Having a temperature-controlled soldering iron will help you produce much better results if you are trying to improve. However, cheap, single-temperature irons are also OK if you’re just looking for something to practice casually with. It’s worth noting that many cheaper soldering irons often heat up to very high temperatures. This heats the solder up too high resulting in a poor connection and, sometimes, damage to the electrical component.
Low quality 60/40 solder often won’t melt at the right temperature of 260 °C (500 °F) which makes it really difficult to work with. A high-quality solder should melt right on contact with a heated soldering iron. Lower quality solder has a more matte/dull color once it has been melted onto the connection point. This is a result of there being more impurities in the lead portion of the alloy.
Make sure that any appliances you disassemble to practice on are turned off and disconnected from any power source. Practicing on a coin or some other kind of cheap piece of metal allows you to practice without the fear of ruining the electrical component.
Many people try to hold wire in place while the solder is cooling down and solidifying. This is really dangerous and can result in severe burns. Using pliers is significantly safer and means that you can get much closer to the actual connection point of the wire and the solder, without putting your fingers or hands in danger of being burnt.
The floor is an OK surface to work on but if it’s uneven, it makes soldering quite challenging. Tables and large desks are more suitable options. Having a well laid out area is so important to helping you improve as it allows you to focus and pay attention to all of the small things that you may be doing wrong or missing when you solder normally.
The amount of solder you should use varies depending on the connection that you need to make, but if you’re just starting to practice, try for a small dot about half the size of a fingernail.
Remember, you are heating up the area being soldered and letting the solder flow onto it. You are not simply touching the solder and letting it drip. Diving straight into real projects that require a high degree of accuracy can be a bit risky and can also end up being quite expensive as you may ruin the electrical components you need for these projects. Aluminum-based coins don’t work quite as well as other alloys so if you’re concerned about the makeup of your coin, clarify the composition with a quick google search.
Repeating this motion allows you to work on the amount of solder that you are actually applying to the electrical component. You can even draw the 10 dots with a pencil and then solder as closely onto those as you can.
Applying solder quickly is important because when you’re soldering, you must heat up the part of the component you want to solder, using your soldering iron. If the soldering iron is left for too long, the component can burn and will sometimes no longer be usable. Soldering efficiently without looking rushed is one of the marks of a well-practiced solderer and is a great thing to work on.
A couple examples of little projects you can work on are soldering a small LED light or connecting wires to a mini circuit board. Remember that it’s ok to make mistakes when you’re first starting out (or any time for that matter) and there’s nothing wrong with messing around on bits of metal or other pieces of junk for a while before you give the real thing a go.
