bought a new soldering gun since i was sick of the pencil. its a radioshack model, 2 selectable heat. and i cant figure out how to use it. the rosin core solder just isnt sticking to wire. have tried with the flux, and without it. works better without the flux, but not much. i want to get used to this thing before i repair some connections the PO did under the hood. and is the label correct in saying it cannot be used for more than a minute at a time, and for every minute its on, it needs 4 minutes to cool? HELP!!!

 

I have some experiance soldering, so hopefully i can help. I solder alot of components on circuit boards(resistors, led's, switches, etc.) First clean hot tip w/ damp cloth. prime the hot solder tip w/ solder(use VERY THIN gauge solder, thin as a paper clip).Of course you want to heat the existing solder contact point on one side and add solder to hot solder joint from the other side. The solder doesn't really contact the tip of solder pen ,just the hot solder joint. To remove lay down wick on solder and aply tip of solder pen. make sure to clean tip each time and prime. It's key to get very thin solder! Hope this helps

 

so the solder from walmart in the tube thats 1mm thick isnt the best stuff to use for wiring huh? maybe thats my problem....

 

I don't have the specs right now, but the solder that works best for me is as thin or thinner than a small paper clip. it heats up alot faster, flows better, and resists solder balls.

 

i get a lot of solder balls... does that mean my solder is too heavy?

 

YOu heat the item to be soldered, not take the solder and bring it to the item.

I have that radioshack model, 15 and 30w selectable, pos. I bought a good one for 45 bucks or so and was amazed..


Tin the soldering tip (use small amnt of solder), then heat wiring. Honestly if your not wiring anything to important I like crimp on connectors better.

 

I started with the really cheap one from radio shack... i killed it preatty fast.

Next i moved on to a $20 gun i found at home depot and i killed that in about 2 months.

At this point i figured i would invest in a really nice gun... blew $75 on a good electric gun... lasted 1 year but i killed it trying to solder wires as thick as my pinky finger (it was an emergency).

Last gun i got was gas... it ROCKED!!! And guess what... i killed it

I am in the market for a high end gas soldering gun right now, and i would suggest looking for a non electric gun, they can be pretty cheap and have a 100% duty cycle, And the best part is NO CORD!!!

 

230/150 watt soldering gun. dual heat.

 

THen your not soldering right ozzy..

 

thats what im thinkin.....

 

Like I said, clean the tip and tin it using a small amount of solder. THen heat the wires and touch solder to them. Flux is only for pipes btw.

 

ok so you dont heat the top of the wire then apply the solder to the wire right next to the tip.. you heat from the bottom then apply the solder on top... how do you know when its ready? i know NOOB question flame suit engaged

 

ok found the problem... it wasnt me, the gun isnt heating up high enough. had my mechanic try to use it (has been soldering for like 40+ years) and he said its not heating correctly, and to return it.

 

I like to sand the tip lightly before I even turn the thing on. Then heat it up on the highest setting. Apply solder to the tip ( tinning the tip ). If the items you want to solder are hot enough the solder flows to the heat. Use as little solder as possible. If your gun or iron is not getting hot enough then the best solderer will have problems. A wet rag, sponge or paper towel should be kept near to clean the tip before or after each solder.