I learned a new skill this week

[wavinwayne]

So my supervisor tells me a couple of days ago that my next project may involve soldering, something I have never done. What did I do? I went to youtube of course, and looked up how to solder! I found a video (linked below) that provided an excellent tutorial on the subject. Armed with the information from the video, I went into our lab at work, found some old circuit boards and resistors, and began soldering like crazy. I did everything according to the video instructions, and it worked perfectly. I'm excited that I learned a new skill this week, and one that will hopefully keep me gainfully employed.

Here is a link to the video that got me going. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4

 

[DieselTech]

Nice job bud!!

 

[Schmoe]

That's great. Soldering is something I just can't do. I've tried and all I get is the "blob" from #ell.

 

[oilboy123]

Yes it's fun to solder when you have better technique.


I worked for my Brother in law at his company Seabotix. They build compact Underwater Remote Operated Vehicles. I learned how to solder as well. I have a much better understanding of it and some of the tricks to be successful now. I was soldering a lot of different types of assemblies and dealing with AC and DC components. Some of the employees there had Defense and Aerospace experience.

I have already used the experience to do a couple little projects at home.

 

[Gary Allan]

The only thing I did different than the video was that I always soldered from the top. You can get pretty fast at this after a bit. I did boards as a part time job about 25 years ago.

 

[heypete]

Originally Posted By: wavinwayne
So my supervisor tells me a couple of days ago that my next project may involve soldering, something I have never done. What did I do? I went to youtube of course, and looked up how to solder! I found a video (linked below) that provided an excellent tutorial on the subject. Armed with the information from the video, I went into our lab at work, found some old circuit boards and resistors, and began soldering like crazy. I did everything according to the video instructions, and it worked perfectly. I'm excited that I learned a new skill this week, and one that will hopefully keep me gainfully employed.

Here is a link to the video that got me going. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4


Videos on YouTube got me comfortable enough to change my own oil, rebuild a CV axle, tinker with my motor scooter, and all sorts of other mechanical things. There's a lot of smart people out there who've made really useful videos.

 

[oilboy123]

I learned a lot from other employees with much better skills than when I started. I had many questions and was able to ask different people to get each ones perspective. This helped me tremendously because of the variety of work that was being done.

I think the sharing of ideas and knowledge with videos is pretty neat. I would have never thought as a kid that this would be even possible.

 

[NJC]

I have soldered a few times, but am not very good. A good soldering iron is crucial, as the standard Weller brand (at least used to be) hopeless.

I want to learn to weld, although don't really have anywhere to use the skill. Had a chance to use an Ox-Acetylene torch a few yrs ago at the wreckers - good entertainment.

 

[mechtech2]

Keep a rag dampened with water nearby to clean the tip of the soldering tool.
A good solder joint is not dull and rough - it is smooth and shiny.
Rough, dull, and blobby , means not enough heat.

 

[wavinwayne]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Keep a rag dampened with water nearby to clean the tip of the soldering tool.
A good solder joint is not dull and rough - it is smooth and shiny.
Rough, dull, and blobby , means not enough heat.


Luckily our lab at work is equipped with a proper soldering station, with all the necessary accessories to get the job done right.

 

[wavinwayne]

Today and over the weekend, I will be getting some experience with the Dremel tool for another small lab project. Imagine this: I'm actually reading the instruction manual before I start using it!!

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: wavinwayne
Today and over the weekend, I will be getting some experience with the Dremel tool for another small lab project. Imagine this: I'm actually reading the instruction manual before I start using it!!

That's good stuff Wayne, fabricating and building will make you a better designer/drafter, not to mention more employable. You can't beat it when your employer pays for expanding your skills into another field.