How to Solder - A Practical Quickstart Guide to Through Hole Soldering

Gosh, it's so dark in here! Join us as we undergo the ultimate showdown with a stubborn smart lamp. In this tutorial, follow along as we light up your knowledge on all things soldering. We'll cover everything from choosing the right solder, setting up your soldering iron, essential safety tips, and soldering different types of through hole components like a pro. Whether you're a novice or a soldering veteran, you'll find handy tips to refine your technique.

Beginner's Guide to Practical Soldering

Skills Exercised

Circuits - Soldering Through Hole Components

Equipment & Parts

Below is the equipment I used in this tutorial. There are many options available though so don't feel locked into these! The links below are affiliate links which means they send you to the same product, at the same cost to you, but I get a small commission when you buy something using the link. I put all earnings back into my tutorials to bring you more content.

1. Fume Extractor: https://amzn.to/45qVFxO

2. Solder: https://amzn.to/4728wYD

3. Soldering Iron: https://amzn.to/47D4Psv

4. Magnetic Board Holders: https://amzn.to/4fFhAVn

5. Soldering Plate: https://amzn.to/4mLY77I

Safety

Safety Glasses: Solder can pop/splatter leading to significant risk of eye damage. Do not solder without safety glasses or a shield between you and the solder.

Fume extractor: Rosin smells bad and will irritate your respiratory system. Use a fume extractor or fan to avoid this.

Electricity: Always unplug or remove power from your device before soldering. It sounds like common sense, but if this reminder helps one person from forgetting this detail, it was worth it.

Solder Selection

You have a lot of options for solder. In the interest of keeping things practical and useful to most use cases, I recommend the following:

1. 0.8 mm diameter - Not too big and not too small for most jobs

2. No Clean - Simplifies application and post-cleanup by providing additives to the solder

3. Lead-free - Anytime you have the chance to reduce lead exposure is a win

If you choose solder with lead in it, you can still take advantage of the techniques in this tutorial.

Solder Checklist

Soldering Iron Selection

A 60-watt soldering iron is an excellent balance between cost and efficiency. If using solder with lead, you can get by with less wattage. The main difference between a low and high wattage iron is the ability to keep temperature at the soldering iron tip when touching it to components with a lot of metal. The metal acts as a heat sink causing the heat to quickly drop in the tip of your iron.

The risk of a too low wattage is that you may end up needing to leave the soldering iron on the joint longer which increases the risk of burning up electronics components in your circuit board.

Cleaning the Soldering Iron

Equip your soldering station with a brass cleaner or a wet pad to maintain a clean soldering iron tip. If you start to see solder blobs on your soldering iron, quickly wipe them off to avoid globs on your project.

The Technique for Good Solder Joints

Preheat: Set your soldering iron to 750°F for lead-free solder (650°F for leaded solder). It's always best to use the lowest temperature so aim for a temperature that get the solder to melt almost immediately when it is applied to a heated joint.

Increase or decrease temperature in increments of 50 degrees to find the sweet spot. The temperature may change depending on how much metal is connected to the joint you are soldering.

Soldering Technique: Place the iron on both the pad and the standoff, count to two, then introduce the solder at the corner made by the soldering iron, pad and standoff.

Create a Cozy Nook & Introduce The Solder There

Achieving Conical Joints: The aim is to create a conical shape, ensuring full coverage without gaps.

Good Joint - Cone Shaped

Bad Joint - Ball Shaped

What's Next?

Practice Makes Perfect Soldering takes practice. Even if your first joints are less than perfect, trust me, mine were, persevere. Use inexpensive kits for practice until precision becomes second nature.

As you hone your soldering skills, explore new projects, and challenge yourself further. Stay tuned for future tutorials where I'll share tips on working with 3D printers, electronics, and circuit boards. Don't miss upcoming guides like installing under-cabinet lights using today's soldering techniques. Happy soldering and be sure to sign up for our newsletter for more insights into the world of DIY electronics!

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