tube fanatic Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 A friend sent this video of a Bottlehead headphone amp being built. For those who are concerned about trying a DIY project, this may ease your mind a bit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5rWCEux_BI Maynard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 Great video, I have one question for an issue I run into every now and then. When I tin my soldering iron, for the most time it sticks to the soldering iron with no problem. Recently I purchased a new tip and the solder seems to want to roll right off of the tip. Any idea why this is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 12 minutes ago, The Dude said: Great video, I have one question for an issue I run into every now and then. When I tin my soldering iron, for the most time it sticks to the soldering iron with no problem. Recently I purchased a new tip and the solder seems to want to roll right off of the tip. Any idea why this is? Do you clean it each time prior to applying solder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 5 minutes ago, CECAA850 said: Do you clean it each time prior to applying solder? Yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 2 minutes ago, The Dude said: Yes Crappy tip material? I have no idea. Maybe a more experienced solder slinger will chime in. I haven't had that issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimjimbo Posted February 12, 2018 Share Posted February 12, 2018 31 minutes ago, The Dude said: Great video, I have one question for an issue I run into every now and then. When I tin my soldering iron, for the most time it sticks to the soldering iron with no problem. Recently I purchased a new tip and the solder seems to want to roll right off of the tip. Any idea why this is? use a steel or brass brush on the tip. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 I've read that Bottlehead designs, while affordable, are plagued with high noise floors and background hiss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 2 hours ago, wdecho said: The problem is common with too hot an iron. You will have trouble transfering heat to the leads you want to solder when the iron corrodes over that way. The tip corrodes over real quickly when the iron is too hot. Tips wear out quickly as well. As previous poster said wire or steel brush will clean. Sandpaper will also do. Lower you temperature and your soldering experience will be much more enjoyable. I have been using this cheap station for almost a year now daily. Works perfectly fine for me. When the tip turns grey too quickly I turn the heat down. https://www.parts-express.com/stahl-tools-stssvt-variable-temperature-soldering-iron-station--374-100 Very similar to the one I use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 3 hours ago, Schu said: I've read that Bottlehead designs, while affordable, are plagued with high noise floors and background hiss. I've heard several bottleheads and this has not been the case from my experience. I've heard stereomor and the 300b set. Perhaps it is an individual build issue? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted February 13, 2018 Author Share Posted February 13, 2018 14 hours ago, The Dude said: Great video, I have one question for an issue I run into every now and then. When I tin my soldering iron, for the most time it sticks to the soldering iron with no problem. Recently I purchased a new tip and the solder seems to want to roll right off of the tip. Any idea why this is? Pick up a plain stainless steel pot scrubber at the supermarket. Heat the iron, gently wipe the tip with it, tin the tip at the beginning of each soldering session, and wipe off the excess with the scrubber. Use it prior to making each connection, and apply a very tiny amount of solder to the tip before touching it to the connection point. Are you using lead-free solder or the usual tin/lead? Maynard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 11 minutes ago, tube fanatic said: Pick up a plain stainless steel pot scrubber at the supermarket. Heat the iron, gently wipe the tip with it, Other than what others have said it this post, this is a newer tip for me. Glad to hear this. 11 minutes ago, tube fanatic said: tin the tip at the beginning of each soldering session, and wipe off the excess with the scrubber. Use it prior to making each connection, and apply a very tiny amount of solder to the tip before touching it to the connection point This has been my practice for the past couple years and it has proven good, glad I have at least been doing that right. 11 minutes ago, tube fanatic said: Are you using lead-free solder or the usual tin/lead? Not sure, I do know its silver solder from radio shack. I want to say something like 60/40 rosin core. Good stuff and great tips here folks, thanks for the tips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted February 13, 2018 Share Posted February 13, 2018 14 hours ago, seti said: I've heard several bottleheads and this has not been the case from my experience. I've heard stereomor and the 300b set. Perhaps it is an individual build issue? more than likely true... but that is always the case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 8 hours ago, Schu said: more than likely true... but that is always the case. Now a friend did buy the bottlehead sex amp kit and it never worked properly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted February 15, 2018 Share Posted February 15, 2018 I've been using the same tip for over a year, and I do A LOT of soldering. All of the tips I've ever used, for both my Weller and my Hakko, are pre-tinned. You only add a bit of solder to aid in heat transfer. I solder at 800 degrees, use clips on the leads (heat sink), and then get in and get out. So, I'm curious what everyone else here is using. Don't understand why anyone would choose to use 60/40 for electronics work, since it has a slushy/pasty stage before solidifying, which increases the chances of a cold solder joint. 63/37 is normally preferred, since it's eutectic, and goes from liquid to solid almost instantaneously. I've been soldering for almost 20 years, and I've never had to "scrub" a tip to get solder to "stick". 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted February 15, 2018 Share Posted February 15, 2018 I thought I was soldering too hot but it works for me 700ish. I might kick it up and use heat sinks to see if that helps. When I got my Hakko I bought 12 tips. I got a thin curved tip and it has been my favorite soldering top. I need to order a few more. I find this fascinating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dude Posted February 15, 2018 Share Posted February 15, 2018 I ran my Stahl with the same tip around 700, one day it quit working. So I replaced, only used it once since, that's the time I had the issue. I will double check the type, I am pretty sure it silver solder as I thought someone had recommended it. I never had any issues soldering with it. Maybe its not silver, maybe I just think it is. 10 hours ago, Deang said: use clips on the leads (heat sink), and then get in and get out. Good tip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted February 15, 2018 Share Posted February 15, 2018 Most silver solder for electronics has like 3 or 4% silver in it, along with the tin and lead. It's not difficult to work with, and I use it for the Jupiters, which have silver leads. It almost sounds like you might have gotten a hold of some lead free silver solder, which is used in plumbing on copper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tube fanatic Posted February 15, 2018 Author Share Posted February 15, 2018 There's nothing wrong with good, old fashioned, 60/40 rosin core solder. Of course, as with anything, it takes practice to learn how to use it correctly, not have cold solder joints, etc. The flux does leave a residue on every kind of tip that I've encountered over the years, and it does build up somewhat after multiple connections are made. It's possible that the amount is related to the alloys used in a particular tip. For example, the Radio Shack tips I use in the Weller 8200 gun (yes, I still use a 100W gun most of the time- after 60 years of doing so it's hard to change!) build up more residue than the tip of the Weller WP-25 which I use for PC work. At the power supply company we used various solder stations, different kinds of solder, different kinds of flux including water soluble, and tips had to be cleaned to ensure proper connections. While I'm not arguing that some don't consider it necessary to ever clean a tip, I find it difficult to imagine that at least wiping the heated tip with a moistened sponge would not result in better connections. Maynard 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deang Posted February 15, 2018 Share Posted February 15, 2018 2 hours ago, tube fanatic said: While I'm not arguing that some don't consider it necessary to ever clean a tip, I find it difficult to imagine that at least wiping the heated tip with a moistened sponge would not result in better connections. I wipe the tip on the sponge after every joint, and apply a little bit of new solder on the tip before continuing. On PCB work, I'll go two or three before wiping. I don't see where anyone advocated soldering with a dirty tip -- my issue was related to having to scuff the tip clean, which just seems odd to me. Any tip in that kind of condition needs to be replaced. If it's happening with new tips, buy better tips. I always use clips to absorb the heat. Metallized film is easily damaged by the kind of heat that creeps up the lead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parlophone1 Posted February 15, 2018 Share Posted February 15, 2018 And what would be the cure for cheep solder stations without adjustable temperature? Getting a decent one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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