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Recommended beginning soldering kits
I'm looking for a kit that will give me some practice holding wires in place and soldering connections, hopefully also while giving me a completed object or set of objects that's fun at the end. I'm not completely new to soldering; I've done a couple simple kits and some repair of model trains with loose wires, but I definitely could be a lot better at it and I'd like some guided practice. Emphasis on the "guided," I'm not looking for additional things to repair, I really want a straightforward kit, a range of difficulties in connections would also be great. Any recommendations?
Also consider getting nicer tools like a Pinecil soldering iron, helping hands, metal sponge, flux syringe, etc. They make a big difference.
Yup, seconding the pinecil! There are some alternative options available which use some of the alternative tip types, but I can't recommend them first hand, and I haven't felt that the pinecil was lacking at the small electronics work I've thrown at it so far. Plus, everything is relatively affordable (<$100 CAD), so retooling in the worst case scenario isn't that expensive.
I've heard criticism of the pinecil in my circles, and while I don't agree, they may have a point: It doesn't come with a stand, and because it gets so hot 3D printing one is out of the question, and you're expected to just lay that 400 degree iron on your work surface while you're not using it. Yes, it has a gyroscope to shut itself off, yes, the tip never touches the surface when you just put it down, but it's still a point worth making.
I just drop mine into a spring holder that cost a few quid. I also tend to run mine from a PD power bank to avoid trailing cables.
Same. A little holder is small and light and cheap.
Just riffing on trim's point, but the pinecil is very useful when you're space constrained too! I have to pack up my soldering workstation (and table) whenever I finish for the day, so being able to comfortably stuff it all into a small bag helps a tonne.
Yeah I have something pinecil adjacent and I would NEVER recommend it without a stand. Now the stand in my case is just a tiny metal thing (the whole kit fits in a small tupperware box to keep it portable), but you really should have something just to be safe.
I would have said a Weller or Hakko solder station. The pinecil is nice for mobile work but if you want a nice workstation for home? I like the integrated power supply, stand, controls, better ergonomics, higher quality tips that you get from either Hakko or Weller.
The Pinecil and its kind automatically cool down when you put them down and heat up in seconds when you pick them up again.
Just for this I prefer them. The ability to use one with a PD power bank anywhere is surprisingly handy too.
Pinecils are only $26 which makes them a great way to get started.
I have enjoyed the various Gikfun practise kits. You get some kind of little doodad at the end, like a digital clock, LED chaser, AM radio, handheld Tetris game. etc. and they are all like $25 each.
https://gikfun.com/collections/frontpage?page=1
So many little projects to choose from. I got them for my kids, but I like making them too.
I have to recommend kits like this from Elenco. My father worked for Elenco when I was a child, so my parents gave these little things to me as gifts when I got good grades. All I can say is that it worked: I have been able to solder all my adult life. If you ever find the Yap Box, you will hear the sound of my childhood.
I also recommend a third hand, as they are super helpful. You can solder without them, but its much easier with them.
jameco sells electronics project kits that are probably exactly what you are looking for. They are all through-hole PCB designs AFAIK; briefly looking through their website largely shows the same kits I had available to me as a kid.
As others said - get Pinecil. It is very affordable and very good for hobby people and I'd even say semi-pros.
I also recommend getting Omnifixo, which is like helping hands thought through.
About the technique itself - I recommend EEVBlog videos, especially ones where Dave fixes something.
About kits - order some online. You can male yourself a 7-segment LED clock for example, or electronic dice for desktop games. Look for through hole components for better start (called THT), leave SMD for later. Buy these for cheap from Ebay, Alibaba or whenever.
Get leaded solder (like 60/40 or 63/37 or anywhere like this or some with another material added, ie. 60/37/3). Get it from reputable store, don't order from Amazon, Ebay and alikes. Digikey or Mouser or some electronics brick-and-mortar shop nearby should be better.
Get solder sucker (manual, looks like a bit bigger than a permanent marker) and/or desoldering wick. If you mess up, these will help recover. For usage, once again EEVBlog (or Louis Rossmann repair) videos.
If you are doing wires, get heat shrink (isolation) and don't forget to put it on the wire before you solder! I keep forgetting this crucial step :-D
EDIT: typos
Hrm. I've heard that, but I don't quite understand why? The solder I've been using (Sn97 Cu0.7 Ag0.3) seems OK, especially for hobbyists ... I know that tin whiskers were traditionally an issue, and it's a couple dollars more expensive, but unless you're dealing with high volume or high reliability work, I'm not sure what the cost/benefit is for adding more lead to the world?
If you start out using lead solder, the switch can be hard. When I was struggling with non leaded solder I realized that I was trying to use it at the same temperature as leaded solder, and wondered if that might be the issue. I looked up the temperature range for my particular mix and suddenly stopped having trouble with it. It does take a bit longer to melt if you're touching a contact pad like you're supposed to, but previously I was only able to get it to melt by touching the solder directly.
I use leaded, so I can't say how hard the switch is. But the difference (of working with it) is mainly temperature - unleaded needs quite a bit more. Then it's supposed to be ok.
The thing is the unleaded is more brittle and can form cracks and cold joints easier. But it doesn't contain lead, that's simply the truth.
The leaded solder is much easier to work with. It melts at much lower temperature and when you have to solder thick wires or on a PCB with large ground plane, you would love leaded solder - simply because you don't have to put as much heat into what you solder. Also - when you need to desolder skmething, adding a bit of leaded solder to eyisting one makes it easier to desolder or clean up (again - lower melting point).
Lead-free can make cold joints (when you solder it is easier to make a cold joint using it) and is more brittle, develops cracks easily - again making cold joint or breaking the connection completely.
I'm not a fan of lead either, but there are reasons why leaded solder is considered the better one (my subjective opinion).
I wouldn't advise a newbie to start with unleaded solder.
Fair enough! I have been OK with it so far, but I assume that's just because I have small wires to deal with. It seems like investing in a more powerful soldering iron could allow one to skip out on leaded solder, though?
Yes, having more oomph in your soldering iron helps. Either directly more power or having a fat tip that can "store" the heat (if you are doing smaller jobs). EEVBlog tried a few soldering irons with various power on a big copper plane - nice educational video.
So for soldering iron, I highly recommend one with temp control. For the longest time I was using a cheap $20 soldering iron with no controls, but have since upgraded to one with controls. Having temp controls just lets you fine tune it a bit more, which helps me get better solder joints.
Additional tools I recommend is a desolder pump, desoldering wick, and some nice flush cutters. Desoldering pump/wick is useful for when you need to redo a joint. I find for a lot of things, desoldering wick works better than a pump, but the pump is reusable so I try and get the bulk of the solder off with the pump first before going at it with the wick. Having good flush cutters are useful for just prepping stuff for soldering.
For helping hands, quality varies a lot. I got a cheap set of helping hands, and occasionally I use it. However, I also find that mine can be more hassle than it is worth so I don't reach for it unless I am struggling. In particular, the issue I have with mine is it can be annoying to get it to sit in the position I need it to be in. Since most of my soldering work is doing audio cables, I tend to just use vise grips to hold the end of the connector I am soldering.
I don't have a specific brand to recommend, but as @IsildursBane said, you should get one with temperature control. I'd also recommend a kit with a weighted base so that you can safely set it down. The brand I used to recommend was Weller, but I have heard they are no longer well made. If you aren't going for inexpensive, I really like the Hakko soldering kit, but it's a bit pricey.
Highly recommend checking out @I_One's response in a previous topic where I was looking for a soldering iron: https://tild.es/1lm8