Tech soldering question ..

[gtrplayr1976]

What do you use for soldering grounds to chassis ,and such ? I have two irons ,and neither seem to get hot enough .

Thanks Folks.

[EFK]

I have a disposable 80W Weller 'orange stick' w/ a 3/8 chisel tip that does chassis solder very easily - they're like 20 or 25 $$$. It also helps to get a good melted solder blob on the tip first (better heat transfer) and helps to very sparingly use a little flux (I don't rely on the rosin core only).

[gtrplayr1976]

I have a disposable 80W Weller 'orange stick' w/ a 3/8 chisel tip that does chassis solder very easily - they're like 20 or 25 $$$. It also helps to get a good melted solder blob on the tip first (better heat transfer) and helps to very sparingly use a little flux (I don't rely on the rosin core only).

Thanks EFK. I'll look into that. I have one of the Weller guns. I may try that with a little flux.

[deci belle]

Make sure the iron is pre-heated fully before you touch the chassis too!

[Prairie Dawg]

Big old yard sale Weller soldering gun with not one but two headlights on it, picked up for a buck. It looked like it was used once and works like a champ. In the fifties it was a popular craft to do decorative wood burning and these things are all over the place. Use a disposable nail file to clean the area you're soldering to, a lot of times there's grease, corrosion or lacquer on it.

[Jazz P Bass]

I have found that the chassis Will suck the heat out of the tip.
Even a honking 200 watter.
Thermodynamics at work.
Heat will always flow from hot to cold.
Lift, recover, touch.
Lift the tip from the work briefly to let the tip heat recover.
Touch the work.
Repeat as needed.

[jrfrond]

I use a big Weller 200W solder gun for just such occasions. To get things going, use a little flux and a bit of fresh solder. I will use low-melt solder for easier removal as necessary.

[drewl]

If you don't want to get a big ole iron like alot of us have, just use a lug screwed to the transformer bolt.