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The art of soldering must be learned gradually. Starting from soldering wires and moving on to printed circuit boards, each method has its own subtleties both in the selection of consumables for soldering and in technology. Today we will share with readers the basics of soldering and basic work skills.

What is the essence of soldering

Soldering uses the ability of some metals in a molten state to effectively flow over the surface of others under the influence of gravity and moderate surface tension. The connection by soldering is permanent: the two parts being connected are, as it were, enveloped in a layer of solder and remain motionless after it hardens.

Since we will consider soldering specifically in the context of metal soldering, the most important parameters will be the strength of the mechanical and conductivity of the electrical connection. In most cases, these are directly proportional values and if two parts are tightly grasped, then the conductivity between them will also be high. However, solder has resistivity higher than even that of aluminum, so its layer should be as thin as possible, and its hiding power should be as high as possible.

In order for soldering to be possible in principle, there are two conditions. The first and most important thing is the cleanliness of the parts at the soldering site. Solder attaches to the metal surface at the atomic level and the presence of even the slightest oxide film or contaminants will make reliable adhesion impossible.

The second condition is that the melting temperature of the solder must be significantly lower than the temperature of the parts being soldered. This seems obvious, but there are solders with a melting point higher than aluminum, for example. In addition, if the actual difference in melting temperatures is not high enough, when the solder solidifies, thermal shrinkage of the parts may prevent normal formation crystal lattice solder.

Fluxes and solders - how to choose the right ones

For the reasons described above right choice flux and solder are almost half the success in the soldering business. Fortunately, there are quite universal brands suitable for most tasks. The area of application of almost all fluxes and solders is clearly indicated on the labels, but some aspects of their use still need to be known.

Let's start with fluxes. They are used for etching parts, removing and dissolving the oxide film with further protection of the metal from corrosion. As long as the surface is covered with flux, you can be sure of its cleanliness, as well as that the molten tin will wet it well and spread.

Fluxes are distinguished by the type of metals and alloys of the parts being joined. Basically, these are mixtures of metal salts, acids and alkalis that actively react when heated with a soldering iron. Well, since there are quite a lot of oxide forms and contaminants, the cocktail must be specially selected for a specific type of metals and alloys.

Conventionally, soldering fluxes are divided into two types. Active fluxes are created on the basis inorganic acids, mainly chlorine and hydrochloric. Their disadvantage is that they need to be washed off immediately after soldering is completed, otherwise acid residues cause quite severe corrosion of the connection and themselves have a fairly high conductivity that can cause a short circuit. But you can solder almost anything with active fluxes.

The second type of flux is created mainly on the basis of rosin, which can also be used in pure form. Liquid flux is much more convenient to apply; it also contains alcohol and/or glycerin, which completely evaporate when heated. Rosin fluxes are the least effective when soldering steel, however, for non-ferrous metals and alloys they are predominantly used or other compounds organic chemistry. Rosin also requires rinsing because in the long term it promotes corrosion and can become conductive by picking up moisture from the air.

Liquid and solid rosin

With solders everything is somewhat simpler. Lead-tin solders of the POS brand are mainly used for soldering. The number after the marking indicates the tin content in the solder. The more it is, the higher the mechanical strength and electrical conductivity of the connection and the lower the melting temperature of the solder. Lead is used to normalize the solidification process; without it, the tin may crack or become covered with needles.

There are special types of solders, primarily lead-free (BP) and other non-toxic ones, in which lead is replaced by indium or zinc. The melting point of BP is higher than that of conventional ones, but the connection is stronger and more resistant to corrosion. There are also low-melting solders that spread already at 90-110 ºС. These include Wood and Rose alloys; they are used for soldering components that are sensitive to overheating. Special solders are mainly used in soldering radio equipment.

Power and types of soldering irons

The main difference between a soldering tool is the type of its power source. For ordinary people, the most familiar are network soldering irons powered by 220 V. They are used mainly for soldering wires and more massive parts, because it is almost impossible to overheat a copper wire, with the possible exception of melting the insulation.

The advantage of networked soldering irons is their high power. Due to it, high-quality and deep heating of the part is ensured, plus it does not require a bulky power supply for operation. Among the disadvantages, we can highlight the low ease of use: the soldering iron is quite heavy, the tip is located far from the handle and such a tool is not suitable for fine work.

Soldering stations use thermal control to maintain a stable temperature level. Such soldering irons do not have significant power, usually 40 W is already the ceiling. However, for heat-sensitive electronics and soldering small parts this tool fits best.

Choosing a tip and caring for it

Soldering iron tips are distinguished by shape and material. The shape is simple: the most primitive and at the same time universal is the awl-shaped sting. Variations are possible in the shape of a spatula, a cone with a blunt end, with a bevel, and others. The main task when choosing a shape is to achieve the maximum area of contact with a specific type of parts to be soldered, so that the heating is powerful and at the same time short-lived.

In terms of material, almost all tips are copper, but they come with or without coating. Copper tips are coated with chromium and nickel to increase heat resistance and eliminate oxidation of the copper surface. Coated tips are very durable, but are slightly less wetted by solder and require careful attitude. To clean them, brass shavings and viscose sponges are used.

Uncoated tips can rightfully be classified as consumables for soldering. During operation, such a tip periodically becomes covered with a layer of oxides and the solder stops sticking to it. The working edge needs to be re-cleaned and tinned, so with intensive use the tip wears off quite quickly. To slow down the burning of the tip, it is recommended to first forge it and then sharpen it to give the desired shape.

Soldering wires

Soldering wires is the easiest. We dip the ends of the cores into the flux solution and run a soldering iron along them, the tip of which is generously moistened with flux. During the tinning process, it is advisable to shake off excess molten solder. After application, half wires are formed into a twist, and then thoroughly heated with a small amount of solder, filling the free space between the wires.

Another method is also possible, when before twisting the wires are simply thoroughly moistened with flux and soldered without prior tinning. This method is especially popular when soldering stranded conductors and small-diameter wiring. If the flux is of high quality, and the soldering iron provides sufficiently strong heating, even a twist of 3-4 “fluffy” wires of 1.5 mm 2 each will be well saturated with tin and will be reliably soldered.

Please note that in electrical installations, that is, inside distribution boxes, it is not customary to solder wiring. Primarily due to the inseparability of the connection, plus the solder has a significant contact resistance and there is always a high risk of corrosion. Wires are soldered exclusively for connections inside electrical appliances or for tinning the ends of stranded wires before tightening them with screw terminals.

Working with electronic components

Electronics soldering is the most extensive and complex topic, requiring experience, skills and special equipment. However, even an amateur can replace a faulty element on a printed circuit board even with only a network soldering iron.

Lead-out elements (those with legs) are the easiest to solder. They are preliminarily fixed (plasticine, wax) with pins in the holes of the board. Then with reverse side the soldering iron is pressed tightly against the tail to warm it up, after which a solder wire containing flux is inserted into the soldering site. You don’t need too much tin, just enough so that it flows into the hole from all sides and forms a kind of elongated cap.

If the lead element dangles and needs to be held by hand, then the soldering area is first moistened with flux. A very small amount is needed; here it is optimal to use bottles of nail polish, pre-washed with acetone. With this soldering technique, tin is collected on the soldering iron in a small amount and a drop of it is carefully brought to the terminal of the element 1-2 mm from the surface of the board. The solder flows down the leg, uniformly filling the hole, after which the soldering iron can be removed.

It is very important that the parts to be joined remain motionless until the solder has completely cooled. Even the slightest violation forms of tin during crystallization leads to the so-called cold soldering - crushing the entire mass of solder into many small crystals. Characteristic sign This phenomenon is a sharp clouding of the solder. It needs to be reheated and wait until it cools evenly, completely still.

Poor quality, cold soldering

To maintain tin in a liquid state, it is enough for the soldering iron to contact the tinned surface of the tip with any point in the moistened area. If the soldering iron literally sticks to the parts being soldered, this indicates a lack of heating power. For soldering heat-sensitive semiconductor elements and microcircuits, regular solder can be mixed with fusible solder.

Soldering of massive parts

Finally, we'll briefly talk about soldering parts with high heat capacity, such as cable joints, tanks or cookware. The requirement for the immobility of the connection is most important here, large parts they are pre-connected with clamps, small ones - with lumps of plasticine; before soldering the connection, it is grabbed pointwise in several places and the clamps are removed.

Massive parts are soldered as usual - first, solder at the joint, then fill the seam with liquid solder. However, special solder is used for these purposes, usually refractory and capable of maintaining high tightness, as well as withstanding partial heating well.

When soldering like this, it is extremely important to keep the parts well heated. For these purposes, the soldering seam immediately before the soldering site is heated with a gas burner, and instead of a conventional electric soldering iron, a massive copper hatchet is used. It is also constantly heated in the flame of a burner, simultaneously wetting it with solder, and then the joint is filled, partially melting the previous seam by a few millimeters.

A similar heated soldering technique can also be used when working with a regular soldering iron, for example, when soldering thick cable cores. The sting in this case acts only as an operational tool for carefully distributing the tin, and the main source of heating is a gas burner.

The soldering process itself is not complicated - we prepare the parts, treat them with flux, heat them up, and add solder in the soldering area. But, as in any business, there are some nuances that you need to know in order to get a quality result.

What is the soldering process?

Soldering is performed when two parts need to be joined.

Before the process, it is necessary to prepare the components: clean them from dirt and remove the oxide film at the soldering site, since the presence of even slight dirt or oxidation will prevent reliable joining of the materials.

When choosing solder, you need to be guided by the rule - the melting temperature of the solder should be lower than the melting temperature of the elements that are planned to be connected.

Procedure for soldering technology:

The surfaces of the parts must be cleaned of dirt, rust, oxide film, etc., so that the base metal shines. To remove oxidation and prevent it in the future, it is necessary to coat the parts at the joint with flux. You can apply it with a brush in a thin layer.

An alternative to the second step is a processing option called tinning. Mainly used for processing wires. The stripped wire is placed on rosin, heated with a soldering iron, the wire must be turned so that it is all in the molten rosin, then a thin layer of molten solder is applied, which chemically connects with the base metal (you can take a drop of solder directly with a soldering iron and apply it to the part).

The parts are connected mechanically: for example, when working with wires, you need to twist them; The output elements on the board are fixed with plasticine, wax or hot glue; other parts can be clamped with pliers or a vice.

Additional flux is applied to avoid oxidation when heated. Solder is applied with a heated soldering iron.

For ease of understanding, we attach photo instructions on how to solder correctly.

Types of soldering irons

In everyday life, networked soldering irons operating on a voltage of 220 V are common.

Professionals prefer soldering stations. Their main advantage is the presence of a thermostat, thanks to which the set temperature is stably ensured.

In the case of network soldering irons, the temperature is determined by the rosin or flux; when the soldering iron is ready for use, they begin to boil well, but should not be allowed to burn.

For home use, you can purchase two soldering irons with low (40-60 W) and medium power (100 W). A low-power soldering iron is designed for soldering parts in electronics.

Consumables

Flux

This is a mixture for removing oxidation from metal parts before the soldering process. Flux treatment allows the solder to better spread over the joint and protect it from corrosion when heated. Flux can be found in the form of liquid, paste and powder. It is, of course, more convenient to apply liquid flux.

Fluxes can be rosin, ammonia, boric and orthophosphoric acids, and regular aspirin tablets.

It is easy to find flux on sale for any type of work, and as a rule, the label already indicates how and for what materials to use it. This allows you not to engage in amateur activities, but to use an already prepared mixture, which will avoid surprises in the form of soot.

Rosin is a popular flux, has a pleasant odor when heated, and is non-toxic. How to solder with a soldering iron with rosin: you can immediately take the liquid version of rosin, it is more convenient. If we are dealing with solid rosin, then first you need to melt it with a soldering iron and apply it to the soldering site with a tip.

Rosin is suitable for soldering copper conductors, radio and electrical elements, and behaves well with gold and silver. Residues of rosin after soldering must be removed to prevent metal corrosion.

Alcohol-rosin flux (abbreviated SKF) is rosin with alcohol in proportions of one to three. It is used in the same cases as regular rosin. Easier to use due to its liquid state.

Solder

Solder has a lower melting point than the material of the elements being joined, so when hot it envelops the joint, and after cooling the two parts become one. At what temperature to solder depends on chemical composition parts and the selected solder.

Alloys used as solders:

tin+lead
cadmium
nickel
silver, etc.

Lead-tin solders PIC are most often found on the market. After the abbreviation POS comes digital value, which indicates the amount of tin. The higher it is, the more tin, which has a positive effect on the strength and electrical conductivity of the future connection.

This tip will help you figure out how to solder with tin correctly; rosin is usually chosen as the flux (the most convenient option is tin wire, which already has rosin inside).

Lead serves as a regulator of the solidification process, since tin without this auxiliary element will crack and become covered with needles. Lead can be replaced by indium or zinc (lead-free solders).

For aluminum, you will need to choose specialized flux (F-61A, F-34A) and solder (there are different options).

Soldering iron tips

Almost all tips are made of copper, available with or without coating. Chrome-plated and nickel-plated tips are more heat-resistant, durable and not subject to oxidation.

Uncoated tips require constant cleaning, since when they oxidize they stop working efficiently (the solder does not stick). And during cleaning, the tip wears off quite quickly.

The choice of tip shape depends on the task at hand, but the awl and spatula shapes are considered universal.

Shutdown

After working with the soldering iron is completed, you need to clear the solder tip, and you can turn off the soldering iron. The hot tip needs to be inserted into the solid rosin and wait for it to cool, remove the tip, the excess rosin will drain and the soldering iron, which has now completely cooled, can be put back in place.

Armed with good theoretical knowledge of how to solder correctly with a soldering iron, in practice you can achieve success in this matter.

Sometimes the question may arise as to how you can solder a wire without using a soldering iron, because soldering is the most common way to connect small parts at home. There are situations when an urgent wire connection is required, but the soldering iron, used as a simple and convenient tool, is in a broken state. Almost everyone knows how to combine metals armed with it. But how soldering is carried out if there is no electricity at home is another question that we will consider below.

Using a homemade sting

Not everyone at home has such an ordinary tool as a soldering iron, but there are plenty of different breakable devices. Most often these are phone chargers or headphones from which the plug has broken off. Of course, if necessary and possible, you can buy new accessories, or you can breathe new life to the old ones. You can replace the soldering iron using ordinary available materials. In a word, a simple soldering iron tip is made, for heating which any fire source is suitable.

The available materials are as follows: a single-core piece of copper wire (diameter - 0.5 cm), as well as a small piece of fabric that is resistant to high temperatures. You can use the wire as a tip; one side of it needs to be carefully sharpened at an angle of about 45 degrees. This will serve as a soldering tool in the future. As for the other end of the cable used, it is reliably thermally insulated so that it can be safely held. Fiberglass or, at worst, ordinary jeans will be suitable as an insulator. All you have to do is cut a long piece of fabric and wrap it around the wire. To fix the fabric, use thread or glue.

Now let's move on to the most important thing: how to carry out soldering with such a homemade tip. First of all, you will need a source of fire. For example, a gas stove will serve them. You should take the sting and heat it thoroughly. Next, when it heats up, it touches rosin and solder, as a result of which the end of the tip becomes tinned. A tool, even a handy one, in this condition, is suitable for soldering.

For example, what to do if your phone charger is broken. First of all, you need to carefully strip the ends of the wire using a knife. Next, a heated tip is used, with which the ends of the copper wire are tinned. Soldering is used to connect the break point.

Important! When soldering, make sure that the wire being processed is thoroughly stripped. To remove oxides from the surface, a regular knife is most often used, resulting in high-quality tinning.

When using a homemade tip that replaces a soldering iron, you just need to lightly touch the damaged wire, as a result of which it will tin normally and quickly.

Soldering with foil

Using this method, soldering is completed in 5 minutes. In this case, foil is used as solder, which is rolled into a thin strip. This form is considered very convenient, since it will not spread over the area and leak with a larger dosage, which is physically impossible.

The type, location and size of the contacts can be any; with this method there are no specific restrictions. Foil soldering is useful in a variety of situations, from soldering a wire to a board to connecting the contacts of two twisted wires.

In order to prepare the contacts, you will need to remove the insulation from them and clean them of any residue. Next, the ends of the wires are connected by twisting, the required amount of foil is cut off, the adhesive tape is removed, and the wire is wrapped. Next, uniform heating is carried out, for which a candle or a regular lighter is suitable.

How to solder a garland using improvised means

In the case of a garland, first of all, you will need to find the place where the wire was disconnected. The reason for this may be:

Often the contacts break in the control unit, where thin wiring does not provide sufficient adhesion area;
Also, the gust can be along the entire length of the garland;
If the lamps are connected in parallel, then if one burns out, the entire circuit will open.

Note! Before starting work, you must disconnect the garland from the network.

As a rule, contacts that have moved away can be easily found with the naked eye. In other cases, a special tester may be needed: each half is measured, after which the search range is gradually narrowed until a non-working element is found.

Having found the location of the rupture, you can begin the soldering procedure. It should be noted that in this situation the solderless method is most relevant, which is explained by the small diameter of the wire. Paste and heat shrink tubing will be effective here.

If in Soviet time There was a game for schoolchildren, the essence of which was to solder a radio-electronic microcircuit on their own, which they successfully did, but now the question of how to properly use a soldering iron puts many in a difficult position. Although learning how to solder with a soldering iron is not so difficult, and having mastered the basics for “dummies”, you will be able to carry out simple work on your own without turning to specialists.

In order to start soldering, you need to prepare workplace And necessary tool. Regardless of the type of proposed work, the following requirements are imposed on the workplace:

The presence of good lighting will allow you not only to work comfortably, but also to notice small flaws in the soldered parts, which is difficult if there is a lack of light;
No flammable items;
Free working space on which you can easily place the part to be soldered;
The presence of ventilation will make work not only more comfortable, but also safer; inhaling molten rosin has a negative effect on the respiratory system;
A magnifying glass makes it possible to work even with small parts and thin wires;
A simple stand solves the problem of placing a heated soldering iron.

The next stage of preparation will be the choice of tool, and a beginner is always faced with the question of what is needed for soldering with a soldering iron.

The basis of high-quality soldering is heating metal parts to the soldering temperature; accordingly, for each type of work it is recommended to use soldering irons of different capacities:

For soldering radio components and microcircuits, it is best to use a soldering iron with a power of no more than 60 Watts, otherwise you can overheat the part or simply melt it;
Parts up to 1 mm thick will warm up better when using a tool with a power of 80-100 Watts;
Parts with a wall thickness of up to 2 mm require greater power and some experience in operation, so soldering of such parts will not be considered in this article.

After choosing the power of the soldering iron, you should prepare it for work, or rather, prepare the tip. There are soldering irons with replaceable tips that are suitable for different types works Models with a copper tip are also available, which can be sharpened or given any shape using a hammer. the required form. A serious disadvantage of such tips is the need to constantly tin them so that an oxide film does not appear on the surface, which prevents the solder from sticking. Manufacturers also produce a more expensive version with a nickel-plated coating, but it is afraid of overheating and requires careful handling.

What else do you need for soldering?

In addition to the soldering iron itself, you need the following for soldering:

solder;
rosin;
soldering acids or fluxes.

Solder is binding material between the parts being soldered, and there is no way to work without it. Nowadays, stores sell specially prepared solders in the form of wires of various diameters twisted into a spiral, from which it is convenient to “pinch off” the required piece with a heated tip, but you can also use it as solder the old fashioned way piece of tin, but it won’t be as convenient to work with.

Rosin is used to prepare the surface for the application of solder. Solder with rosin is distributed evenly, in the absence of the latter it rolls into drops, and does not stick to some surfaces at all.

Soldering acid, or flux, is necessary to prepare contacts for soldering. A beginner should know that the flux for each material being soldered is different, and you cannot use acid to solder aluminum on a copper wire, otherwise the solder simply won’t stick.

The basis of any soldering is high-quality warming up the parts being soldered followed by securing them with solder. Technologically it is possible to distinguish two types of soldering: using flux or rosin.

Learning to solder with a soldering iron with rosin is more difficult, but once you master this skill, it will be possible to complete 90 percent of the work.

Let's look at the example of soldering wires to a board. First you need to warm up the wire; to do this, apply the tip of a heated soldering iron flat (it’s better if it’s a tip in the shape of a screwdriver), pressing as much as possible. After a few seconds, the wire with the tip pressed to it is lowered into rosin, which, when boiling, is evenly distributed over all the wire cores. This way the wire is prepared for applying solder. Using a soldering iron tip, take a small part of the solder and apply a thin layer of it to the wire. In this case, you should not get any drops or unaffected areas; ideally, you get the same wire, but in tin.

We clean the soldering iron tip with a metal sponge or cloth and, touching the rosin with the tip, run the tip over the board, leaving a thin layer of rosin on the surface. The surfaces are prepared. Ensuring maximum contact between the wire and the board, we press the tip with a thin layer of solder onto the wire and “stroke” the soldering area several times with a soldering iron for better heating. After this, let it cool and check the contact for strength.

If soldering is carried out correctly, the surface is shiny and the connection has maximum strength. If the surface looks dull and loose, it means that the rules for soldering with a soldering iron were violated and the connection is not so strong. But in some cases, this result is satisfactory.

Soldering with flux

To solder with flux, you just need to take the flux, dip a brush into it and apply it to the surface to be soldered. After this, you can apply solder or solder directly. Despite its apparent simplicity, working with acid has many nuances:

Each material has its own flux and they are not interchangeable, and in some cases even give the opposite effect;
You cannot use fluxes that are too active on microcircuits, as they can burn through the metal of the track;
If you do not remove the flux from the surface after work or do it with the wrong reagent, it will continue to destroy the metal;
The copper tip of a soldering iron, especially if it is sharpened, is destroyed by acid, and you have to constantly sharpen it.

In addition to knowledge, working with a soldering iron requires accuracy and precision, and having learned how to solder simple parts, it will not be difficult to move on to soldering thinner circuit boards, or, conversely, thick wires, various elements, rhinestones, and subsequently even solder plates together.