31 replies to this topic

[Robert BG]

    First off I don't have a problem getting good strong joints.But I've always wondered how guys control the excess solder?I always seem to get a small bit that flows out and can never get it to look like the pro's stuff.I've tried painting flux just on the surfaces where I want it but it is always the same.Even if i tin just the 2 surfaces first and then add a TINY bit it still seems to flow out.

   Now  I'm not talking globs of excess here.I'm talking about that little bit that you can barely feel that tends to color the brass or steel.Or does everyone sand off the excess? Or is there a way or trick to keeping it only where you want it?

 

   For example when i install pillow blocks I always get some on the rails.Whereas the pros have just enough in the joint and no more.Are they sanding the little excess off too?and I'm just driving myself crazy?Or do they really get just enough in the joint?

 

Thanks

[wbugenis]

Try a motorized wire brush around the joint to remove excess solder.  Be aware the rotating wire bush 

 

is capable of grabbing the part from your hand and hurling it across the room.

[smichslot]

You can buy solder that is very thin wires, and consequently you will only melt very little at a time - less solder to flow out. 0,5mm solder can be had, also lead-free if you want.

 

Steen

[Robert BG]

Thanks,I should've added that I generally use .022" or about .55mm silver solder on chassis.Although its rosin core and I'm probably going to try without flux core to see if it'll stay where I just clean and flux.

 

Bill,I use a dremel with a wire wheel and it's always seemed to polish it more than remove it.But at times I can be a little dense lol,I just cranked it up to warp speed and it cleaned it right off

 

I generally dont run them that fast as they tend to shed and having had a metal splinter in my eye before I'm a bit cautious at times.But thanks it worked like a champ.

[Phil Smith]

Mike Swiss suggested I use a Dremmel tool that looks like a ball of course Scotchbrite type material. This chassis had a *lot* more solder on it than it does in this pic. Far from perfect but a lot better than it was.

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[Robert BG]

Thanks,I'm going to look for some of them when i head out.Like I added to my other post,I dont like to run the dremel wire wheels at real high speeds because they shed whiskers.Once you've woken up with your eye rusted shut and had one drilled out of your eye you tend to be cautious. Worst of all I was wearing safety glasses.when it happened.

[Pappy]

These work good and are fairly safe. They do wear out quickly. You can get them at Lowes for a better price than what this guy wants.

 

https://www.ebay.com...ckAAOSwIaFZFjSK

[Richard G With]

I have this vacuum de-soldering pick up tool. Don't know the maker.
Used braid works well as a brush too while the solder is molten.

[havlicek]

Sometimes it's just a matter of changing your technique.  Instead of heating up the parts and then feeding solder, try adding flux to just the area to be soldered, then laying a small piece of thin-wire solder in the joint.  The heat the whole mess up.  It can also be helpful to have some flux ready to go to help direct the solder (*an artist brush is good for applying acid solder), rather than just adding solder until the whole joint is filled which will almost always mean too much solder.

Long joints where you're not worried about ruining another previous solder joint nearby can be cooked fast with a little minitorch, but a good hot iron is IMPORTANT (*and clean parts...sometimes pre-tinned too!).  That's all I got, and I ain't no Tony P!

[Bill from NH]

I've used the abrasive buffing wheels Pappy mentioned above.They work good when chassis building. I haven't tried it, but you ought to be able to run a bead of CA glue around the center of the Dremel brushes to keep the wires intact. I've thrown wires from their bras, steel, & SS ones.

 

If you want to stop solder flow, liquid white-out, ATF, or a Sharpie marker all make good dams.

[grooverunner]

^{Black Sharpie marker - use it to contain the flux and solder. Drawer around the parts you want to solder so like to dam it , and pre-tin both parts to be soldered. Sorry Bill we both posted at same time.}

 

 

EDIT: Reply to Pappy's post #14

^{(Pappy) - CAN YOU HERE ME NOW?}

[Bill from NH]

But we agreed with each other.

[Richard G With]

John, I like my torch for things like guide tongue reinforcers but am cautious about using it on wire or brass sheet parts. A clean Hakko tip will provide plenty of controllable heat. Torches can get out of control and warp and detemper piano wire. Brass sheet too.

[Pappy]

^{Black Sharpie marker - use it to contain the flux and solder. Drawer around the parts you want to solder so like to dam it , and pre-tin both parts to be soldered. Sorry Bill we both posted at same time.}

Hey Ken,

 

Would you please talk in a larger print, I'm hard of hearing.   

[jimht]

This:

 

https://www.ebay.com...ocAAOxygj5ScyWi

 

which are also available as generics from Aliexpress if you're not too concerned about 3M:

 

https://www.aliexpre...iceBeautifyAB=0

[wbugenis]

 

 

Bill,I use a dremel with a wire wheel and it's always seemed to polish it more than remove it.But at times I can be a little dense lol,I just cranked it up to warp speed and it cleaned it right off

 

I generally dont run them that fast as they tend to shed and having had a metal splinter in my eye before I'm a bit cautious at times.But thanks it worked like a champ.

 

 

Too many dangers in this suggestion to list.  If any of the other suggestions work as well -use them!!

 

Otherwise, observe every precaution!

[Pappy]

 

^{(Pappy) - CAN YOU HERE ME NOW?}

Yes, I can hear you now. Thanks   

[MSwiss]

Jim,
Seems like a great price on the 2nd one.
 
Now that I clicked on that link, I'll be looking at Dremel buff ads, on FB, for awhile. LOL
 
The powerhouse way of cleaning off solder is to use a large wire wheel in something like a Roto-Zip, or in case of the below pictured, a trim router.
 
Along with the obvious of having to wear safety glasses, you also have to be careful not to get too coarse of a wheel, use something with a variable speed, and expect to be picking wire shards out of your shirt, sometimes a week or two, later.
 
Craig Landry was mentioned recently.
 
He told me he wasn't particularly careful, when building chassis, solder quantity wise.
 
His chassis always looked great, because he cleaned them, using a wire wheel, mounted in a bench grinder.
 
When he told me of his method, he also stressed it wasn't a technique, for everyone.
 
He said if you didn't have a death grip on the chassis, you would inevitably ruin one, when it "caught".

[havlicek]

John, I like my torch for things like guide tongue reinforcers but am cautious about using it on wire or brass sheet parts. A clean Hakko tip will provide plenty of controllable heat. Torches can get out of control and warp and detemper piano wire. Brass sheet too.

 

 

A torch is just another tool.  You can use it differently for different jobs, and like most tools, YOU need to control it.  If you're ruining the temper of steel parts (*getting them to glow even orange), then you're not using it right!  The torch gets applied as long as it takes to flow the solder...NO MORE!  Oh and, with a torch or an iron, you want a lot of heat for the shortest period of time.  If you are applying the heat (wherever it comes from) for too long, the results will often not be good.

[slotcarone]

You should never have to buff or grind off excess solder from a chassis. Put plenty of acid on the parts and a small amount of solder on the tip of the iron and make the joint flow out. If you then feel there is not enough solder for sufficient strength then apply more acid and repeat again adding a small amount of solder and letting it flow.

[Eddie Fleming]

I work pretty much like Mike just said, and the joint is what it is when I am done.

 

I am not making fine art I am making a chassis to race or to play with.

[MSwiss]

You should never have to buff or grind off excess solder from a chassis. Put plenty of acid on the parts and a small amount of solder on the tip of the iron and make the joint flow out. If you then feel there is not enough solder for sufficient strength then apply more acid and repeat again adding a small amount of solder and letting it flow.IMG_20130901_205037_477.jpg

I'll play devil's advocate.

 

You do beautiful work, Mike, but your method, if the object is to heat the metal no more than necessary, is accomplished at an obvious penalty.

 

A - you sometimes have to reheat.

 

B - with less solder on your tip, you have less heat transfer. It's the same thing as having a slightly less hot iron, and the joint isn't "finished", quite as quickly.

[Robert BG]

Thanks sharpies really are handy,the dam worked a treat in keeping the little bit off the plating.I'll have to add it to the list of things I use them for,like arm dye in a pinch etc.

I should ad i also tried it when tinning motors too and it helped more on that too.

[grooverunner]

Robert,

 

Actually Jaius is the one that showed me that trick with the sharpie.

[Phil Smith]

These work good and are fairly safe. They do wear out quickly. You can get them at Lowes for a better price than what this guy wants.

 

https://www.ebay.com...ckAAOSwIaFZFjSK

 

I think this is what I used. And yes they did wear out quickly.

 

^{Black Sharpie marker - use it to contain the flux and solder. Drawer around the parts you want to solder so like to dam it , and pre-tin both parts to be soldered. Sorry Bill we both posted at same time.}

 

 

EDIT: Reply to Pappy's post #14

^{(Pappy) - CAN YOU HERE ME NOW?}

 

Never heard of the Sharpie trick. I'll definitely give that a try.

 

This:

 

https://www.ebay.com...ocAAOxygj5ScyWi

 

which are also available as generics from Aliexpress if you're not too concerned about 3M:

 

https://www.aliexpre...iceBeautifyAB=0

 

Those look like they might last longer.