How-To Solder Like A Pro

Soldering is the process of joining metal parts by melting and flowing a filler metal, called solder, into the joint between them. 

The solder has a lower melting point than the metals being joined, so it melts and flows into the gap, and then solidifies to create a strong mechanical and/or electrical bond once it cools.

What do you need? (From most important to least)

So many soldering irons! Which one?

What Soldering Iron?
I have a few options, I will suggest, that many builders choose to use.
We love the TS100 / TS80
Small, compact, delivers the punch to solder 10 to even 8AWG.

Sure you can get any 60W iron kit off Aliexpress - [Link to a beginner budget friend Soldering kit] with temperature adjustment but I mean. 
I have a couple and they do the job, but once you have done a couple of solders you will want to upgrade to something that has more control.
 

Solder:  60/40

Types
There are 2 types of solder: acid & non-acid-based.
We want the latter.
There is also leaded solder and unleaded solder. 

Now obviously leaded solder is toxic, I recommend always having a fan or doing it with an external air source, and if you can’t, just try not to breathe the fumes. 

Leaded is better, it holds better and is overall used more. Also, know that leaded solder is banned in Europe as it is not RoHS compliant, but that does not stop you from buying it from the US or China.

xx/xx is the composition.
60/40= 60% Tin - 40% Lead
63/37 = 63% Tin - 37% Lead
Sn & Pb are just indicating the metal used. Sn means Tin. (You don’t need to google it like that though, just type 60/40 rosin cored solder and that will do.)

The latter is a new thing that people claim to be eutectic*.
*It has the lowest melting point (183 °C or 361.4 °F)

Unleaded alternative (Better for the environment, because Lead is very polluting)

• Sn95Ag4Cu1

Rosin/Flux core.
A reducing agent designed to help remove impurities specifically oxidized from the points of contact to improve the electrical connection.
This is a must! 
This comes in different forms. Flux can be applied by brush (paste), others use a syringe-type like this: Amazon / Aliexpress
You can also buy no-clean-flux. So when you solder with flux there is a residue that you must remove but even if you use no-clean-flux it is not necessary to use Isopropyl Alcohol to clean, hence the ‘‘No-Clean’’.

Thickness
The thickness of your solder depends on what you are soldering.
If you are soldering 8-12AWG then I suggest a thickness of 1.2mm/1.5mm.
I use 1.2mm most of the time, even with 26AWG but ideally, you want something more like 0.7mm for smaller wires like this.
AWG Cheat Sheet

Popular Solder Connections

How to tin a wire.

1. So for this, it is exactly the same as the Mesh Splice except you are not joining any wires.
   Take your wire and twist it.
   Flux it
    

and then add your tip with solder on it
 

This should be absorbed by the wire, then add more solder until you can’t see the wire strands.
As it quickly cools down the wire strands should just re-appear and that is the perfect amount. If you can see them then caress your wire with the tip to remove the excess solder.
Clean it with Isopropyl Alcohol and Voila!
 

Mesh Splice

This method allows you to join 2 wires together. This works for any gauge wire though for bigger (<8awg) and smaller (26>awg) wires, it becomes harder, so practice on some studs.

Place heat shrink on your wire

Bring your Iron to 350°C (some like it hotter, some colder, all preference)
Strip both wires about 1-1.5cm.
Take your 2 wires and mesh them together.

Grab the middle with one hand and pinch it while the other hand turns one way.
Once one side is done, do the same on the other half, obviously turning in the opposite direction.

Put a tad of flux along the exposed wire.
Take your soldering iron and < tin > the tip with your solder (simply melt a little solder on the tip of your iron)
Now place the tip on the wire to heat it and place your solder on the wire. You may need to melt a little more solder on the tip because solder melts on solder, so if the wire already has some solder in it then it will melt quicker, hence the < tinning > at the beginning.
 

The wire should be uniform with solder. Any icicles that form = a bad/cold joint
In this case either add more flux because if you heat your solder for too long then your flux will evaporate or you added too much solder and in this case just put your tip on it and ‘‘pick it’’ up. Pretty obvious when you try to do it.
Remember to always take a brush and cloth to clean with isopropyl alcohol!
This is what the final result should look like. The final look should have a mirror-like look. If it is dull then add flux, heat it up again and dab some more solder.

3 Way Splice

This is the method you want to use when you want to connect a wire to an already soldered wire. Not often used in esk8 but sometimes when you want an external power source drawn from the battery via a converter you use this.

Strip the existing wire about 1.5cm and the add-on wire about 5cm.

1. Start doing one loop around the top of it
    

Continue looping but come back through underneath and below

Cut off any protruding strands on the end because they will pierce the shrink wrap and may result in a possible short over time.

Put a tad of flux along the exposed wire.
Take your soldering iron and < tin > the tip with your solder (simply melt a little solder on the tip of your iron)
Now place the tip on the wire to heat it and place your solder on the wire. You may need to melt a little more solder on the tip because solder melts on solder, so if the wire already has some solder in it then it will melt quicker, hence the < tinning > at the beginning.

The final result should look like this

How to solder an XT connector.

Always attach the opposite side of the connector when soldering to avoid the pins from warping (If you are soldering the male side pop on the female as well & vice versa).
Place them in such a way that they are upside down. Also, don’t forget which prong is male or female, connectors only plug in one way. You don’t want to plug your negative to the positive lol
Place a bit of flux with a brush in each prong.

Put just a tad of solder on your iron’s tip.
Place the tip behind the connector, wait for the flux to start melting then fill it up with solder

Repeat step 5 then once the solder has melted place your wire in it 
IMPORTANT: keep the wire in place for a few seconds for the solder to harden or your wire will fall out.

Clean everything with Isopropyl Alcohol and brush…not the same one used for the flux without having cleaned it first will ya.

Extras

Video’s to watch

• Solder and Flux Lesson

Related Threads

• Loop Key
• DIY XT90 Paralell Connector

Vocabulary

Wet
This is what we call the solder that is completely melted and ‘‘flows’’ well.
Like melted gallium.
"Wettability" depends on how hot your iron is. If it is not wetting well, increase the temperature on your iron

Tin
Tinning a wire means adding solder (Tin) to something.
Ex. To tin your finger

Cold Joint
A dull, poorly soldered joint that does not provide good conductivity. It can also lead to the whole thing detaching itself.

Icicles
Jagged extensions or spikes protruding from a soldered joint. Icicles can be caused by an iron that is too cool.

More Definitions