[sdiy] Larry's MOTM/diy/AH pages

[KA4HJH]

>> I agree.. add fresh solder !!!
>
>I've never thought about it in a metalurgic way (I really should study
>the metalurgic side of soldering) but I've run into the custom of
>soldering on fresh solder on old soldering as I am about to suck it
>out or just dip another conductor into it. It is actually much more
>rewarding to waste some solder than heating the hell out of the
>surroundings of that solderpoint. For me it has been kind of natural
>since I cault on with the habbit, just something one does... so why
>discuss it? Well.. I see the point ;)

It's very gratifying to know that other people have developed the same
habit, er, discovered the same thing. And it would have saved me some
trouble as a beginner if I had known about this but as I said they're some
sort of conspiracy among electronic book authors to conceal this knowledge.


If I remember correctly the eutectic tin/lead alloy (where it melts
instantly instead of becoming mushy first) has the lowest melting point but
it's been a while since I read about that. I've always wondered if that
would be such a good thing to use when hand soldering since things have a
tendency to move while the solder is cooling--you might end up with more
bad joints somewhere down the road. Slightly more heat and some room to
move seems like a better choice to me.

I've heard that this is why it's so hard to braze or weld aluminum even
with the right "stuff"--it melts almost instantly.


>So, add some solder and spend less heat! ;)

Exactly. Newbies listen up--don't make the same mistake us/we old farts did...

-- 
Terry Bowman, KA4HJH
"The Mac Doctor"