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Howdy all, I attempted to insall my new 59b this weekend with no luck. I'll be dropping off the LP to my tech today. I was wondering what you do to remove old solder from the back of pots and other connections that need changing. I want to learn this trick so when I try again in the future the job is done correctly and will be as clean as possible.

Thanks

Hanky

Hi, I'm no expert, but here are my two cents:

I have a solder sucker (I don't think there's a more technical term...), it's basically like a spring driven suction pump that looks a bit like a syringe on steroids. They are available at most (if not all) Radio Shacks, I got two of mine there.

I use my gun to heat the solder slowly and as the solder melts, I use the sucker to remove the molten solder bit by bit. Once most of the major blobs of solder are gone, you can use some sandpaper to get the rest of the solder/burnt gunk off to get back at the metal.

BTW, I use a 40w soldering iron.

Hope that helps!

Not having a big enough soldering iron is a problem, having one that is too big is a problem as well! haha.

On difficult pots, I've been known to rough them up with a file. that helps on the tough ones. For the most part, I just try to use the existing solder as a base when I'm trying to ground the backs of the pots. Solder sticks to solder pretty easily. Might not be too esthetically pleasing, but I've never had an issue.

My biggest soldering challenge was getting the wires on a Tweed amp I was building to stick to the freaking brass plate that sits under the pots. What a huge pain. I ended up drilling some small holes into the brass plate, near the bottom edge where the leads were supposed to go and looped the wire through them and soldered the entire connection. That worked, but man what a pain. I don't think my soldering iron was large enough to handle that job.


Originally Posted by roadsleeperHi, I'm no expert, but here are my two cents:

I have a solder sucker (I don't think there's a more technical term...), it's basically like a spring driven suction pump that looks a bit like a syringe on steroids. They are available at most (if not all) Radio Shacks, I got two of mine there.

I use my gun to heat the solder slowly and as the solder melts, I use the sucker to remove the molten solder bit by bit. Once most of the major blobs of solder are gone, you can use some sandpaper to get the rest of the solder/burnt gunk off to get back at the metal.

BTW, I use a 40w soldering iron.

Hope that helps!

1 ... the solder sucker is my tool of choice for this job in most cases ...

but, there is another option that works well in other cases .... that is a braided copper 'wick' ... it comes on a little spool and you put it over the solder, then heat it up ... the solder melts then flows up onto the wick ... it is a disposable approah, but i think it helps with heat dissipation too

hope this helps
t4d

Off Topic

Speaking of what is the Perfect wattage for an Iron? I'll be using a 23 watt Weller. Also im not even sure what kind of Rosin im gonna use, but pops said he got it from the miliatary years ago. Should I UP the Irons and just get some new Solder? The Solder is probably 30 years old!!!

More Off topic.

I went over to my old mans on saturday after taking the kids on a Northwest Trek, we couldn't find the Iron. He misplaced the sucker and said he used it in Dec....So we looked and looked around the shop and finaly found it in a cigar box. Which I passed up a couple of times in the search. Turns out it was the same box that held the cigars that he bought when I was born 30 years ago! To make it all clear from the rambling is that is the same Iron that will be used to install my Pickups for a birthday present from my wife! Pretty weird coincidence, we had a chuckle about it. 30 years full circle ha!

It's a 23 Watt Weller should be sufficient right?

Thanks for the tip on the solder sucker. I'll be installing Saturday.


Originally Posted by HarrisonDavidIt's a 23 Watt Weller should be sufficient right?

I like my 23 watt Weller for most of my soldering, but I sometimes switch to a 35 watter to REMOVE solder, or if I'm doing both. I don't know quite why, but I seem to get nicer solder joints using the 23 watter.

Like tone4days mentioned, The braided wick is great to remove sloder. If there is alot of solder, I will use the sucker to start off with then, I will use the braid. It works like a champion.


Originally Posted by HarrisonDavidOff Topic
Should I UP the Irons and just get some new Solder? The Solder is probably 30 years old!!!

Heh heh, wow man, you're working with near vintage equipment!

I think the solder will be fine, it's just metal so it doesn't really have any sort of an expiry date. You may want to check the grade of the solder though, since most of the soldering for guitars is light duty and you're using a 23w iron.

Oh, I second (or third) the solder wick, that stuff is great to quot;dabquot; the remenants of any solder on the backs of pots, for example; but you'll want a solder sucker to get rid of the big gobs. You'll find a whole section at Radio Shack for soldering equipment, then we'll see if you stick with the quot;vintagequot; stuff I went hog wild one time and bought spare tips (for the sucker and the iron), more solder and way too much rosin I think I need a 25w iron though to close the gap between my 15w and 40w irons...

Good luck!


Originally Posted by hankyHowdy all, I attempted to insall my new 59b this weekend with no luck. I'll be dropping off the LP to my tech today. I was wondering what you do to remove old solder from the back of pots and other connections that need changing. I want to learn this trick so when I try again in the future the job is done correctly and will be as clean as possible.

A good soldering iron or soldering station will be a big help. The Weller W60P3 is a temperature-controlled 60 watt iron- you have to switch tips to change the temperature setting but 700 degrees works good for guitars. They sell for around $65. The next step up would be a soldering station with a dial to set the temperature. Haiku makes a decent station for about $100 or you can get a Weller one for about $130.

As for removing the old solder, if the pot is loose I would heat it up and strike it sharply against a newspaper. Or you can use the vaccuum-style solder sucker or the desoldering braid. Just be careful that a glob of the solder doesn't fall into the pot!

The best advice I got about soldering was from a Craig Anderton book: after plugging in your iron go have a cup of coffee (or whatever) to allow it to heat up sufficiently.

I would avoid using soldering guns around guitars. When switched on and off there can be a massive electromagnetic field created which allegedly could demagnetize a guitar pickup. Maybe that is just an old wive's tale but I'd rather not take any chances...


Originally Posted by BlueGuitarJust be careful that a glob of the solder doesn't fall into the pot!

Another safety tip: Wear goggles (like those ones from chemistry class) and a mask when soldering! quot;Snap crackle popquot; takes on a whole new meaning when it's gobs of molten metal flying around.

were can I get braided copper wick? I went to home depot but the guy said he never heard of it.

Radio Shack sells the copper wick. If he gives you a dumb look, just go to the soldering section and find it yourself. It will come in a roll dispenser, sorta like certain types of floss.

I picked up a 40 watter from Radio Shack because I was having terrible luck with the 25 and 30 watters. I had issues with the solder not getting ans staying hot enough to work and the solder was balling up all the time. Apparently the hotter iron allows you to get in and out faster while quickly and efficiently herating the solder faster. I couldn't get the desoldering braid to work with the 30 watt iron so hopefully this 40 watter will do the trick.

My tech uses a nice solder suck that was about $30 - I'd like to buy one.


Originally Posted by papersoulMy tech uses a nice solder sucker that was about $30 - I'd like to buy one.

A few tips- the ones with the red rubber bulbs are worthless. For the mechanical ones (with springs) make sure that you can get replacement tips- or you will be stuck with a $30 paperweight. Edsyn has been around a long time and I would recommend them- their tools really suck!

For removing the solder on the back of a pot I will usually add a small bit of fresh solder just to get everything flowing (it helps with the heat transfer).

Speaking of heat transfer be sure to keep your tip tinned- if you don't have sal ammoniac, solder with rosin core flux will do. (Avoid any flux in a jar or bottle- you will not need it to work on guitars if you have a good multicore solder and an iron that can get hot enough; most of the fluxes out there are not for electronics work.)

So, I am guessing I'll be okay with the Radio Shack quot;multicorequot; 60/40 solder and a Radio Shack 40 watt iron?

Can't you just tin the tip with solder?

With all due respect to BlueGuitar, flux is a necessary component of soldering. Rosin core is nice, but sometimes is not enough. Flux (rosin) removes contamination from the surfaces to be soldered. If you are having trouble getting solder to stick, or you are getting quot;iciclesquot; as you pull the iron away from whatever you're soldering, you need flux. It will also help pull the solder to the solder wick.

I use a 30 watt soldering pencil from Rad Shack and it's plenty. You want to avoid too much heat and risk burning up pots or other components.


Originally Posted by jimmyjamesWith all due respect to BlueGuitar, flux is a necessary component of soldering...

Well, diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks, I guess... I used to use extra flux back in the 60's and 70's, and the pots I've taken out of my old guitars were covered with a yucky green corrosion. But I might have been using the wrong kind of flux...

In any case, I have a small jar of electronic paste flux that I keep around for emergencies but I hardly ever use it these days... sometimes for removing old solder and sometimes for soldering ground braids to a steel amp chassis. But just cleaning the surfaces properly is usually all I need to do to get a good solder joint (I usually use Kester multi-core).

I guess I was exaggerating a bit to make a point: if you think that you need a lot of flux to make a good joint you probably aren't cleaning the surfaces sufficiently. But if you do buy a jar of flux make sure that it is designed for electronic work; the fluxes in the hardware store often contain acid.

Thanks!

That's exactly right, cleaning the surfaces to be soldered before getting started is important. Equally important is cleaning the solder joint afterwards. This will wash away excess flux and prevent corrosion of the components. Using water and a sponge to clean a solder joint after soldering will be sufficient to prevent future corrosion.

With much repect for your experience,
Jim

Now I am completely confused.....

So, I need to buy flux? And how do you apply? Just dip in the container? So, if I am swapping pickups, I have to keep cleaning all the old solder off the pots and scrub clean with sand paper and also a wet cloth? And, also it is important to clean the soldering joint when finished? Seems like a ton of work for a few pickup swaps.


Originally Posted by papersoulNow I am completely confused.....

So, I need to buy flux? And how do you apply? Just dip in the container? So, if I am swapping pickups, I have to keep cleaning all the old solder off the pots and scrub clean with sand paper and also a wet cloth? And, also it is important to clean the soldering joint when finished? Seems like a ton of work for a few pickup swaps.

Don't worry about getting all of the old solder off the back of the pot; it will mix fine with the new solder. There may be several wires soldered there and you just need to remove the one(s) you are replacing. You probably will not need to use extra flux to redo a joint on an old pot in which case there won't be a lot of excess flux to clean off (true confessions time- I usually don't bother to clean off the excess flux except when soldering copper foil for shielding- see picture attached to this post! )

It is usually brand new pots which are the challenge. The back of the pot is often coated with something that repels solder so you need to scrape it off with sandpaper (or something sharp- I like to put crosshatches on it to give the solder something to grip on to). If the resin flux in the multi-core solder isn't sufficient to make a good joint then you can add some (a Q-tip works fine to apply it).

Make sure the soldering iron is nice and hot- plug it in and then go run an errand so you don't rush things. Soldering the ground shield to the back of the pot should be a piece of cake. For the terminal on the pot, remove as much solder as you can so that the new wire will fit easily in the loop.