Solder recommendations

[dynamowhum]

I have started building some crossovers lately and ran out of solder. Went to the local big box and ended up with Lennox Solder. Lets just say this stuff is SH**. Ugly joints and messed up gun tip. I searched and found Jon likes Cadas quad eutetic and ordered some. Is there any other solder out there anyone recommends.
Also since my gun tip is so messed up do I just get some new one and tin it?
PS I got the quad at $6.00 for 24ft plus $5.00 extra for the order being under $25. Is this a good price?

[here.now]

To fix the tip of your iron you just need a wet sponge and/or some steel wool. Just clean the hot tip on the wet sponge then with the wool. Should bring it back to new.

[dynamowhum]

Thanks H.N

[Hdale85]

Can do it with Emery cloth as well just have to be careful to not gouge out any deep scratches in the tip.

[---k---]

Try Kessler 44. Kessler is a pretty big common brand and should be able to find it a lot of places.

[ThomasW]

Buying solder by the foot is a little pricy....and paying $11 total for 24' is IMO outrageous

A pound of the Quad-Eutectic is $44, that's a lifetime supply for most people.

A soldering gun is probably a little to hot for a Quad-Eutectic solder

[Dennis H]

Buying solder by the foot is a little pricy....and paying $11 total for 24' is IMO outrageous

A pound of the Quad-Eutectic is $44, that's a lifetime supply for most people.

Well, 24' is probably a lifetime supply for people who aren't DIY fanatics.

A soldering gun is probably a little to hot for a Quad-Eutectic solder

Yeah define what you mean by 'soldering gun'. If you mean a pencil-style iron, no problem. If you mean one of those things the size and shape of a drill, with a trigger to turn it on, Thomas is right, that's too big.

[cjd]

A good solder station makes SO much difference - one of the temperature adjustable varieties. I waited so long to get one and have been kicking myself for that every time I've used it since.

[dynamowhum]

okay i have a dual 100/140 watt gun. so what should i be using?

[impala454]

I have had a Weller WES51 solder station for a long while and would highly recommend it. I got it at Fry's for $120.

[Dennis H]

http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=12343

$40.

[Dennis H]

Or, if this is a one-time project and you don't plan on using it much in the future:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062730

$11.

[1Michael]

How about 2 Pounds for $50? http://www.dedicatedaudio.com/inc/sdetail/4041 8O

[ThomasW]

How about 2 Pounds for $50? http://www.dedicatedaudio.com/inc/sdetail/4041 8O

That's hysterical.... :B

I'll buy a stick to use in my solder pot... :rofl:

[dynamowhum]

I didn't buy the 1 pound because I am probably going to do a couple more speakers after these and that is it. I can't see needing more speaker at my current house. However in the future you never know. I do have a small wattage iron with a cone tip that I will try with the new solder. I don't know the wattage. If that doesn't work it is a trip to radio shack. Thanks once again for all the help guys as always this forum is a wonderful source of information.

[servicetech]

http://www.htguide.com/forum/showthread.php4?t=12343

$40.

Ditto the recommendation on this iron, we use them in our shop. 1lb of solder lasts us a month or so. Give the lead free stuff a shot, it has a higher melting point (required for circuit board work).

[---k---]

So what temperature should one be using for speakers?

Just wondering. I have the cheap Tenma from MCM, which is usually on sale for $19:

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/21-7945

It does okay. I can never be sure if any problems I have are because of me or my equipment.

[Homebrew]

Ive done a lot of soldering and Kester is the best. Use solder that has a flux (rosin) core and you will solder like a pro. No flux and you will not solder worth a darn. For stranded wire make sure you tin the wire, twist the strands and then get wire hot with tip of iron hold the solder on the wire, when it gets to the correct temp it will absorb the molten solder like a wick, let cool once tinned it will solder to another metal easily. Kester 44 is the most common and 88 is better but I havnt used it yet, when I run out of 44 I am getting 88

[ThomasW]

So what temperature should one be using for speakers?

I use a Weller Station with a 600 degree tip

[---k---]

Got it. Thanks.

[Amphiprion]

Kester 44, core 66, 63/37 eutectic is all that you will ever, ever need in terms of solder. You can get it anywhere, but Techni-tool is the cheapest I have found. I use it for everything from crossover assembly to microcontroller soldering (like the thing in my avatar). For speaker use I would get .032" or larger. I've got a pound of .032 and .015" sitting in my work table drawer right now (and a pound of Kester 245 core 50 .015" for SMT work that I don't want to have to clean. Milder flux, less residue - not really appropriate for speaker work as you want a real active flux).

You should also invest in a tub of PASTE FLUX. Most folks don't know that flux is the solution to everything in life. Most soldering problems are related to corrosion of the pieces to be soldered or a joint that has not been heated properly. Paste Flux will fix the first problem. Get some 91% IPA from the pharmacy, and maybe some acetone. This is to clean off the excess flux after you are done. The IPA is a mild cleaner that won't damage plastic; the acetone will get any residue off there in a hurry but will damage plastics (ie capacitors). Use judiciously.

As far as soldering stations go, I don't like using them for crossovers. They are more for precision work like circuit boards where temp regulation is important. For speaker crossovers it doesn't matter if your iron idles at 800F and dips to 600F when soldering (which would be intolerable for circuit board work). Most of the time you will be using 14 and 16 gauge wires for caps and inductors, and you don't precision tips or controlled temps. You need a high thermal mass tip that is well tinned and has a large tinned area that can contact the joint. My weapon of choice is the piece of junk 40W Radio shack iron with the huge tip. I've used several soldering stations in the $700 to $1300 range (Pace, OKi) and the 40W radio shack job works the best for crossovers for me. You have to fight to keep the tip tinned but if you do that it will work fantastically for any speaker crossovers you need.

Now if you start talking circuit board work, I get much, much more opinionated and picky.....

[dynamowhum]

I just wanted to stop a minute and give you guys a big thanks. I got the eutectic in and purchased a 40 watt iron as recommended. I just got through making my 1st high pass for the new speakers and the combination worked great. Thanks again.

[ThomasW]

Glad to be of assistance...