400 is really damn hot I don’t think I have ever soldered at 400, if anything i would probably back it off a bit.
Ok. I tried 350 at the very start and it was slow. Maybe my tip isn’t tightened all the way down. @cmatson Would you mind posting a pic of the soldering tip tightening bit?
the reason that I havent made a video sooner is because I don’t have my workshop set up yet, Im moving in a couple of weeks and I only have really basic tools in my apartment. but I mad fun of you so the least I can do is embarrass myself.
im so embarrassed… but I dont have time for 2 takes.
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Hahah…awesome helping hands …
I use a dremel gas one … Works great…it has an outlet port near the tip… It gets hot in like 5 seconds and good to go…urs look like it had an afterburner lol Good way to teach people to get it done on a budget …gotta think outside the box
yeah that “afterburner” was something in the video, it doesn’t look like that in real life. the gas iron I used was like $20 at aldi its not recomended, but as you say. got the job done with next to nothing.
Make sure to always keep your soldering tip clean. I clean mine after every connection by wiping it on a wet sponge. That’ll make for the best heat transfer
I’m pretty confident you’re not supposed to wipe it on a wet sponge every time. I watched a tip care video. Maybe I’m wrong…
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I don’t see why not. my tips been clean for about a year now it’s still silver. I use it ALOT too lol
And I don’t mean every, every time. But alot
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I use the copper sponge. That’s what the guy in the video does. I think you use the wet sponge very once in a while. What do you do @lowguido @cmatson @longhairedboy @chaka @onloop @treenutter @Hummie ?
some tips from my aircraft component soldering course
-keep tip clean so yes wipe on sponge after you solder something every time -clean everything with iso before you solder -use flux and flux core solder it makes everything flow soooo easy -after use of the soldering iron melt a huge glob of solder on the iron to help protect it from oxidization.
if you need more help let my know im on a course that expects us to solder at class 3
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well in my video i scraped it on the inside side of the V can. (please do as I say not as I do)
I use what ever I have at my station. wet sponge works best, but there are some thoughts on how heat cycling affects the soldering iron tip. I also have the steel wool type of “dry” cleaner it also works.
Lol. All I can say. All you need is a good flat tipped iron (never gas!!!), good pair of helping hands, a proper solder sponge and some patience. Always lead both sides of the connection. Nice vid @lowGuido . 
Where does everyone get their solder paste for wires? I have no idea where to get it in Australia. Thanks for the good tips @delta_19 @lowguido @makepeace
@lox897 Pick up one of these soldering tip cleaners. They work great and won’t reduce your tip temperature like a wet sponge will.
http://www.amazon.com/Hakko-599B-02-Solder-Cleaning-Holder/dp/B00FZPGDLA
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I have one in my Hakko. It is made out of copper.
I have the same iron-
Use the copper that @Mobutusan recommended, and then use the sponge right afterwards.
So copper, and then sponge. You don’t need to use the sponge every time, but I usually do between soldering each individual connection.
all jokes aside this video is great. Watch it over and over
Looks good to me! A little heavy on the solder, but it looks like it will hold.
I stab the crap out of that glorious golden sponge every time my tip turns crap. Than i wipe the tip on the wet sponge, wait a second for the heat to come back, then go about my business.
@lox897 I use just a wet sponge, cleaning between every join. I think that a combo of the cleaning wire and the sponge is better. Folks seem to make a big deal out of the heat “shock” that might occur with the wet sponge, but I’ve had no problems. I also don’t solder for a living, so it may get problematic if you burn through tips too often.
Also, @lox897, I admire your efforts to get better at soldering! Don’t be discouraged if they come out badly while you’re learning. Here’s a pic of my first terrible attempt at soldering a dean’s connection. I keep it on my bench to remember what not to do… It’s a cold join, I didn’t tin the wire, used a small tip at a low temp, and no flux. As you can see, the result is crap. But the failure helped me to learn!
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