chase1410 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Hey guys, I've really been interested in to getting into soldering and being able to do my own repair/guitar work. As of now I have 0% exp. dealing with soldering, and I plan on going to Michael's or somewhere to get a cheap soldering iron and solder and attempt to practice on something..(I've heard of solder boards, or something of the like?). Basically for now..I want to get sufficient enough just to remove old caps from the pots of my guitars and replace em with better caps...I know it's very simple, but I would really appreciate some tips, on how to carefully remove the caps from the pots, with out harming (burning) the pots/caps....Is there certain techniques anybody has encountered? Any simple tips or advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Hmmmm..........I do remember when dem00n learned to sodder...... :unsure: ......... I've been clean and solder for a while now, even with my life in flux......... Actually, there are some great threads here where members asked help in installing pickups.....Try searching via key words like solder and the like........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman5293 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Well first of all, you need to be extremely careful with any kind of capacitor. They can carry high voltages that can literally stop your heart! Although, the capacitors in a guitar should have pretty low voltages. You just have to know/learn which connections are which. It's vitally important that you know which connection is ground, which is positive, and which is negative. This is important no matter what your soldering. For example, if you solder the ground to the positive on any electronic component that has active electricity running through it, you might just end up with a nice warm fire fit to make roasted marshmallows with. If you understand how most electronic components work, then I say go for it! Soldering is not difficult in any way. It's all about knowing your components. And here's a little tip for you, don't use too much solder on your connections. Only use whats necessary, too much can result in whats called a cold solder (also known as a bad connection). Hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 I used to be great at it. It is something that takes practice, but with guitar guts, you really don't need to be that good and it is a great way to get practice. First the more tools you have, the better off you will be. You don't need to spend a fortune on an iron, but what will be useful is a small variety of tips. It is all about heat control. Too small a tip and you can't transfer heat quickly, and too big you can't fit it into your work or you heat areas you don't want to. Regarding wattage, the higher the wattage the easier it is to melt you solder but the more risk you take in overheating or heating the wrong area or too big an area. With practice you can control it by paying attention to where you apply the heat and how fast the solder flows. Too low a wattage and you have to leave it on so long to heat it that the heat transfers to a wider area. Having said that, many will say to use a 15 watt as there is almost no chance of overheating, but it takes a long time. I like to use a 35 watt or even a 40. check radio shack..they have irons with replaceable rods in different wattages and replaceable tips. I would say go for about 30 watts. Also, get some copper breaded solder remover. it comes in a mini roll and you put it on a glob you want to remove and the solder flows onto it. Also, get a tip cleaner. It is like a little bowl with a sponge thingy that you use to wipe the tip with between soldering jionts. a clean tip is a happy tip. Those are the bare basics for me. Often you can find these in a kit for pretty cheap. Some kits have all kinds of handy things like clips and stands and stuff. Lastly, the solder. There are some made for strenth, sound quality, and ease of use. there are different melting temperatures for different solders. Standard and easiest is 60/40, then there are some with copper and some with silver. Silver is the best. If it doesn't say what it is (oddly, I experienced this not too long ago) if it says it is made for eletronics, it is problably good. I could go on but that is enough for now. Happy to answer any questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowdiddley Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Hey guys, I've really been interested in to getting into soldering and being able to do my own repair/guitar work. As of now I have 0% exp. dealing with soldering, and I plan on going to Michael's or somewhere to get a cheap soldering iron and solder and attempt to practice on something..(I've heard of solder boards, or something of the like?). Basically for now..I want to get sufficient enough just to remove old caps from the pots of my guitars and replace em with better caps...I know it's very simple, but I would really appreciate some tips, on how to carefully remove the caps from the pots, with out harming (burning) the pots/caps....Is there certain techniques anybody has encountered? Any simple tips or advice? Don't go too cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzboy Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Radio Shack soldering irons are good start then I would go up from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT Bob Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 I would only add to all the above advice, remember the solder doesn't make the electical connection - it simply bonds the two surfaces together. So, if you're soldering a wire to a component, make sure the bare wire (a good pair of adjustable wire strippers will prove invaluable - don't be tempted to use a penknife ot wire cutters) has a good physical contact with the terminal on the component. This way you won't end with what Tman calls a "cold solder" - what I know as a "dry joint". Oh - one more thing (and I speak from VERY bitter experience) be careful where you put the iron down, and how you pick it up. Not watchiung what you're doing, and picking up the wrong end is NOT a great idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre S Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 I use a Weller 15W that I got for $13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverside Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Solder won't make the mechanical contact... but it does make the electrical connection. That's why they use it on PCBs. Get your components securely in place, make sure you're dealing with clean connections and iron. Get it hot enough, but not too much. Use heat sinks when necessary. It's not rocket surgery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbreslauer Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 +1 on Radio Shack. You can get a nice dual watt or adjustable watt iron there very reasonably. you can also find solder, flux, solder wick, and tons of kits and components to practice with too. have fun! Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 It was a long road... Where gloves and protective eye gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverside Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 It was a long road... Where gloves and protective eye gear. But gloves don't help when you need to wipe a little spit on a joint - that is, to make it cool quicker... It's also not a bad idea to make "masks" out of a paper plate if you need to make sure not to burn wood or speaker cones with those little drops that happen... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ne14t? Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 If its not a Weller its not a soldering iron, also I would look at a soldering station over an iron, little more up front but easier to work with and the heating element is remote so you arent constantly holding a piping hot soldering iron. I use a Weller WES51 analog station for all my soldering including fragile and delicate electronic PCBs. With the electronics in your guitar you are not at risk of electrical shock unless its plugged in and on, the capacitors are too small to really hold a charge they are just acting as an electronic filter in this instance; however prolonged exposure to heat say out of a soldering iron can and will very easily destroy any of these fragile electric pieces. Also after soldering several traces on printed circuit boards I would say don't even waste your time with flux cored solder its messy and a waste time. Lastly dont forget to shrink wrap all the connections you solder to make sure they dont short out on anything. Other then that soldering is REALLY easy just a high risk of getting burnt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre S Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 I use some old towel, or polishing cloth to cover the guitar whilst working, if I have to work in the guitar. If you are doing a total rewire, then assemble and solder as much as possible outside of the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazzboy Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Yeah make sure you wear something like pants and not shorts when soldering either. I learn that that lesson the hard way a couples times on both my bare skin legs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chase1410 Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 I used to be great at it. It is something that takes practice, but with guitar guts, you really don't need to be that good and it is a great way to get practice. First the more tools you have, the better off you will be. You don't need to spend a fortune on an iron, but what will be useful is a small variety of tips. It is all about heat control. Too small a tip and you can't transfer heat quickly, and too big you can't fit it into your work or you heat areas you don't want to. Regarding wattage, the higher the wattage the easier it is to melt you solder but the more risk you take in overheating or heating the wrong area or too big an area. With practice you can control it by paying attention to where you apply the heat and how fast the solder flows. Too low a wattage and you have to leave it on so long to heat it that the heat transfers to a wider area. Having said that, many will say to use a 15 watt as there is almost no chance of overheating, but it takes a long time. I like to use a 35 watt or even a 40. check radio shack..they have irons with replaceable rods in different wattages and replaceable tips. I would say go for about 30 watts. Also, get some copper breaded solder remover. it comes in a mini roll and you put it on a glob you want to remove and the solder flows onto it. Also, get a tip cleaner. It is like a little bowl with a sponge thingy that you use to wipe the tip with between soldering jionts. a clean tip is a happy tip. Those are the bare basics for me. Often you can find these in a kit for pretty cheap. Some kits have all kinds of handy things like clips and stands and stuff. Lastly, the solder. There are some made for strenth, sound quality, and ease of use. there are different melting temperatures for different solders. Standard and easiest is 60/40, then there are some with copper and some with silver. Silver is the best. If it doesn't say what it is (oddly, I experienced this not too long ago) if it says it is made for eletronics, it is problably good. I could go on but that is enough for now. Happy to answer any questions. thanks ALOT guys...really needed some solid advice and I got it two-fold...I'm gonna go to Radio-Shack either tomorrow or Saturday and pickup a soldering iron,solder, cleaning tip, and some circuit boards to practice on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ne14t? Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 To clean the tip just use a piece of sponge dampened with water, so just cut up an old dish sponge save yourself the $10 or whatever radio shack would try and ding you for a "tip cleaner" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feldkeen4 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 I've soldered thousands of things as a elevator repairman so read this: I was never any good at it until somebody told me this tip. Make sure everything to be soldered is heated up properly, a cold solder joint will fail. That means the wire the component or attachment point must be heated together and cool down together to adhere. Right when your done if the solder looks really shiny it's good, if it looks pale and tinny and dull it will have less of a chance (but will probably still work). It is possible to overheat a component like a resistor or a capacitor and ruin it, but it has never happened to me. So don't be shy heat it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FarnsBarns Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Get a desolderer, it's by far the best way to remove solder. http://www.itcelectronics.com/product_info.php?products_id=10071 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT Bob Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 It's not rocket surgery. Rich Hall? Genius! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverside Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Rich Hall? Genius! I'm pretty sure it's in the public domain. I didn't think it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Well first of all, you need to be extremely careful with any kind of capacitor. They can carry high voltages that can literally stop your heart! Although, the capacitors in a guitar should have pretty low voltages. You just have to know/learn which connections are which. It's vitally important that you know which connection is ground, which is positive, and which is negative. This is important no matter what your soldering. For example, if you solder the ground to the positive on any electronic component that has active electricity running through it, you might just end up with a nice warm fire fit to make roasted marshmallows with. If you understand how most electronic components work, then I say go for it! Soldering is not difficult in any way. It's all about knowing your components. And here's a little tip for you, don't use too much solder on your connections. Only use whats necessary, too much can result in whats called a cold solder (also known as a bad connection). Hope this helps! +1 for safety. Actually he might start off by learning the difference between polarized and non-polarized capacitors. Most guitar capacitors are non-polarized so no positive or negative lead... Not all polarized caps follow the negative to ground rule. Depends on the circuit - Example Bias caps on a Marshall are positive to ground... Some polarized caps are used for tone filtering not for controlling DC current and also don't follow the positive negative rule... cathode bypass, coupling... Etc... Point is every "rule" has an exception so it is best to really understand what your messing with where electricity is concerned. Nothing to worry about in a guitar control cavity though other than burnt fingers, wiring, finish, components and dented pride.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverside Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 After you knock soldering, take a lesson in razor knife! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Radio Shack soldering irons are good start then I would go up from there. Yep best woodburning tool for the money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy R Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Solder won't make the mechanical contact... but it does make the electrical connection. That's why they use it on PCBs. Get your components securely in place, make sure you're dealing with clean connections and iron. Get it hot enough, but not too much. Use heat sinks when necessary. It's not rocket surgery. Just to be a pain.... but sometimes solder is the mechanical contact too.... It is best not to rely on it as the mechanical contact if possible but sometimes it is unavoidable, Bus wire on back of pots for instance. Just sayin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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