Resistance soldering station

Discussion in 'Tools' started by Toto, Aug 3, 2018.

  1. Timbersurf

    Timbersurf

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    Those bolts at the front are going to annoy the crape out of you! :eek:
    I would have evosticked the two together or used countersunk screws on the 3 fixers!:avatar:
     
  2. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    you are probably right but I can refine it as I go. just wanted to have my first shot if it ....... and here it is

    rough as hell ...... but it works.


    I spent about half an hour getting four of these magnets apart ..... eventually using a vice ...... :facepalm:


    a bit cleaning up of some scrap material .....


    now I know its rough but there is much experimenting to do to become neater and get a sort of neater work flow. it is my first attempt and it works.


    a bit more playing around with some scrap ......

    there are a few areas that I need to tackle one by one. Shaping the carbon rod tip to make it easier for it to make contact with both work pieces will help. Also tinning the piece first which I had forgotten about. I fed the solder into the joint. Also playing around with securing the pieces whilst actually soldering.

    As I said, its my first attempt. I just need to bring all the various working techniques together and that will take practice. otherwise, its a great piece of kit. You get a slight vibration when its doing its bit. Don't tell SWMBO ...... I may never see it again. :avatar:

    I think this could be my new best toy over the next few days. I'll keep my practice piece and hopefully my progress can be marked against it.

    cheers for now.

    toto
     
  3. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    So .... what's next?

    Well ..... time to read the destruction s again as they do offer tips on technique. I'll choose one item to focus on and stick to that for a while completing a couple of practices. Maybe spot soldering and then move on to sweating and so on. I also need to try the various solders. Different melting points etc. Today's exercise was really all about getting it up and running and trying it out. Time to get more focused.

    This could involve the use of the RSU and the traditional irons. The RSU to spot solder and the other iron to run in solder fillets.

    I'll post up my results.

    Cheers

    Toto
     
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  4. paul_l

    paul_l Staff Member Administrator

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    Waiting for the next post ....... "you'd never guess it works better wired the other way round...." or " oh ***t I shouldn't have done that " :avatar:

    Paul
     
  5. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    More tomorrow. Too much excitement for one day. :avatar:
     
  6. Timbersurf

    Timbersurf

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    After Toto forgets to DRY his hands, before grabbing the electrode!

    Toto on fire.jpg
     
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  7. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    :avatar::avatar::avatar: brilliant.
     
  8. Rob Pulham

    Rob Pulham Happily making models Staff Member Administrator Feature Contributor

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    Most people that I know of who use a resistance soldering unit, use solder paste with it and leave the traditional solders for use with the normal iron.

    You may find this useful if you haven't seen it already.
     
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  9. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    Hi Rob,

    I tried solder paste first but with no success. Probably my technique or lack of. I will be reading up on it again though as it is a very useful medium to use once mastered. It was really just my first playing session. The paste will be easier to apply to these small fiddly parts for sure.

    I have seen Raymonds blog and it's my first point of reference. I'll be revisiting it ..... often. :avatar::avatar::avatar::avatar:

    Cheers

    Toto
     
  10. Rob Pulham

    Rob Pulham Happily making models Staff Member Administrator Feature Contributor

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    How old is your solder paste? - I ask because I understand that it has a shelf life so you may be better buying some newer stuff and trying that.

    This is the downside of the time taken to get set up with such things - for me 'now' I could happily use a tube well before use by date because of the amount that I build, but most people use so little that they will throw most of it away.

    The shelf life of solder paste and the room needed for the ground plate etc. is one of the reasons that I have never ventured down the Resistance soldering route. That said I am now so comfortable with my setup that I wouldn't change it even if offered a bargain unit because it works for me.
     
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  11. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    I've had the solder paste for at least a year now, maybe longer.
     
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  12. jakesdad13

    jakesdad13 Staff Member Moderator

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    Extremely well described tutorial Rob, thanks for posting it up!

    Pete.
     
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  13. Rob Pulham

    Rob Pulham Happily making models Staff Member Administrator Feature Contributor

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    That may be the issue then - I don't have any idea what the shelf life is but I would imagine it's marked somewhere on the tube. - of course when you buy it you don't know how long it has sat on the suppliers shelves.

    That's the reason that sellers of the expensive specialist types of Loctite publish the BBE date on their ebay listings. - You wouldn't want to pay £40/50 on something that only had a month's life.
     
  14. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    Fair point. The stuff I have bought has been towards the cheaper end of the market. Maybe it's time to bite the bullet.

    Time to go surfing....... :avatar:

    Cheers

    Toto
     
  15. SMR CHRIS

    SMR CHRIS Staff Member Moderator

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    Toto having got my tube of solder paste out it’s way way out of date and seemed to have degraded to a brown gunk, so have also got online
    I have found a co on line in Australia that supplies various types and they say it ships in a insulated container with a cool pack and they recommend keeping it refrigerated in storage to extend shelf life.
    Link for the Ozzie’s to one type they do
    https://www.digikey.com.au/product-detail/en/SMDLTLFP/SMDLTLFP-ND/2682721/?itemSeq=280472316

    Ps for DCC sound they also do the supersonic speakers pus a range of others at bargain prices compared to getting from the DCC supplier.
     
  16. Timbersurf

    Timbersurf

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    Chris, in fairness, you live in an oven and Agnes lives in 2 miles from the arctic, I think his will last longer! :avatar:
    Putting it in the fridge will warm it up in Scotland!:giggle:
     
  17. SMR CHRIS

    SMR CHRIS Staff Member Moderator

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    :avatar::avatar::avatar:Yes and it a good Oven at the moment
     
  18. paul_l

    paul_l Staff Member Administrator

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    Aye but Agnes eats a lot a curry's, breaks wind, and smokes, I'm surprised he even needs a soldering iron - more the bing bang theory :avatar:
     
  19. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    :avatar: I received my new batch of solder paste yesterday. Looks very similar to the type in SMR Chris's link actually, completely by coincidence. :thumbs: I also received a packet of spare copper coated carbon rods for the RSU . They were 12 inches long. The reason I say " were " is that the packing they were supplied in was totally inadequate and most of them have snapped. Now ...... that's not really an issue as they gave snapped approximately one third of the way along there length. I would intend cutting them into about three parts anyway as you don't need them to be so long.

    However, regardless, on such a brittle product the packaging should gave been better. I would gave suggested wrapped in bubble wrap and inserted into a cardboard tube.

    Photos later

    Cheers

    Toto
     
  20. Toto

    Toto I'm best ignored Staff Member Founder Administrator

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    and here it is .... first the soldering paste


    and the copper coated carbon RSU rods


    you can see on the bottom rod where the break is. The photo does not show it but most of these rods have broken at roughly the same place.

    cheers

    toto
     

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