Solder as glue

[amz-fx]

I cringe every time I see a Youtube video where someone is using solder basically as glue to connect two wires or components.

Back in the Stone Age, I was taught to make a sound mechanical connection first, and then use solder to secure the connection.

It must be because smt parts are held down with solder that people think it is okay, but smt parts are tiny and very light weight, so they do not put much stress on the connection. A wire flying across to a switch or LED is another matter.

Maybe it is just the geezer in me that finds that method of construction a little suspect. 

regards, Jack

[end of rant]

[Kipper4]

Let it out Jack.

I feel better already reading your words.

[italianguy63]

I cringe every time I see a Youtube video where someone is using solder basically as glue to connect two wires or components.

Back in the Stone Age, I was taught to make a sound mechanical connection first, and then use solder to secure the connection.

It must be because smt parts are held down with solder that people think it is okay, but smt parts are tiny and very light weight, so they do not put much stress on the connection. A wire flying across to a switch or LED is another matter.

Maybe it is just the geezer in me that finds that method of construction a little suspect. 

regards, Jack

[end of rant]

My late father taught me... to make a good solder connection..

You need, Clean-good mechanical connection-adequate heat...

[EBK]

I'm always bothered (mildly) by board-mounted pots being used to hold a PCB securely in place. 

I'm less bothered by wires flying to pots and switches.  How else are you supposed to use a solder lug if not soldering it to a wire?

[Ben N]

I feel you, Jack. Same with pots, switches and jacks: What are the damned holes for if not to put/hook the wires through?

Eric, I feel differently about board mounted pots because (a) there is a mechanical connection between the lugs and the board, and (b) there are usually 9 or more points involved in supporting the board, all at the same level relative to the enclosure but on different lines relative to the board, so if you do it right (soldering the pots to the board only after mounting them in the enclosure) there should be no movement inside the box and any minimal stress should be equally distributed across all those points. I would feel less sanguine about it if there were, say, two pots in a single row, effectively forming a pivot on which the pcb will be pitching like a Strat bridge with every movement of the box.

[amz-fx]

How else are you supposed to use a solder lug if not soldering it to a wire?

It is okay to fly a wire over to a lug as long as you thread the wire through the lug and bend it back, then solder. It then has at least some amount of secure attachment instead of just a glob of solder. 

regards, Jack

[Mark Hammer]

Jack, I see you pop into a thread here and there to provide some fill-in-the-gaps info; something you always do so well.  But it's not often I see you start a thread.  So I can only assume this topic is something that really bugs you.

[willienillie]

You want to be further disturbed?  Bob Heil can't solder worth a $%&@!

[amz-fx]

So I can only assume this topic is something that really bugs you.

Hahaha... actually I was just watching a couple of Big Clive videos, and he does it all the time. We all probably use the technique occasionally just to make a temporary connection, and that's okay. But it makes me cringe when wires carrying AC line voltage are glued together with solder and then tucked away in a project for permanent use. 

I certainly can't claim to be the world's best soldering artist. Far from it. I have a couple of temperature controlled soldering stations and almost never use them. It's just a habit since for many years (about 35 or 40!) I used the same Radio Shack 25w iron and just changed the tip when it became crusty, however its heating element finally burned out (and I still have some replacement tips).

Now I just go down to Harbor Freight and buy a few $4 soldering irons and use one until the tip is shot and then toss it out for the next one. Oddly enough, the tips are an odd size and I have tried all sorts of replacements from Ebay but none fit. Six gauge wire is a good fit and I cut some pieces of copper wire and turned them down to a point, but they are crap since they are not plated and don't last long. But you can make all kinds of custom shapes or use them for purposes to which you would not want to subject a soldering iron... like wood burning or melting plastic. I also have a TS100 and few other irons but the cheap fixed-heat irons are what I like best. When I really need to put some heat on a connection, I get out the 100w Weller soldering gun that my Dad gave me when I was a teenager. It's great when you need to solder a big fat 600v capacitor to a lug on a tag strip. 

The temp control is what I don't like. I want the tip to be about 1000C and everything to melt like butter when I touch it all together -- none of this temp control rubbish! 

Best regards, Jack

ps: Not sure I want to watch the Bob Heil video!

[PRR]

> Back in the Stone Age, I was taught

Hey, stoner! Get off my jungle!

Brontosaur dung is the best glue. Cure it in the magic "fire". Or steal one of these from the sapiens:

[italianguy63]

> Back in the Stone Age, I was taught

Hey, stoner! Get off my jungle!

Brontosaur dung is the best glue. Cure it in the magic "fire". Or steal one of these from the sapiens:

We actually had one of these irons up until late.  My dad had one, and it disappeared after he died.  We think the neighbor came over and stole it from his tool shed....  (other things went missing too).

[anotherjim]

Solder as glue! This is why people in stained-glass houses shouldn't throw stones... or lean against the walls.

[amz-fx]

That's some big iron that you're packing there, Hoss. You might want to take a mill file to the tip before tackling the 0402 resistors though. 

regards, Jack

[EBK]

That's some big iron that you're packing there, Hoss. You might want to take a mill file to the tip before tackling the 0402 resistors though. 

It's no secret that I enjoy mapping the boundaries of possibility with little regard for practicality.  I actually find myself wondering if one could really do surface mount work with that gargantuan iron (I'd count two proper joints contributing to a working circuit as a success).

[stallik]

Erik - next you'll be asking what the best settings are for your arc welder....

[italianguy63]

That's some big iron that you're packing there, Hoss. You might want to take a mill file to the tip before tackling the 0402 resistors though. 

It's no secret that I enjoy mapping the boundaries of possibility with little regard for practicality.  I actually find myself wondering if one could really do surface mount work with that gargantuan iron (I'd count two proper joints contributing to a working circuit as a success).

I THINK this iron was used by my G. Grandfather to "sweat" copper pipes in the day.  I used it a bit when I was building battery packs and had to saturate thick solder braid with solder quickly when making high amperage connections!

[Ben N]

Not sure I want to watch the Bob Heil video!

Dude is giggling about high voltage, going on about rubber ducks and "making things happen"--I suspect he may be one toke over the line.

[vigilante397]

I actually find myself wondering if one could really do surface mount work with that gargantuan iron (I'd count two proper joints contributing to a working circuit as a success).

I've done it. It was actually pretty well identical to the one in that picture too. Granted they weren't 0402, they were like 2512 I think. It was a thermal test board, we were using the resistors as dummy loads, and it was on a 16-layer board with 2oz copper and a bunch of ground planes, so our fancy digitally controlled Metcal irons weren't hot enough to get the job done. Enter gargantuan beast, let it warm up for 10 minutes or so, and boom. Solid connections.

[Fancy Lime]

You want to be further disturbed?  Bob Heil can't solder worth a $%&@!k

"I wanna get more people involved in building."
But not like that! People will die, you know? Holy cow, this is painful to watch. And here I was, thinking my soldering sucked....

[tubegeek]

We actually had one of these irons up until late.  My dad had one, and it disappeared after he died.  We think the neighbor came over and stole it from his tool shed....  (other things went missing too).
[/quote]

That is one f'ed-up neighbor - even if you only SUSPECT them of this, there's got to be some kind of horrendous backstory to it.