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Had a talk with a retired TV repair guy that made me rethink my soldering
Met this old timer at the flea market last Saturday, he must be 80 easy. He looked at my iron and said I was running it way too hot, that I was cooking the boards instead of joining them. He showed me his old Weller station from the 70s, still works perfect, and he said patience beats power every time. Made me wonder how many boards I've ruined without even knowing it. Anyone else ever get humbled by someone who's been doing this since before surface mount was a thing?
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miamitchell2mo ago
That reminds me of my buddy Dave who builds guitars as a side thing. He used to crank his iron up to 800F because he thought it made the joints stronger, until a retired electronics teacher watched him work and pointed out he was lifting pads left and right. Now he swears by lower temps and better flux, and his builds actually work now.
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miamitchell2mo ago
800 degrees man i feel that. My buddy Steve tried to learn soldering for his drone builds and he was cranking his iron so hot the boards looked like a crime scene. All these lifted pads and burnt flux everywhere. Swears by 650 now and says the joints are actually clean.
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