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Written by admin (Cranston, Rhode Island)
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 Dealing with electrical issues around the home has become something of a lost art. Many of the electronic devices out there nowadays defy explanation, let alone easy repairing. Besides, why risk a shock over a loose wire in the chandelier, or the eerie crunchy sounds coming out of the speaker?
Like anything that needs fixing around the home, there's no need to be intimidated by a task that may require a couple passes of the soldering iron, so long as you're aware of a couple precautions and techniques along the way.
To make a soldered connection that provides good electrical contact,
you need the right kind of soldering iron, good solder, and the right
kind of flux. The type of soldering iron
you sould use depends on the work you'll be doing. For delicate parts
and wiring like that found in smaller appliances, a small 25- to
50-watt soldering iron with a point or chisel tip will do the job. It's
easy to handle, has a small tip that will reach into tight spaces, and
is not likely to damage parts by overheating. Some of the newer iron
models are no larger than a box cutter, are cordless, and heat up to
the requisite 500 degrees in just a second.
A low-wattage soldering gun will also work. It does put out more heat
and is a bit bulky, but it's instantly ready to go and can produce
some great results if handled carefully. Anything greater than 100 watts is just plain overkill,
unless you're into fusing huge sheets of metal in your spare time.
Make sure that the iron you use is kept tinned (covered
with a coating of solder) at all times. Tinning aids heat transfer via
the molten solder and prevents pitting, corrosion, and oxidation (in
other words, the tip gets tarnished). This should be done while the
iron is hot. When the iron is not being used, turn it off or unplug it.
Keeping it idle for too long will accelerate erosion and pitting.
The solder used for electrical work should be a mixture of 60% tin and
40% lead. Most of what you'll find at the hardware store is of this
variety. Anything with more lead than 40% just makes the solder harder
to work with.
Flux is a material that should always be used with solder.
There are two kinds: acid and rosin. You can only use rosin in
electrical work because acid will corrode any copper parts in the
electrical device. Flux serves to remove and prevent tarnish and act as
a wetting agent to help the molten solder spread and penetrate. Rosin
core solder in fact is used everywhere in electrical work. The hollow
core already has the rosin flux injected into the solder, so that you
won't have to worry about the additional step of applicating flux.
- Just before you solder, clean the parts to be joined right
down to the base metal. A knife or anything abrasive can be used, like
steel wool or sandpaper. If you're taking that solder to an electric
motor or anything coiled, be aware that many of them are coated with a
lacquer that has to be scraped off before the lead can be soldered to
another wire. Remember however that most soldering irons don't need
cleaning: they're usually plated.
- Soldered
parts should have a secure mechanical connection before the solder is
applied. In electrical work, this normally means that wire must be
twisted around or crimped inside its terminal. It helps if the parts
are tinned beforehand. It'll fuse the joint more completely when the
solder is melted.
- To make a good joint, its
parts should be heated along with the solder. When applying the
soldering iron's tip to the joint, use a flat surface of the tip to
maximize the area that touches the work. This will improve heat contact
and help the solder penetrate the whole joint.
-
Hold the solder against the joint rather than against the tip of the
iron. That way, the solder will completely cover and bind the parts
together. If rosin core solder is held to the tip of the iron rather
than to the joint, the flux will burn itself out before it even reaches
the joint, and the join will tarnish. The best technique would be to
hold the solder to the joint and apply the tip of the soldering iron to
the solder. The flux will coat the molten solder before it oxidizes and
the molten solder will transfer heat to the parts being joined much
quicker.
And there you have them: the basics of soldering. Happy tinning.
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