Using a solder pot (1 Viewer)

[Jonathan T]

I need to use a solder pot to tin a few inductor leads. I'm not sure how to do this actually. Is the solder suposted to "walk" up the lead via capillary action like solder braid, or am I suposted to dip the length that I want to tin into the solder? Basically, how do I properly tin a component lead? And when I'm done tinning, do I just leave the molten solder in the pot untill I use it again?

 

[ThomasW]

You need to go to the hardware store and get a little tin of flux paste for soldering copper pipe.

Dip the ends of the inductor leads in the flux, then into the heated solder. Go back and forth between the flux and the solder until the leads are nicely tinned.

Note that this causes the solder in the pot to basically boil

DO THIS OUTSIDE. The fumes/smoke from the flux are really, really, nasty.

I just leave the solder in the pot. It will have a crust on it from the burned insulation, scrape it off between uses.

 

[Jonathan T]

Thank you.

 

[Mike_Bauer]

I am curious as to why you would use a solder pot? what is the gage of the inductor lead(s)? Generally you just touch a solder iron to the leg for a second or two and then touch it with solder, solder should just run up the inductors leg and "tin" it

What I am talking about is for electronics, not industrial applications.

 

[ThomasW]

He has inductors made from Litz wire. The ends of the inductors aren't tinned.

 

[Mike_Bauer]

I think the gage of the wire is more the determinant than whether it is woven or not? Given it is woven wire, he may have to tin it twice, but a solder iron tin would be a lot easier and just as effective on wire used for electronics.

Jonathan what is the approximate wire gage of the inductor leads you need to tin?

 

[Jonathan T]

THey don;t have gauge measurements for the individual wires, but they do say that the 16 gauge inductors use 7 .4mm copper wires.

 

[ThomasW]

Nope............

All inductor wire is coated with a high temperature polymer insulation. It must be removed off before the leads can be tinned. My Weller WPCPT solder station with a 800 degree tip won't put a dent in the insulation. To remove the insulation from this wire, it has to be scraped off with the edge of a blade, or burned off in a solder pot.

 

[Mitch N]

Sand Paper has always worked for me to remove the coating on inductor leads. It's quicker then a blade too IMO.

 

[Jonathan T]

Sand paper or blades are completely unusable on wires that are .7mm in diameter. I'm just not willing to strip 56 individual .7mm diameter wires.

 

[Jonathan T]

I tined some wires today, got some questions. The bar solder had some contaminations on the surface. Am I correct in heated up the solder, leting it melt, then leting it cool back down and scraping all the crap off untill there's nothing but shinny solder left in the pot?

Also, when tinning the wires there would always be some chared, black remains of the burned insulation right behind the length of the wire that was tinned, is this normal?

 

[ThomasW]

Most people scrape the gunk off while the solder is liquid. Obviously be careful if you decide to do this.

Yes the charred insulation at the top of the tinned leads is normal, scrape it off or try a solvent like Acetone.

 

[Jonathan T]

Thank you! Also, it seems that the liquid solder reacts quite quickly with (presumably) the oxygen in the atmposhere and forms a dull metal oxide film over the top of the pool of solder. When I tinn the wires, they tend to pick some of this stuff up with them, should I expect a shiny and smooth tinned wire end like I would if I were making a solder joint with a solder pencil and solder wire?

 

[ThomasW]

The film is just impurities in/on the solder itself. Dirt, oil, etc., from being handled. It's not a big deal.

If the tinned leads aren't bright enough touch them up with your iron. But that's really not necessary since you'll be soldering them again when you build the XO.

 

[Jonathan T]

Ok, I thought so. The main purpose of this is really to remove the high-temp coating on the wire, correct. It dosn't matter too much how the wires are tinned as I will be applying solder again later.