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Soldering Kit

Thirsty Light Garden Moisture Meters

Sometimes when you go out shopping you just happen to come across something that really appeals due to its simplicity and novelty Plant moisture meters

Moisture Meter Guide

The complete moisture meter website

If you have discovered damp patches in your home using the moisture meter, it is possible that you have ultimately discovered a leaking water pipe. You can of course hire yourself a professional tradesman to replace or repair that pipe. The alternative being that you could repair the pipe yourself, which may require a little soldering work. For this you will require a soldering kit.

A soldering kit is a kit you will require if you are planning to do any soldering at home or maybe with your work. If you have a home bound hobby such as electronics, model building or even pyrography then soldering is an important aspect of your hobby. You can of course go out and buy all the separate tools and equipment you require for soldering such as the soldering iron and flux, but life becomes so much more simpler if you just purchase a complete soldering kit. These kits are equipped with everything you require to perform soldering. So there are no worries about forgetting to buy something which will create all sorts of problems if you are in the middle of a job. Soldering is not just a hobby task but is used professionally by electricians and plumbers to just name a couple.

Moisture Meter Guide 2010                                                                                               Contact details:garnett65@hotmail.com

The Orchid Moisture Meter

The orchid belongs to a widespread and very diverse family of flowering plants which have fragrant and colourful blooms. Orchids can be found in pretty much every habitat. Orchid moisture tester

Firewood Moisture Meter

The Stihl moisture meter can be used to detect and give a moisture reading level in firewood. This is important if you have a log burning fire or stove. It is essential that you only burn well seasoned wood. As well as being able to detect the moisture levels in firewood the Stihl moisture meter can be used on both paper and cardboard as well.

Stihl moisture meter

Hydroponic Moisture Meter

Hydroponics is a way of growing plants in water, using mineral nutrient solutions and no soil. Terrestrial plants can be grown using such mediums as gravel, mineral wool, expanded clay and rock wool. Hydroponic moisture meters

Bond Moisture Meters

Bond moisture meter

Soldering Advice

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The Soldering Kit - Everything At Close Quarters

As with most things in life there is no harm in being fully prepared and soldering is no exception. To be fully prepared to do soldering and have everything at close quarters one really should have themselves a fully equipped soldering kit. For those of you who indulge in home bound hobbies such as electronics and model making, the fully loaded soldering kit is an irreplaceable asset.

You can of course go on a shopping spree visiting many different shops to purchase all your soldering tools separately. But if you are anything like me then shopping is only slightly, yes ONLY, preferable to sitting in a batch of stinging nettles. The time consumed on this is a complete waste and can be used more constructively. And what about going in to and out of brightly lit, sauna warm shops and dealing with crowds of people. No thank you. Buying a complete soldering kit is a one stop and you are guaranteed of not actually forgetting to buy an important item required for soldering. A good quality soldering kit will contain everything that you require.

Once home with your soldering kit you can get down to business in peace. Set up everything around you at close quarters and you can then solder till your hearts content. If you have purchased a good quality soldering kit you will have a soldering iron, solder, some type of tip cleaner, soldering station and a de-soldering tool. The first name that comes to mind when one thinks of soldering tools is that of Weller. You only get what you pay for is a statement that most of us are familiar with. Weller soldering equipment is not the cheapest of gear to buy and their soldering kits can be expensive. But they have a reputation to uphold and the majority of their soldering equipment is of the highest quality. Buying a Weller soldering kit is not something one would regret if they become involved in soldering or soldering type hobbies.

What Is Soldering?

Soldering is a method in which 2 or more metals are joined together with the melting and flowing a metal filler between them in the join. The filler metal has a low melting point. Another form of soldering is that of soft soldering where the filler metal has a melting point of below 400 degrees c. This metal filler is known as solder.

Soldering is very similar to brazing and welding in the methods and techniques used. However soldering is different from brazing in the fact that it uses filler metals with low melting points. Where welding is concerned the difference is that with soldering the 2 metals are not actually melted together but simply connected through the same medium.

The Basics Of Soldering

What is soldering?

Soldering is just a process of joining two metals together to form a strong bond without actually melting the base materials. Instead of melting the base metal a soldering iron or soldering gun is used to melt a filler metal, called solder, that will liquefy and spread itself between the contact points of the two metals. Then as the solder hardens it forms a bond between the two metals. Pretty much in the same manner as glue works when gluing two things together. The spreading of the solder is referred to as wetting or wicking and it will create a micro tight hold. Soldering can be quite skilful but anyone can master if with the right tools, correct procedure and a steady hand and good eye.

Though soldering is in fact a fundamental skill for many different types of professionals, repairmen and enthusiastic hobbyists, it is in fact a relatively simple action to carry out. Providing one has the correct tools, follows the correct working procedures, has a good eye and steady hand, soldering can be mastered by all with just a little practice.

When A Soldering Kit Can Be Used

Here in the trade the soldering kit provides an ideal solution. If you are a professional then time is money and you don’t want to be wasting time on a job trying to find such things as flux. If you have yourself a soldering kit, it can all be stored and carried together in an appropriate case or box. You will never lose important items of this soldering kit and have everything close to hand for any soldering job that you are on.

The main constituent of any soldering kit is the solder iron and it is this solder iron that you will be using to complete any job. In the electronics world the solder iron is used to create a bond between two connecting materials without destroying either of them. So electricians can create a conductive connection between sets of fragile wires or even complete work on circuit boards. Other delicate jobs that the solder iron can deal with are jewelry making and repair. Because solder can be used to join 2 precious metals together without causing any damage you will find that every jeweller will own a soldering kit of some shape or form.

The plumbing industry is another profession where the soldering kit can be found. Soldering can be done to seal a space between 2 masses to make it waterproof and even permanent if need be. In fact plumbers have used soldering for many decades to seal any copper piping that has sprung a leak. The solder is usually strong enough to be used as a complete repair but if for some reason modification is required then the beauty of the solder is that it can be undone.

On the finesse front soldering can be used in the art world. Coloured glass can be soldered together and hence a stained glass window can be constructed. Also in pyrography the solder iron can be used. Pyrography is the art of burning images into wood or plastic with a soldering iron. This particular technique is also crucial in some certain industries.

So as you can see the soldering kit has a universal use from the tradesman to the artist. It is a very versatile kit to own and some day in your life you are going to face the job of soldering. You can of course use a professional solder when this case arises, but if you own your own soldering kit, life is so much simpler and cheaper if you do it yourself.

Soldering Kit

Each soldering kit is put together for specific and different applications. However the majority of soldering kits will contain the basic fundamental tools.

Soldering Kit contents

Anything you are not sure about soldering just check out the advice page.

Soldering Advice

Choosing a soldering kit

There are quite a few versions out there in the market place of the soldering kit to choose from and what you should be looking for is a soldering kit that contains: a soldering iron, soldering station, flux, solder, solder paste and a disordering pump.

As said earlier the main tool of any soldering kit is the soldering iron itself. These come in a few varieties and which you choose is entirely up to you and the jobs you require it for. There are wireless soldering irons such as the butane solder iron which are ideal if you are on the move. If the soldering you will be doing is fixed or you will be sitting at a bench the a wire solder iron is perfect for you. But remember with this type of soldering iron you will always require a mains power outlet. And then you have the soldering iron that is powered by both the mains and rechargeable batteries. These are very versatile and the chosen one by many people. You can use them from the mains and if you need to be on the move then the batteries will give you about 10 hours of constant use before needing to be recharged.

Some soldering kits come with a soldering gun. Now these soldering guns give a lot of heat and power ranges but they are difficult to work with in small spaces. So consider what jobs you will be doing before opting for an iron or gun soldering kit.

Whilst soldering you should always have safety in the back of your mind. A soldering iron can get very hot so you need to place it somewhere while you are not using it or if you need your hands free. That is why the soldering kit is equipped with a soldering station or safety stand. Now there is one company that comes to mind where soldering equipment is concerned and that company is Weller. They have an excellent reputation for producing high quality soldering equipment. So when choosing a soldering kit try to choose one with as many Weller components in it as possible. The Weller soldering iron and the Weller soldering station always receive great reviews from anyone that has either used them or bought them.

And finally when choosing a soldering kit check out the solder. When working with solder you want to always use the best quality you can afford for a great job. Some soldering kits have just the bare minimum equipment that you require to begin soldering. These are ideal for newbies, but the more advanced you are, the more vast a soldering kit you require. But you can begin with a basic soldering kit and just add components to it such as tweezers and pliers etc etc as you go along. There are no rules to the size of soldering kit and how many components it has. We all have different requirements.

Tools And Accessories Required For Successful Soldering

Soldering as a task is fairly simple to carry out providing that you have the correct equipment. Owning a soldering kit will give you the required equipment and the very basic contents of your kit should include a soldering iron, solder, flux, cleaning materials and a de-solder tape. With these basic contents in your soldering kit you can carry out pretty much any soldering task you need to.

The soldering iron is the major tool you require. It is this which will melt the solder in the correct location. There are many different soldering irons to choose from but the main thing when coming to select a soldering iron is to match the wattage of it to the size of job you wish to perform. Just so you know, more wattage does not mean that you have a hotter soldering iron. The more wattage means that the soldering iron has the capacity to melt more solder more efficiently. If you have a soldering iron where the wattage is too low it will not melt the solder quickly enough which means that the contact points and joint will be weak. If you have a soldering iron with a wattage that is too high then you run the risk of damaging components surrounding the soldering job from the extra heat.

There are soldering irons available that are temperature controlled. These are particularly good when a constant temperature is required. The soldering iron can be either portable or non portable and they can have different types of tips on them, different variations of stand, special clamps, temperature gauges and even heat boost buttons on them. So decide what you want from and with your soldering iron before you go out and buy one. There is one available for every particular job and user’s preferences.

The solder is the filler material that you will use and melt between the two metals to make the joint. Solder material is designed to have a low melting point, a quick wetting action and fast hardening. The majority of solders are alloys or a combination of other metals.

Solders come in many variations and there are particular solders for specific jobs. There are also multi purpose solders available. These multi purpose ones tend to be tin/lead or tin/bismuth. When it comes to choosing a solder you need to decide if you want lead free or not lead free and rosin or no rosin. Lead solder can have health issues and nowadays more lead free materials are used. There are also solders that have flux or are flux free. One kind of flux is that of rosin. Having rosin present will create a stronger joint because it prevents oxidation. If you use a solder that is flux free you can flux separately despite the type of solder that you use.

Flux is generally a paste that contains reducing agents. These reducing agents reverse the chemical reactions that occur in oxidation. Oxidation produces bi products and impurities that can weaken any solder joint. It is worth noting that flux is inactive at room temperature.

Cleaning materials

When soldering it is imperative that that the solder and base metals are clean. To clean one can use a wire brush or a small sponge. Such things as grease, dirt and rust need to be removed prior to soldering. In certain cases some solder joints will have to be cleaned of any flux residue before soldering.

De-soldering Tape

A disordering tape will be made from braided copper with rosin flux. This tape can be used to remove any old solder joints without causing any damage. In order to remove old solder with the disordering tape all one does is cover the old solder with the tape. The tape is then heated up and this heat will in turn soften the solder. The melted solder will then flow on to the clean wick and be soaked up.

Soldering Steps And Tips

Steps

Before soldering begins you need to clean all the contact surfaces properly. By doing this you will lay the foundations for the solder joint to be strong and hold. Use a sponge, cotton swab or wire brush to do the cleaning.

You need to tin the soldering iron tip. In order to get the strongest joint possible you need the contact surfaces to be both hot enough to melt the solder. By tinning your soldering tip the heat from the tip will transfer easily and quickly.

After tinning you should apply flux to each contact surface. You can also apply flux to the soldering iron tip, but this is not essential. Without using flux you will have a bad soldering joint.

Heat both contact surfaces with the soldering iron. Then apply the solder to the hot surfaces. The solder should then wick properly where it needs to solidify. It is worth noting that the less solder you use in a joint , the better the joint will be. If you apply solder to a cold surface the joint will be weak. Creating the joint should take about 3 or 4 seconds to complete.

When the solder has wicked on to the surfaces the connection between the two metals must be held very still until the solder has hardened.

Tips

Joints and soldering iron tips must be clean at all times.

The correct wattage for the soldering iron is of great importance. Under-heating or overheating will create bad joints.

Always pre tin the soldering iron tip.

Never forget to use flux.

Apply solder to the metal surfaces and not the iron tip.

Secure the work in some way to make the job easier to carry out.

A good solder joint will be smooth and shiny.

A bad solder joint will be dull and crinkled. It will also look as if it is contaminated.