hot. The important thing is that whatever temperature the tip is at, it should stay there. The Weller WLC100 is a 40W station that I see all over the place. We had one here until I lost it. Jameco sells them for $49.95. It's probably the cheapest "decent" usable soldering station I've seen. It also has a built-in stand to hold the hot iron securely so you don't burn the house down when you accidentally leave it on overnight.

[BobbyPeru]

Originally posted by Wally Joe

And as far as soldering irons go, I have a Radio Shack 40watt. Will this suffice?

Many thanks,
WJ

As I just posted in High End:

Radio Shack Irons Eat Balls. Get a Weller.


Bobby Peru
Milwaukee, WI

[Wally Joe]

Thank you for sharing your expertise.

Another question I have is, what does it mean to "tin" a wire? I read about this in a related post, where SUBSPACE said,
"I soldered up six DB25 snakes a little while ago, it's not too difficult. Just tin each wire and soldering cup first, then use a "third hand" to hold them in place while you work."

[doug_hti]

Originally posted by Wally Joe
Thank you for sharing your expertise.

Another question I have is, what does it mean to "tin" a wire? I read about this in a related post, where SUBSPACE said,
"I soldered up six DB25 snakes a little while ago, it's not too difficult. Just tin each wire and soldering cup first, then use a "third hand" to hold them in place while you work."

You want to get solder on the wire and the connectors first, before you join them together....
so don't put a bare wire onto the soldered connector...it just makes it so there is less chance of a bad solder joint "cold solder" or whatever it's called...

Also, for whatever reason(it is important, i'm just not technical), don't touch the solder and iron together..or you'll have conductivity problems, which will give you greater chances of a bad solder....touch the iron tip to the connector or wire and then put the solder on the heated surface until it melts...

So "tinning" is kinda "pre soldering" the two surfaces you will be connecting. And then reheating (usually the connector), and placing the two together, until you see them join.
I wish I could be more detailed and articulate with the reasoning, but hopefully you get the idea...

[Wally Joe]

I do get the idea. Thanks for the clarity. Now that I know what I'm doing, I must go get a Weller and some solder!

Peace,
WJ

[Bastiaan]

To me a 40 watt sodering iron sounds a bit on the hefty side. I have an Antex 16 watt, and use Ersine Multicore 60/something ( i think 40....)

[subspace]

Originally posted by Bastiaan
To me a 40 watt sodering iron sounds a bit on the hefty side. I have an Antex 16 watt, and use Ersine Multicore 60/something ( i think 40....)

A hotter iron with a shorter contact time will do a cleaner job, especially if you're working with heat sensitive components like electrolytic caps. I have a 22 watt Weller pencil I'll use on the occasional hard to reach connector but for PCB work I use a 50 watt variable temp station. Ditto on the Radio Shack silver solder, easy to work with, cheap, and readily available. HTH

[Doug Ring]

I would make sure you have a damp sponge handy too, for wiping off the tip. Once solder's been sitting on the tip for a while, it seems to go "stale", maybe because the flux boils away. Also, the solder seems to melt quicker with a clean tip. I think the stale solder may not allow the heat from the copper tip through very efficiently.

BTW, I usually wipe the tip, then tin it with a tiny amount of solder before applying it to the elements of the joint. doug-hti suggests that you shouldn't do this, but I've always found it speeds the transfer of heat. I wired up a 52-way B-gauge balanced jackfield to multicores with XLRs and stereo jacks using this method, and not one dry joint resulted!

[Dot]

Soldering 101 for Recording Studios - Part 1
http://www.digitalprosound.com/2003/...ldering101.htm

Soldering 101 for Recording Studios - Part 2
http://www.digitalprosound.com/2003/...soldering2.htm