iFixit's Soldering 101: Beginners Guide
Learning to solder is an essential step in leveling up your repair skills and it’s also your gateway to some really awesome maker projects. In this video we’ll cover the bare minimum you’ll need to get started including tools and gear, safety precautions, and of course some basic soldering skills.
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Soldering Splint
https://www.ifixit.com/products/soldering-splint?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=ifixitchannel&utm_campaign=Soldering101
Desoldering Pump
https://www.ifixit.com/products/desoldering-pump?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=ifixitchannel&utm_campaign=Soldering101
Lead-Free Solder
https://www.ifixit.com/products/lead-free-solder?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=ifixitchannel&utm_campaign=Soldering101
Chapters!
00:00 Intro
00:17 Tools Needed To Get Started
01:38 Safety Precautions
01:57 Wear Safety Goggles
02:21 Fume Extraction
02:47 Through Hole Soldering
04:17 How to Solder
04:55 How to Desolder
05:28 Tips and Tricks
06:00 Final Thoughts
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Nice
I sincerely appreciate this video being so concise and thorough AND short. Thanks.
I love your video, and wanted to use it in an 8th grade class, but the word "crappy" ruled it out.
A wet sponge is bad. It causes thermal shock to the tip. Brass wool is the go!
The beginner guide video is made super poorly.. well thanks anyway
Hey fix it how do I solder on new USB-C connectors onto the mainboard of my Ifixit soldering iron, since, now it’s okay to solder components that get mechanically worn onto the main locgic PCB?
I some how soldered the desoldering wick to the pin I was trying to desolder.
LOL Less than $100.00? That Hakko Iron is over $100.00 alone.
I liked this video. It was straight to the point.
Didn’t find the "DIY fume extractor that won’t break the bank" video.
Is it work in progress or will there be no video on this topic?
Thanks!
Thanks!!
54p soldering iron off Ali express👍(in the post at the minute)
Many thanks. I learned a lot from your video. Clear and concise. Kind regards Steve.😃🇦🇺
Thank you for making 6:46 this great video. The use and selection of flux perplexes me. Help please
Nice tutorial.
Great video. Only note: Lead is a toxic ‘metal’ and not a chemical.
Don’t forget to wash your hands!
But also gosh I can’t stop my tips from oxidizing even tho I thin them
I thought he said that everything on the list was about 100 bucks. The soldering iron alone is 122 😂
Informative video but no need for the diabetes joke.
What if I dont have flux or a fume extractor?
I have a Soldering Iron and there have 420 *C Max Temperature, there is Electric and there is on TYPE-C
Wow, i need to study with you, I’m unemployed now, lmao 🤣 😂 😆 😅 😭 🙃
06:07 "And finally, if you’re struggling – don’t blame yourself…"
Blame me – see you all in the comments!
We use solder to joint metals. So, what is important is to know what a good solder joint looks like. As a beginner in the USA it is better to start with multicore RA flux eutectic tin/lead solder from a good company, like Kester for example. The leaded solder lead ions released are only really dangerous if you ingest the soldering residue. So just wash your hands before you eat. Proper tin/lead solder joints are easier to recognize than lead-free joints, which can actually look poor because they are not shiny after removing the flux.
When soldering often when we add extra flux to help solder joint wetting, we generally match the applied flux to the type that is present in the wire, and usually it is applied in liquid form and not tacky flux.
If you want to learn how to solder at a Professional electronic sub-assembly level you can take the IPC J-STD-001 certificate course, which will teach you how to solder but not how to unsolder. At the electronic soldering production level, which IPC provides standards for, unsoldering during production falls under the term re-work. Technically, there is no IPC standards for incoming field repairs (the product was in the field working, but then failed and is under warranty), although most companies adopt IPC standards for soldering/rework and then add there own specific processes for repairs based on a product line or circuit board type.
Nice step wise approach to soldering!
I’m loving that Tennessee themed iFixit shirt!
This was the best quick intro to soldering video I’ve seen so far, great work.
i got my setup for 10 bucks and used a pizza box as a table. Works great
Thank you!! This helped me more than my teacher 😅
1:39 I’ve been doing with the soldiering iron and the one with lead only for a year now 😂
This was so helpful and informative. Please more beginner type videos
Flux works by acting as a heat transferring medium. Just like trying to sear a piece of meat on a dry pan vs with a little bit of oil. When oil is present the action is completed more quickly and equally. When you try soldering an IC without and flux you try so hard and even risk damaging it. Just like you would char your meat.
Thank you
Overall nice video. But when watching factory workers hand-solder through hole-components, they don’t pre-apply flux. Nor does a soldering robot or a wave soldering machine. I also don’t think iFixit applies flux before soldering every single joint. For me, the same is true: the flux in the solder is enough to create a solid, shiny joint. I would reserve extra flux for removing old solder or very big joints.
Also, there’s a trick to desoldering wicks: the ones with flux inside work. The others… don’t work at all. You must also raise the temperature when using a wick.
My best purchase has been the Weller tip activator. Dip it before you start soldering, and dip it once when you’re done and wipe on the (brass) wool. It’s very quick and natural in the workflow if you stick it near the brass wool, and your tip will last decades!
A fume extractor will have no chance of filtering anything without being loud. Either the filter doesn’t filter and only requires a weak fan, or it does and needs a loud fan. If you can’t afford a $400+ quality brand, consider a fan on a hose out of the window, and fumes not caught will stay in the room and spread in the building, so you must also vent the room.
You can buy a magnifying lamp and put the lens between you and the iron tip at a slight angle, to avoid fumes and sputter reaching your eyes.
Finally, if the board is small and easily handled, a tip is to fixate a bit of solder with a Helping Hand instead, and touch it and the board to the iron tip.
I can’t place his accent but I like it
do not get cheap masks when using leaded solder. money is not worth more than your life
Use denatured alcohol for cleaning isopropyl leaves residue.
I bought everything to begin my soldering career. When I realized that my cheap soldering wire made everything a nightmare, I paused everything. You my friend reignite the spark when I saw your anti-grav thing-a-doodle. 🫡
Just fixed my drifting Xbox one controller have tried previous but was too harsh and ended up ripping off joysticks than then letting them come on themselves and damaging the board. Now corrected with better solder and flux and correct wick the right equipment really does help don’t me stingy me and use plumber flux and crappy Chinese solder I got with the iron off Amazon 😂
Amazing idea those videos, maybe you should add a few macro shots of the soldering process ?
4:19 Removing solder from a circuit board is fine but what about from something more industrial like removing solder from carbon brushes to replace the brushes? I have tried the normal way and I have also tried adding solder to help melt the old solder to remove but all I end up doing is removing the solder I added but the old solder remains, I only removed the solder I added. If I make the iron hotter I can melt the old solder but the tip very quickly burns and the old solder no longer melts until I clean the tip but again the tip burns and I’m going nowhere with it. It’s a battle I’m currently fighting. And the solder I want to remove isn’t easy to access either.
there should be no " i got my tip stuck" lol
Is it hard to remove and replace damaged USB port sockets?
I accidentally destroyed the one in my car stereo 🙁
It’s been 10 yrs since RadioShack filed for bankruptcy, but what’s crazy is one of the locations near me is still vacant and the sign is still up. Nothing else ever moved in there. What’s even weirder is when I look at it on google maps street view, I can see the fluorescent lights in the ceiling are on… you can see it for yourself (715 S Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO 80246) go to street view in the parking lot
Why can’t americans pronounce SOL DER??? Is it some mental issue?? WTF is sodder???
i like the ifixit logo
Wow soldering sux
I err on the side of having slightly too much so aiming for a Hershey’s Kisses-shape is fine by me but, technically, a Kisses-shaped solder fillet is bit too much. It’s only convex at the top and bulges out on the bottom. The perfect amount according to certification standards is convex all the way down with no bottom-bulge.
You should never cut the legs of a component or wire after soldering it.
Thank you.