help

[slipknot666]

right basically i had a losi xcelorin system soldered up by modelsport for my cougar sv but they did the wires way too long so ive managed to de solder it but my soldering skills are how shall i put it not good but im still getting practice by attempting to solder old motors etc but i have to say its not going well. so im wondering if there is anyone local to me(welshpool, mid wales) who can solder it up for me and i dont mind paying for it.

cheers
james

[mdb_75]

What watt soldering iron are you using?

[slipknot666]

its a 40w but i aint got the hang of it yet so would prefer someone else to do it till i can get the hang of it properly.

[mdb_75]

That's probably a little low powered if your using 12 gauge wire, but probably not too bad on 14 gauge. I use a 60w which is plenty.

I'm not too close to you and I'm not about tomorrow anyway (going to Talywain!), but if you're still stuck on Monday you could bring it over here.

Are you tinning the wires and motor before you solder them together? Make sure the soldering tip's clean too and tin that before you solder. Holding the wires with a pair of pliers stops you burning you fingers too -although each joint should only take a few seconds to do, 5 max probably.

[slipknot666]

pm'd ya.

was tinning but wasnt taking tip was a little dirty but i am crap cant get the hang of it.

[ianhaye]

keep trying mate we all gotta learn and in this hobby being able to solder will save you a lot of hassle, its a skill very usefull in this hobby. we was all crap at it when first started, just keep trying, i went for weeks with battery packs spliting in half and then i sused it and been fine since :-)
how exaclty have you been doing it ? cheers

[slipknot666]

wrong lol, ill keep pluggin away at it, think ill get a more powerful iron as i dont think the one ive got is enough plus its damaged.

[ianhaye]

40w should still be ok for most things, i have managed to solder 8g wire and solder nimh packs using 40w with good results,
if you tell us how you are doing it we should be able to help in where you are going wrong bud

[slipknot666]

think its more to do with the iron actually just looked at it and its all pitted quite badly so ill borrow one from work and try with that as its a gas iron so should be ok.

thanks though ill let you know how i get on with that. shouldve checked mine first.

james

[Rich D]

Use a metal file on the tip and file it flat again dude, remove the pitting. Heat it up well, wipe with wet kitchen towel and then always make sure that theres a dab of wet solder on the end of the tip to help with heat transfer. Thats the biggest tip - if the tip is bone dry then it doesnt transfer the heat properly. Keep wiping the tip in between joints and re applying a fresh dab of wet solder to it.

In my experience gas irons are useful for field soldering but if you have access to power, a 240v one is much better !

the Schumacher solder is good too BTW. Although its an expensive way to buy it, unless you are building cells then it will last you ages. Some of the cheapo stuff you can get from Wilkos or such like just doesnt flow properly.

Hope that helps

Rich

[Rich D]

Also - to get those shiny connections, take the heat away before the solder. Just a fraction. use those methods and your joints will look factory.

[slipknot666]

thanks for the tips guys