Dave A Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 Talking to a tech savvy friend of mine today and he was horrified I would work on crossovers with an AC Weller soldering gun. He says he was taught that any solid state component, and he included Zenner diodes in this group, could be damaged by the electrical field of the soldering gun. He says he only uses a butane soldering iron for this reason on basically anything outside of lamp cord. I had never heard this mentioned on the forum before so I ask is he right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 I think your friend is pulling your leg. WMcD 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richieb Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 6 minutes ago, WMcD said: I think your friend is pulling your leg. WMcD Oh, you mean Stretch ---? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 30 minutes ago, Dave A said: I had never heard this mentioned on the forum before so I ask is he right? If he is right, then we are all in a world of hurt, and it doesn't matter whether you spend $4 or $40 dollars on a capacitor, cause they are now crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richieb Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 6 minutes ago, jimjimbo said: If he is right, then we are all in a world of hurt, and it doesn't matter whether you spend $4 or $40 dollars on a capacitor, cause they are now crap. Call for Dean ----- Dean please pick-up --- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 I have a butane soldering gun and I still don't use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 11 hours ago, WMcD said: I think your friend is pulling your leg. WMcD Yes, but I don't think a soldering "gun" is the best tool for crossover work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 33 minutes ago, wdecho said: I agree, use a decent iron for electronic soldering. I would never use a torch. Torches are for plumbers and a gun is used mainly for repair work in the field. He's not referring to a torch like a plumber uses for soldering. He's referring to a butane heated iron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave A Posted January 11, 2018 Author Share Posted January 11, 2018 My friend is pretty smart and I used to watch him maintain a whole commissary operation right down to repairing PC boards but I figured he was not right on this one. I had never heard of such a thing so I asked. I figured he had specific instructions for a delicate piece of equipment and projected that to everything else just to be safe. I like the Weller, quick to heat up and quick to cool and works well. Kind of like TIG welding where too little heat means higher total BTU input into the work piece as you struggle to melt metal I find the Weller does the job quick and the field is no different than the bench as the end result is the same and so is the purpose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 A tig weld would make a terrific solder joint until the component would have to be removed. Oh, I forgot about the potential x-rays. JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blvdre Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 Electrical field of the soldering gun? I think your friend may have confused what he heard. ESD is certainly an issue when working on sensitive circuitry. I use an ESD safe soldering & desoldering station, as well as an ESD mat (properly grounded) and an ESD wrist strap. That is what's required to work on sensitive components. Electro-Static Discharge can cause latent damage to occur within components that will not cause immediate failures, but will cause failures down the road. Crossover components for Klipsch speakers? Nope, your Weller is fine, as long as the wattage, temp, and tip are appropriate for the components you're working on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babadono Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 Soldering is NOT welding. Do not use a soldering "gun" for electronic assembly/disassembly. Use a soldering "iron". If you can control the temp of the tip all the better. And remember flux is your friend. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 I have a related question. I was soldering something on Sunday evening and noticed that my solder is a lead mix. I didn;t worry about this stuff when I was younger, but is there a better solder out there now that is not toxic? What do you use? I really do not want to breath lead when I do this work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 39 minutes ago, wdecho said: Lead free solder is available but no fun to solder with. It takes more heat to flow. I never use lead free. I feel the danger from such a tiny amount used for soldering is not going to do any serious harm but if you are concerned purchase lead free. Or get a soldering fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babadono Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 Lead vaporizes at 1750 C. If you're vaporizing lead your soldering iron is too hot That said ya those vapors are not good to breathe. And wash your hands, that's where the lead is after you work with solder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigerwoodKhorns Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 Good info. Thanks. So I assume that my kitchen table is not in a well ventilated area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babadono Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 If you're fretting it, how's about something like this: https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/WSA350/WSA350-ND/1130559?WT.mc_id=IQ_7595_G_pla1130559&wt.srch=1&wt.medium=cpc&WT.srch=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_dPr89nQ2AIVkK_sCh3yZA7rEAYYAiABEgLCNvD_BwE We use all types small to big around here at work to exhaust the fumes. Sorry don't know your kitchen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucky5115 Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 ----------------------------------------------------------------***********************************************************-Make sure you get Electrical solder, not plumbing type as the latter cases corrosion in time. A good 60/40 will work, even better with a 2% or 4% silver. Obviously solid silver is a no go. Takes way too much heat to melt, think brazing. Ever find a spool and it's not labeled.. a good test to find out what it is.. Leaded solder will leave a shiner joint than the lead free which is dullish looking. Remember to get your parts to fit together as good as possible before you solder. Solder is made to just fill in the gaps and not be treated like a glue, jb weld etc 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babadono Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 the purpose of solder and soldering in electronics is to make an intermetallic bond between the solder and the surface being soldered so electrons can flow between the 2. Yep solder ain't glue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 6 hours ago, Blvdre said: Electrical field of the soldering gun? I think your friend may have confused what he heard. ESD is certainly an issue when working on sensitive circuitry. I use an ESD safe soldering & desoldering station, as well as an ESD mat (properly grounded) and an ESD wrist strap. That is what's required to work on sensitive components. Electro-Static Discharge can cause latent damage to occur within components that will not cause immediate failures, but will cause failures down the road. Crossover components for Klipsch speakers? Nope, your Weller is fine, as long as the wattage, temp, and tip are appropriate for the components you're working on. Yep, ESD is what he is thinking of, especially if he works with surface mount stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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