Do it Yourself Soldering

Soldering irons can be used to join two different wires.

Soldering can be used to join two different wires or a wire to another component such as a terminal or electrode. Soldering is a useful skill for homeowners and do-it-yourselfers interested in working on circuitry or electrical devices. Soldering is done with either a soldering gun or a soldering iron, each of which have different wattages for different sized wires. There are also different types of solder, some of which are used for electronic circuits, rosin core, and others of which are used for copper plumbing pipes, acid core.

Things You'll Need

• Wire stripper
• Soldering iron
• Solder
• Wires
• Wet sponge
• Multimeter
• Soldering wick
• Solder sucker
• Scissors

Instructions

Soldering

1. Prepare the wires by stripping off the insulation with a wire stripper and exposing two inches of wiring. Wrap the wires around each other tightly.

2. Heat the soldering iron. Tin the soldering iron by touching it to a piece of solder. This will coat the tip of the soldering iron, aiding the transfer of heat from the iron to the metals. Continue to allow the soldering iron to heat. Coat the tip of the soldering iron again with solder, making sure that it is completely covered.

3. Wipe the tip of the soldering iron with a wet sponge in order to remove the flux residue.

4. Touch the soldering iron to the wired joint and allow it to heat the wires until the iron begins to move through the metal wiring.

5. Touch the solder to the top of the joint, just barely touching the top of the soldering iron's tip. Coat the entire joint with solder by moving the tip of the soldering iron and solder together back and forth over the joint.

6. Use a multimeter, set to measure voltage, to check the wires for continuity once the joint has cooled. Turn on the power source and touch the probes of the multimeter to the side of the joint that is opposite from the power source. If there is no voltage, then the joint is not conducting electricity and is not continuous.

Desoldering

1. Use a wet sponge to remove any glue, varnish, resin or grease from the wired joint before applying the soldering iron.

2. Heat the soldering iron. Touch the tip of the soldering iron to the soldered joint until the solder begins to melt, which will only take a few seconds.

3. Remove the solder with a solder sucker by pushing down on the plunger until it is locked into place. Place the nozzle from the solder sucker on top of the heated solder and push the button to release the plunger, watching it suck up the solder from the joint.

4. Heat the soldering wick by holding it to the tip of the soldering iron for one to two seconds. Apply the heated wick to the joint to remove any remaining small traces of solder. Cut off used sections of the soldering wick and reheat the unused portion of the wick to soak up more solder.

References

• Aaron Cake: How To Desolder
• Aaron Cake: How to Solder
• Epe Mag: Basic Soldering Guide

Resources

• Media College: How to Solder
• KPSec: How to Solder