making cables! quick solder help pt 2

L

lilcapn

New member
just made my first mic cables from bulk tonight! i'm psyched. 2 down, many to go.

my solder technique needs work, but skippy's (and others') tips have been quite useful.

a question:

everyone says you're supposed to keep the tip of the iron "tinned" by putting some solder on it and wiping it on the sponge, but i can't get the solder to stay on the iron itelf, and my iron got dirty pretty fast.

it may or may not be unrelated, but when i went to make my third cable (this is with canare quad cable and neutrik xlrs), the iron would no longer melt the solder. it was still on, still hot as hell, but it would NOT melt the solder so i had to retire for the evening.

any idea why this would happen? any tips to keeping the iron tinned and silvery?

thanks!
 
Was this a new tip on your iron? If so, the first thing you have to do is let it heat, then apply to the tip (first 5mm) lots of solder. Just keep adding solder until it drops of and then add more until it shines. Then shake of the surplus (take care of that!), make sure it end up on something that can stand the heat and wipe clean. Those sponges do more harm than good. Best is use lot of solder until all the brown goo is dripped of, shake clean and wipe fast on a clean tissue. Always apply a bit of solder before you want to make a joint.

If you really want to use the sponge, keep it only moist, not wet and wipe fast.

Check if your solder is roisin core.

If it is really a bad case, and you cannot get solder to stick on the bit, then you can try one of those "re-tin" blocks. They are sold in electronics shops to re-tin the bit. Look like a small tin filled with some pumice stone. Smells really bad when you put your hot iron in it.
 
Solder

Are you using 60/40 Rosin Core? THis is preferred for audio gear. Some people use silver solder, but it's hard to work with.
 
If your using a Weller iron with the coated tips do not touch any plastic. The plastic will destroy the coating and the tip will be junk. Melted plastic can bea problem on regular irons too. Keep that tip clean & well tinned. I also like to use the biggest iron I can and work quickly rather than using a smaller one and having to wait for it to heat up the work. If the insulation is melting before the solder flows your iron is probably too small.
 
solder help

i am using the 60/40 with rosin core.

i let it heat for a long time before i started, but didn't put a bunch of solder on it like you say before i did anything -- i guess i got off to a bad start, hope i can rectify things!

hmmm i wonder if the sponge has plastic in it and has messed up the tip?

maybe i'll just get one of those re-tin blocks and see if it helps,

thanks for the tips!
 
it may be belaboring the obvious, but i'm speaking from embarassing personal experience: some people (blush) have trouble geting the solder to melt because they are using too heavy a gauge solder wire. Get really really thin gauge solder, and it will practically melt from a smoldering glance!

And yet again, the eutectic ratio (63-37) is the best for electronic/audio work. Your best bet is to go to a real electronics supply house (and not a hardware store) for your solder to get the most (and best) options.
 
solder source

it's tough finding the right solder around here -- what i'm using was given to me by the local amp/guitar/tape machine/keyboard/mic fixer guy, he buys it by the ton from the military or something.

but you're right, some of what he gave me is fairly thick, maybe i'll stick with the thin stuff. i still have trouble getting it to stay on the iron to 're-tin' however -- when it melts it just rolls off like a little ball of mercury.

hilariously, when i tested my first two cables that i was so proud of with a cable tester, i had to fix BOTH of them...
 
If it comes from the military, it is suspect :) Seriously, do get some ordinary 60/40 roisin solder from an electronics shop. Radio shack, some diy stores, hardware stores etc. The thick stuff is usefull for tinning your bit when you start. Get something like 1mm for cable work.
 
the thin stuff

yeah, this stuff is 60/40 rosin core, but i think i need the thin stuff.

what i REALLY need is 2 more hands to hold all this stuff when i'm working; didn't build me a fancy workstation yet.
 
I just cut my teeth on a church sound system install. Everything was raw wire, 24+ channels with sends and returns and all the lighting. Almost everything was XLR. What helped me was to clip the end in a vice grip to solder it. After I started doing this, I was able to solder about 2 ends per minute, if the ends were stripped in advance. Hope this helps you.

Pete
 
Oh yeah, also, it was really worth my time to use the butane powered iron I borrowed. It was just so much more available. No cord, almost instant heat. It was great.

Pete
 
Also, the hotter the iron the better. Some people recommend "electronics" grade soldering irons but after going through two of them (like 20W-35W) I'm over it. You want to heat things up quickly and get out of there fast....and cables are not "electronics", I don't think you'll damage anything.

The solder you apply to the iron before touching it to the joint is really what's going to allow the heat to transfer into the joint...it's not actually used in the weld itself. No matter how shiney your tip is, it'll never work well to heat the joint up if you're just touching the bare iron to the joint.

These are observations from a total amature, so beware. It took me a lot of crappy cold welds before I started getting the hang of things....and I still burn myself every time I plug that stupid thing in :)

Slackmaster 2000
 
Slackmaster2K said:
Also, the hotter the iron the better.
Click to expand...

Not if you are ever going to get anywhere near a circuit board. If you use thin gauge solder, you won't need much heat to melt it. Best thing is to get one of those soldering stations with variable wattage.
 
Use the right tool for the job

Don't use a regulated pencil-tip iron to solder cables. Likewise don't use a 40 watt honker to solder IC pins.

And if your soldering battery terminal lugs onto some 0 guage cable a propane torch works great. :p
 
A few things to have around when making cables are a wooden clothpeg (is this the correct word? the thing you use to hang the laundry on the line) is great for jacks and cinch, and a small anvil you can clamp on the side of the table for XLR. Having both is perfect.
 
Hemostats and small needle-nose vise grips come in handy too. The added feature of these is being metal they act like a heat sink which draws the heat away from components.
 
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