Cheapest way to learn to solder

Рет қаралды 124,296

3 жыл бұрын

The best way to learn how to solder is just to plough in and start doing it.
One thing that puts people off is the indecision of which tools to get and how much to spend on them. In reality you can start with just a basic soldering iron, a roll of standard solder, a pair of side cutters to trim leads and something to solder together. You can get all those things for less than $15.
Once you've got into soldering you can then expand your tool kit as needed, possibly with a higher power soldering iron and some other basic tools like a basic meter.
There's a lot of tool snobbery on KZfaq, with people implying that you need to buy premium expensive tools. But in reality, basic tools are fine. You can evolve to more specialist meters and tools as you get a feel for your chosen electronic direction.
Here are some search links to find the tools I used. They are eBay searches starting at the lowest priced first, so avoid the suspiciously low cost and feedback sellers and scroll through to the ones with high levels of feedback.
The side cutters. I use these routinely:-
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...
Target price roughly $3.50
The surprisingly usable USB soldering iron:-
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...
Target price around $7 inclusive
Generic shady eBay solder. You may be better sourcing this locally or getting a few yards/metres from a friend. You're looking for a 60/40 or 63/37 tin/lead alloy with flux. 0.8mm is a reasonable diameter.
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...
Target price around $2.50 for 50g
A kit to build or possibly even destroy as part of your learning experience. (I destroyed my first kit.)
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...
Target price from $2.50 upwards
If you go for the USB soldering iron you'll need a beefy 2.1A output power bank or phone charger to run it, noting that on a plug-in charger there will be stray AC leakage on the iron tip that may damage some delicate components. With a power bank you have a portable soldering station that can be used anywhere.
Here are some other tools you may wish to add to your collection.
The very handy 8-in-1 precision screwdriver:-
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...
Target price around $2
Jewellers pliers. Choose the flat narrow end type with serrated tips:-
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...
Target price around $3.50 to $5
For a meter you can start with a cheap one and upgrade as you get to appreciate specific features.
Watch out for sellers showing a picture of a meter, but just selling the leads!
www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from...
Target price around $5 for a basic meter suitable for bench stuff, but NOT suitable for mains/industrial electrical work. Most of these dinky meters are fairly accurate and a very good first-meter.
For those of you in the UK, consider a meter from CPC as it will have extra safety features for the UK market.
Remember the most important things about soldering. The iron tip should be clean and shiny and you mustn't carry solder to the component on the iron tip. It has to be melted fresh into the solder joint so that the flux can do its job before boiling off.
Then it's all down to just getting a feel for it.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of KZfaq's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.

Пікірлер: 826

@beware_the_moose 3 жыл бұрын

Great scott: "And I need an oscilloscope, and a signal generator..." Big Clive: "99p soldering iron and a spudger ought to do it"

@neyoid 3 жыл бұрын

Great Scott's idea is for genuine exact electrical engineering. Clive's way of engineering is a calculator and fucking about and bodging.

@deriksteven 3 жыл бұрын

@@neyoid they're under the same general topic yet they're not exactly comparable forms under that topic. I watch both. Perhaps @T C stated what he did for rhetorical purposes, such as to highlight the humor in the differences. Just a hunch. My hat is off in appreciation for Great Scott as well. He is quite meticulous and exacting in his methods, yet is (per video posts as evidence) not without abandon should circumstance warrant it. Similarly, Clive has undertaken some painstaking and tedious activities toward his pursuits as well. IMO

@simplybeanjelly 3 жыл бұрын

I'm so excited. I'm turning 17 next month and I bought one of these usb soldering irons because Clive thought they were good for another project, and normally for my birthday I have a hard time figuring out what I want, but this year I'll be getting a bunch of soldering kits from ebay to learn how to solder the right way and have some fun along the way. I do have to give a big thanks to big Clive, because his kindness and wanting to share the world of electronics has really been something that has always inspired me. I've learned a lot from his videos, and I continue to learn more, and I hope one day I'll be able to reverse engineer things the way he does, because electronics have always fascinated me, and I understand what basic components do, but I'm still quite puzzled by the way that they work together in order to create a circuit. That's the next thing I want to learn as I start assembling the kits that I get :)

@crypticnxnja 2 жыл бұрын

Haha he didn't reply 😂😂😂😂😂

@daviddigital6887 2 жыл бұрын

You sound very smart. I worked in a small electronic factory when I was young. I did a few types of soldering and spot welding components. Im old now and forgot most of it but lately wanted to work on a guitar. I bought a small soldering kit and gonna try practicing a bit. Its good that your interested in something positive and learning skills. Good for you !

@williamsykes7803 Жыл бұрын

@@crypticnxnja you’re mean 😡

@crypticnxnja Жыл бұрын

@@williamsykes7803 boo hoo

@williamsykes7803 Жыл бұрын

@@crypticnxnja stupid as well hey? 😐

@ConnerBurns 3 жыл бұрын

Clive, videos like this are so important to growing interest and lowering barriers into electronics. Even us poor folk need help getting started. Thank you for what you're doing, keeping it fun, and being so patient. Long Live Big Clive!

@dnwheeler 3 жыл бұрын

As the saying goes: if it smells like chicken, you're holding it wrong.

@BerndFelsche 3 жыл бұрын

Sizzles like bacon

@ewozniak5228 3 жыл бұрын

More like burnt chicken feathers....

@beware_the_moose 3 жыл бұрын

pork. it always smells like pork. If it smells like chicken you're I'm not even sure what.

@ewozniak5228 3 жыл бұрын

@T C If it smells like pork, then what are you???

@DevinGates 3 жыл бұрын

If it's not on fire, it's a software problem

@bl0rkatr0n 3 жыл бұрын

When you talked about burning yourself on the soldering iron, I had flashbacks to my youth. I was already into electronics back when I was a young child and was using my dad's iron (similar to your old 25 watt thermally balanced one) to build a kit. Then I accidentally knocked the hot iron off the table and instinctively caught it. Haven't burned myself on an iron since and the times I dropped it I sure as hell didn't try catching it again.

@ale6242 3 жыл бұрын

Haha, when I was a wee lad I absentmindedly picked up the iron by the metal shaft... ooh, boy were those some big blisters!! I've never done that again, but I have burned myself a fair few other ways hahaha

@ZZtop-gg3lu 3 жыл бұрын

I also do know that reflex, first happy I caught it but there was an instantly regret

@gentarofourze 3 жыл бұрын

Happened to me when I was about 7 years old, my brother used to use soldering iron on our shared bedroom floor, my dad was ill at the time so quite grumpy and was telling me off one day in the doorway and I dropped something, he told me to pick it up and I said no and he thought I was being rude, so I put my hand on floor got a severe burn that got infected and my skin swelled took about a month to heal, Because of that, mixed with a similar experience with hot glue when I was 12 put me off to a year or so ago (im 38 now) now I feel like an old dog.

@benkeysor7576 3 жыл бұрын

Try putting your hand right on top of a very hot 30 watt iron. I was fix the speaker connection on my guitar amp then sat the iron on top of it when I was finished. I then proceeded to get up and not paying attention I put my hand on top of the amp for leverage and BAM! Hand goes right on the very hot iron. Needless to say I had a nice soldering iron shaped scar on the palm of my hand for about a week.

@oswith971 3 жыл бұрын

@@ale6242 I did the same thing when I was a child, we had woodworking lessons in primary school and sometimes we worked on electronics, and one time without thinking I just grabbed the tip of the iron like a pencil and it was painful for days I doubt they would let kids solder completely unsupervised anymore like we did back then, those soldering stations had holes melted through them all over the place and I think one time someone poked the iron deep enough to short it out and it cut the power to the class

@gabest4 3 жыл бұрын

Every time I solder: "don't forget to buy one of those 3rd arm holders". Next time I solder, still no holder.

@penfold7800 3 жыл бұрын

They can be useful, but also limiting, cos it's a nightmare trying to get the optimum angle for you to solder the joint and actually be able to see what you're doing.

@timi6050 3 жыл бұрын

same

@kaikart123 3 жыл бұрын

@@penfold7800 The are a must for someone with shaky hands like mine

@greg6162 3 жыл бұрын

@@kaikart123 I hear ya... I solder like Michael J Fox

@mindovermatter3988 3 жыл бұрын

It's literally the only thing I'm missing. It will probably only come in handy occasionally but when it does come in handy it's nice. Sadly I don't have one. I have some alligator clips and I'll probably just end up making my own

@madsighntist14 3 жыл бұрын

Clive, I have been soldering since the ~Late 50's~ I was in the U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1968, doing Avionics Communication Repair, and I MUST SAY, this is "The BEST" beginning Soldering Course I have ever seen! Thanks for showing the "new electricians" ~How Its Done~ !!!

@RebornRockerVids 3 жыл бұрын

Can you explain why the flux smoke ALWAYS heads straight for your nose, no matter where you are compared to whatever you're soldering? 😂

@erikdenhouter 3 жыл бұрын

Because your body is warmer than ambient, and that makes an airflow up at the skin. And that sucks in the smoke.

@Mark1024MAK 3 жыл бұрын

RebornRockerVids - because you are breathing air in and out. The air you breathe out is warmer and more humid compared to the air in the room. Hence the flux fumes will tend to drift towards you, as your breathing in sucks air towards you and the breath you expel tends to drift upwards... I use a cheap 12V DC 120mm fan (like used for PC and electronic equipment) running off a 9V DC power supply to suck the flux fumes away from me.

@Arachnoid_of_the_underverse 3 жыл бұрын

There are similarities if you watch how the airflow of clouds being blown over mountains hug the curvature of the rockface .

@erikdenhouter 3 жыл бұрын

@@Arachnoid_of_the_underverse It follows the uprising warm air that comes from the rock that is warmed daily by the sun.

@kc5402 3 жыл бұрын

It's called "Murphy's Law of Soldering". There are many other versions of Murphy's Law, and they apply to just about every aspect of modern life! 😉

@spartan456 3 жыл бұрын

I've always held the belief that it's not necessarily the paintbrush that makes a good painting, it's the painter who uses the paintbrush. Despite this, I was still shocked that dinky little 8W USB iron had the ass to solder anchor leads on a mini USB port. I might have to pick one of those up just for the novelty. I have all sorts of fancy equipment these days, but I often find myself having more fun using less-ideal equipment. It sort of adds a challenge to it, I guess. Great video bigclive.

@bluetrinityhaloseven7244 3 жыл бұрын

In SOME ways though even in function alone for what you use it for IT IS SUPERIOR, I mean come on you can be out in the sticks if you want to and still solder away for days with one of those and proper banks...

@spartan456 3 жыл бұрын

@@bluetrinityhaloseven7244 I agree entirely, I've done some pretty crazy work with some of the cheapest tools. It's just as much your own skill in using the tools as it is the tools themselves. Of course there is an eventual breaking point, 8W is still 8W and if you need 20W to deal with a ground pin, there's no way to break the laws of thermodynamics. But it's still satisfying when you manage to do good work with the cheapest of tools.

@whatworkedforme 2 жыл бұрын

One comment: I have discovered that buying a good quality fluxed solder saves a lot of time. Cheaper solder doesn't flow quickly.. if at all. Thanks Clive

@jksmellie 3 жыл бұрын

This is like the video of my dreams! I've wanted to find that damn screwdriver for years! Cheers, Clive!

@licensetodrive9930 3 жыл бұрын

I'm not a fan of the type of screwdriver that has a handle+bits, most aren't a perfect tight fit, I feel a 'disconnect' between myself and what I'm screwing (oo-er!), something I think is quite important because over-tightening can lead to bad things happening.

@mimc8786 3 жыл бұрын

These are built to disposable levels of quality in my experiance, the bits tend to be pretty easy to distort. That said, worth the £1-ish they sell for as a back up.

@TheOtherBill 3 жыл бұрын

I remember starting at the phone company in '70. First day there my new boss took me out to the distributing frame where there was a 240 lug practice block mounted. He watched me do the first few and left, every time I completed wiring the whole thing he'd inspect it then have me unsolder and clean it all. Did that for the whole day, filled a whole bag with wire scraps. Then for the next year I lived on a rolling ladder wiring like that all day. Ever since then soldering has seemed very easy.

@acmefixer1 3 жыл бұрын

That's why the telcos went from solder to wire wrap -- to speed up things and reduce the time and materials. Solder is great, but when you're connecting many 25 pairs, nothing beats a punch-down tool.

@uiopuiop3472 3 жыл бұрын

Also a tip for starters: If you have smaller gauge solder, you can use a Butane lighter (preferably a jet flame one, but any grill lighter that has a longer neck will work well) to do some rougher cable soldering jobs. Simply put both sides of the to-be soldered cables together, and wrap the solder around them a few times. It will make a pretty solid connection, and you can follow it up with some heat shrink tubes. There are also heat-shrink solder butt connectors, that are just a normal heat shrink tube with solder in the middle. Clive made a pretty good video about them as well, I can recommend it if you want to work with them. But beware: if you use the heat shrink butt connectors, some of them that are lower quality can't make a proper contact and will not dispense enough solder for a solid connection. So if you want to buy a cheap butt connector that you will use for higher currents, or just don't need the convinience of them, just use normal solder instead.

@erikdewane3319 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for taking the time to make this video, bigclive (the comments around 13:03 and 14:47 are important too!). "You never forget your first .... soldering iron"

@almostanengineer 3 жыл бұрын

I haven’t burnt myself with a soldering iron yet, but I have attempted to take a hot bar out of a fire, and attached my hand to the live connection of a tumble dryer door catch when changing it. Top tip on that one, unplug the dryer, and not the washing machine 🙄😅

@stewartmcdonald4121 3 жыл бұрын

@kc5402 3 жыл бұрын

Daniel, you are a prime example of the saying "every cloud has a silver lining". Although you have had some dodgy experiences, you've now turned them into comedy gold for the rest of us! Cheers! 😄

@almostanengineer 3 жыл бұрын

K C when I did it I wasn’t best impressed, six months of not being able to use my right hand wasn’t fun, but I find it funny now 😂

@extrastuff9463 3 жыл бұрын

@@almostanengineer Ouch, did you at least gain some superpowers like for example writing somewhat readable with your left hand? And yeah after recovery it does can become a good story (assuming a full/good recovery), sucks at the time though to go through that.

@almostanengineer 3 жыл бұрын

Extra stuff nope, just a scared finger, arm and lack of tactile touch in that finger 😔

@MrRoomba-Youtube-Sucks 3 жыл бұрын

2 years of soldering and thinking I couldn't solder for crap. And this one video just made me realize I was using lead-free solder the whole time making the joints look cold...

@KarldorisLambley 5 ай бұрын

my goodness, my soldering looks ace now! I never thought of the 'do one lead, and then reposition it' trick to ensure all was flush.i used to use bread-board for doing nanos etc, id stick the header pins in and solder away. they were always wonky afterwards. now i manually solder 1 pin, then check and move it, so it is perfectly flush, then solder the rest. i do the same with everything now. my soldering looks so professional now. cheers!

@okcantbelieveit294 3 жыл бұрын

My son’s an electrician so I’ve “ acquired “ quite a quantity of his tools and a fluke meter as well. I keep nudging him to buy a soldering station but that’s work in progress. In the days before electric soldering irons , at least in our household, dad used to have a series of copper irons ranging from small to humongous heated by the old kerosene blowtorch. Used to be a bit of muttering when said torches jets became sooted up and blocked. Happy days though.

@Superspemo 3 жыл бұрын

About the 1.18$ shipping tax: One of those Chinese sellers contacted me (on their own, after an order didn't arrive) and told me that the 1.18$ shipping tax has been added for europe because of the current situation. many of the shipping companies these sellers used stopped shipping to europe, or had big problems doing so. They changed to SpeedPAK just for that reason, to make sure you get your stuff. I noticed that since then the tracking works better aswell

@Pinz314 3 жыл бұрын

Haven't noticed the price or missing items from Ali. Had about 50 shippings coming in this year.

@erikdenhouter 3 жыл бұрын

I ordered an rf generator in China the first half of this year, and paid. Got the confirmation that it had been shipped, but after 12 days the status of the tracking changed to 'The seller has cancelled the order. . . '. I contacted the seller, and he announced that I had to pay about € 40.00 before he would resend the item. He said that due to 'the situation' he could not afford the free shipment anymore. Got my money back.

@MetalheadAndNerd 3 жыл бұрын

I constantly buy stuff from China via AliExpress and except of some price increases which mostly have leveled off again I don't notice any changes.

@wherami 2 жыл бұрын

agreed. get lots of cheap solder kits to start with. especially ones that are for beginners. practice practice practice. This was one of your best videos. Really should promote this video again to users.

@stevegrace2134 2 жыл бұрын

I want to thank Big Clive for making me aware of these usb soldering irons, They have saved me hours by being able to solder on site. Godbless you Clive.

@robinnesting3811 3 жыл бұрын

This was a really good video! I absolutely adore videos that demonstrate, especially for beginners, that they don't have to spend thousands of dollars to get into this wonderful hobby. Thank you for demonstrating the point so clearly. I really think videos like this are what will help the hobby grow and bring more curious but discouraged people into it!

@northernfantasytoys Жыл бұрын

Such a gem to the community! Slowly getting through your vast library of videos, and like many, I want to learn as well. (For my r/c hobby) Thank you for this one especially

@TheSoloduka 3 жыл бұрын

You taught me the "two handed claw" method 5 years back, in the "make a ghost detector" video. Yet I will watch this video, beginning to end.

@peterwhite51 3 жыл бұрын

I started my Radio and TV servicing apprenticeship in 1960, always remember the perfumed Tin/Lead solder(apparently carcinogenic!,) supplied by Radiospares, and have a reel on my bench to this day. We used transformer irons, (Presumably the fore runner to the Weller instant gun), but we used 16SWG tinned copper for the element/tip, but this was the days of valve equipment with big tag boards and valve bases to unsolder. When PCBs and semiconductors came in we used weller temperature controlled irons W61s and PU60ds(60 watt).

@kuhrd 3 жыл бұрын

I live in WI, USA and I haven't seen any of those extra shipping charges on eBay so far. I still recommend that my students get a 25 watt Weller or another brand of soldering iron that is UL rated and outlet powered as their first iron just for safety, longevity and that many of the Weller and Radio Shack irons include a small amount of solder. I still have all of the soldering irons I have ever purchased and so far they all still work even with some having thousands of run hours. The only one I have ever had issues with is the temperature-controlled station and that was due to the cable on the iron developing a break. Replacing the cable to the unit brought it back to being useful and I made the cable about 3 feet longer so I could have the station on a shelf above the work area. I guess I can see the point of starting out with a very cheap iron but I never want very cheap tools to spoil a new person's entry into the world of electronics.

@BigJo3 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for this. As a viewer that has been watching for years but never attempted anything electrical this sure helped to finally give it a go

@NielMalan 3 жыл бұрын

This is so good, learning to solder from a master. It took me a long time to learn to solder well: it was in the 80s, I had the wrong tools, and there was nobody to teach me.

@daishi5571 3 жыл бұрын

By the time I got to electronics in school, I was vastly better than my teacher. About 2 months in to the school year, he apologized said that he had nothing to teach me and told me just to turn up for tests and he would pass me.

@michaelthibault7930 3 жыл бұрын

Common disasters and their possible remedies.

@mcgyver272000 3 жыл бұрын

I grew up on heathkit projects in the US. My father would buy them for his college classes, then draft us youngsters to build them for him. I still go out every few years and buy some small random kits like led flashers, jack-o-lantern candles, etc. One of my bigger projects last year was to build a 9x9x9 led cube.

@gregorythomas333 3 жыл бұрын

Always love the building of kits that you do...and the accompanying monologue that is in you nice soothing voice.

@vidasvv 3 жыл бұрын

I was impressed with the cheapo USB soldering iron, Been soldering over 60yrs and even took a NASA certified soldering course. Bottom line, PRACTICE ! 73 & tnx 4 upload!

@tylerlloydboone 3 жыл бұрын

These videos are priceless Clive. Thank you so much for adding more educational/inspirational videos to your channel. Please continue you to make videos of this nature. I am by no means a beginner, but still greatly enjoy videos demonstrating the fun of electronics, with a low barrier to entry. Keep up the great work

@altgoz Жыл бұрын

I had the opportunity to test out soldering, I breathed in the flux vapor. I had the smell in my nose for roughly two days. So your tipp to breathe out slowly while soldering is a huge help form me and I can´t understand why didnt came to this idee on my own. Thanks for the video, you reignited my interrest for elektroniks.

@ssj4nappa753 3 жыл бұрын

I just started college classes for Computers and electronics tech, your channel has been an inspiration for me to continue my education. thanks dad

@die_Katze98 3 жыл бұрын

The timing for this is impeccable. I'm about to start a project for university in which I intend to use some basic electronics, so this is exactly the information I needed - trying to work out what to get to start with has been a bit daunting!

@Flymochairman1 3 жыл бұрын

I ordered 2 rolls of 'Leaded-solder' from a ReSpectable company in 2019 and they sent 'Lead-free' solder instead. I argued with them on the phone about it and they sent a ream of new requirements for 'Lead-free' provisions and legislation. Look after what 'Lead-based' solder you have, if that's what is preferred, and also the tins of flux, which may be next; it being the greater 'vapour raising' substance in the soldering process. Cheers Clive. Keep Well, sir!

@AW-Services 3 жыл бұрын

Lead free is shit. It's doesn't bond and creates so many issues

@pentachronic 3 жыл бұрын

You can still get leaded solder. You just can't use it for production. As a matter of fact for military and aerospace you have to use leaded.

@Flymochairman1 3 жыл бұрын

@@pentachronic Thank-you Gazza. Military and NASA say lead-free is no use! I see Rapide selling ordinary leaded solder in 100g rolls. I'm a hobbyist and even after saying that to the company I dealt with down the phone, they wouldn't sell me ordinary electrical solder with any lead content. There must be a worry that I'll try and eat it or something of that idiocy or scale of stoopid!

@davehall5289 Жыл бұрын

I wanted to say thanks. I just finished my first soldering job! I couldn't have done it without the tips you give out in your videos.

@brendanlawton7518 3 жыл бұрын

Always admire your one handed soldering. Extreme skills there Clive.👍

@notna4081 Жыл бұрын

thanks for showing me this, i've looked at many tutorials already but none of the ones i found were any good. i guess i just like to listen to you, and it helps me that you go into detail a lot. thanks!

@bigsky1970 Жыл бұрын

That USB soldering iron would be fantastic to take "out in the field" when you don't have access to mains power and just need to do some basic soldering. As someone else mentioned, this kind of content lowers the barriers for those like myself to get their feet wet in soldering, without breaking the bank account.

@SubsonicsBeatboxTutorials 3 жыл бұрын

I bought a kit off eBay for £12 and haven't used it yet. Will try it out today and I bought a small amplifier to solder together for my first try. Will let you know how I get on and thanks for making it not seem daunting or dangerous. Thanks for your videos Clive, also I saw a guy who looked just like you but thought it must not be you as you are in Isle of Mann and I live in England :)

@rogerhargreaves2272 3 жыл бұрын

Great soldering Clive. Back in the day when I learned soldering we had to use a heat sink for transistors. Nice soldering iron, not too complicated. I totally agree with you about cheap solder wire, it can be more trouble than it’s worth.

@mattfleming86 3 жыл бұрын

Well Clive, I started with a wood burning iron. It was terrible but it made a joint. I later bought a cheap Weller (us) It was quirky.. and while I fixed THOUSANDS of USD worth of medical equipment, microsopes, and vehicle components, and other random- the iron was cheap and pitiful. It constantly tried to self destruct. It paid for itself but I loathed it. Thanks to your teaching, I moved up to a Yihua 939 with the digital temp display and enough electronic paraphrenalia laying around that I'm quite comfortable. Your videos helped me more than anything. Watching you solder a million things I absorbed the basics. It gave me confidence. I tried some things when I was a kid... with a huge "gun" iron and the wrong type of solder. Its no wonder I spent many years thinking it was some sort of dark art. Nope.. just need the basic CORRECT materials and some practice.

@bigclivedotcom 3 жыл бұрын

And that single important bit of not carrying solder to the joint, but applying the fresh solder into the joint so the flux is released at the right time.

@willtato8778 3 жыл бұрын

For the people in the UK, the best option would be to get the handskit kit from Amazon. £13.99 for a soldering iron (surprisingly with a switch), tip cleaner and stand, solder, snippers solder sucker, 2 different tips tweezers and more. Really hard to beat that value, and yes, I have it and I'm happy with it.

@phydeux 3 жыл бұрын

I was never really taught to solder, just kinda figured it out for myself from the instruction cards that came with the equipment. Did a pretty good job of it too. Managed a video game arcade and my stuff always held up well. I'm glad to see I was doing it correctly too. Now I just enjoy watching Clive and Louis Rossmann making it all look easy. :D "Things worthy of note": I wish Louis Rossmann would blow more things up. :D

@andrekroth 3 жыл бұрын

Good video, nice topic. As i need a soldering iron for cheap and soon, you even helped me with an recent situation. Thank you, Clive!

@Rick_Makes 3 жыл бұрын

Great video Clive. I'll be saving this to share when people ask what they need to start soldering. I might even pick up one of those soldering irons to put together a mobile kit.

@dazzerda 3 жыл бұрын

great video - bought the older version of that iron when you tested it in a previous video and is still good, but having a proper on / off switch have bought this one too, great little iron exceeds all expectations. Thanks

@RedFathom 3 жыл бұрын

i remember one of my first irons. soldering a set of speakers, and hearing the 60 hz humm come out of the speaker. my second(electric) one had a ground pin. sometimes you can get a free meter from harbor freight tools. not great, but they do work. nothing like getting distracted and transferring the iron from one hand to the other as if it were a pen.

@richardperritt 3 жыл бұрын

He and Element14 parted ways a couple of years ago. Element took over the channel (thebenheckshow) and Ben Heck is now independent (benheckdotcom) but isn't as active. This was part of his decision - the production schedule became too much.

@Chris_Silverhaze Жыл бұрын

I've had pretty much zero soldering experience, apart from looking over Dad's shoulder as a boy, but I've recently managed to make my own bench power supply from an old desktop PSU, as normally I'd only need 12v or 5v for things. I think I've wired the LEDs wrong as they don't work now lol, but I've got binding posts with 12v 5v 3v and ground in there. Saved me a few quid, and really fun to do, plenty of KZfaq guides.

@stridermt2k 3 жыл бұрын

I love that iron! Still working through delicious 90's era 60/40. Yes! Build stuff or alternately un-build stuff. That's what I did and still do, only now I get paid for it as well as for a hobby. Excelcior!

@patriksezerins9517 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah the 60/40 is the best. Well in my country u can mostly only buy that. And it is very cheap.

@skrenos 3 жыл бұрын

@@patriksezerins9517 63/37 is superior. Slightly lower melting point (183 vs 188c) and doesn't have a semi-solid state. It just snaps from liquid to solid.

@patriksezerins9517 3 жыл бұрын

@@skrenos I havent heard of 63/36. Does it have 63%tin and 36%lead?

@michaelhoodleeder 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much. You're an endless source of inspiration. You know how to live in a crazy world.

@bluetrinityhaloseven7244 3 жыл бұрын

I've been playing with this stuff my whole life...decades. Yet in this short 23 minute video I JUST LEARNED how to properly solder a circuit board with ease WITH ONE WATCH (though I will revisit it later likely before initiating my first project perhaps). So of coarse I had to thumb this video up, been watching this channel years too...so pretty happy with some of this new content!

@joe_rose 3 жыл бұрын

Followed the advice in this video and bought myself all I need to get soldering, hopefully it goes well!

@ats89117 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent instructional video! The US postal costs have gone up because people noticed that because of a treaty, it was cheaper to send a package from China to the US than it would be to get a package sent from your next door neighbor. The treaty assumed that countries would be sending roughly the same amount of stuff back and forth. Not allowing lead in solder is pretty funny. We used to use tin loaded paint on ships to prevent biofouling but they made it illegal because it was leaving a trail of death in the ocean. Lead is pretty inert unless you ingest it...

@eginteractive 3 жыл бұрын

I remember starting out with a $15 RadioShack iron. The tips were huge, it took forever to heat up, it couldn't desolder anything substantial (I was replacing capacitors on an LCD monitor), but it opened my eyes to the awesome world of DIY electronics / repair. I still use my cheap Chinese station (the same one as Clive has, only under a different name). My first meter was a GE2524, it still works and I still frequently use it at home. I have young guys I work with who see my Fluke 117 and they think that if they go out and buy an expensive meter they'll somehow become better technicians. Nothing can be further from the truth. Nice tools are just that, nice. If you're in the U.S. you can get the free Harbor Freight meter and it works absolutely fine for DIY work. If anything, save hundreds on meters and actually invest in a good set of test leads for whatever meter you have. The most expensive meters are still garbage if the leads you have are crap. When starting out, I'd say the most important thing is learning technique. There have been a lot of people who never learn good technique, spend hundreds on the "best" equipment, and still can't produce good looking (and functioning) joints. Starting out with cheap equipment just gives you an appreciation for good equipment once you actually know what you're doing and have practiced.

@poellot 3 жыл бұрын

Pretty good video for anyone wanting to start out. One think i think you should mention for any younger people that may be doing this there whole life, fume extractor. One can be made from a simple pc fan pointed away from you. I personally dont solder every day so I'm not worried about the vapor from the flux. As you said i just learned to breath before the smoke rises. But for beginners i think a fan pulling the smoke away from them could help then concentrate on learning to solder easier if smoke is not going in there face.

@RichDavey 3 жыл бұрын

Just watched a dozen or so of your videos. Absolutely brilliant. Learning made fun. Subscribed 👍👍😊

@ewozniak5228 3 жыл бұрын

Years ago I installed a light dimmer and AC pigtails in a plastic switch box for controlliing soldering pen temperature. It is wonderful for prolonging the tip life on 20+ watt irons.

@pileofstuff 3 жыл бұрын

The thing that impressed me the most about that cehapie USB iron is that it heats up to working temperature faster than any other iron I have in my collection.

@erikdenhouter 3 жыл бұрын

Not sure, but maybe the 5V needs less safety standards, which will place the heater in a more efficient place.

@pileofstuff 3 жыл бұрын

@@erikdenhouter I suspect the lack of thermal mass in the tip plays a large part in it.

@homehobbies8528 3 жыл бұрын

one simple handtool I have always included, is a pair of Transverse Endcutters. They can also double as a crude heatsink, aid against heat/flux backflow up under wire insulation if you didn't have any anti-wicking heatsink clamps. Primary addition to a soldering kit, is a pair of safety glasses, especially if you are doing desoldering, and snipping wire/component wire ends that fly off in random directions...

@6581punk 3 жыл бұрын

I started with a cheap draper from B&Q. I'd get through irons quite often. Usually because the tips would corode away.

@bf0189 3 жыл бұрын

Ben Heck is totally independent again BTW! My advice would be to just solder a lot. You can get giant practice PCBs. Start out with through hole and work your way to surface mount. Don't be afraid of messing up too! That's how you learn. An essential tool for me is a pair of helper arms as well!

@urugulu1656 3 жыл бұрын

pcb holder... those arm thingies are not all that great for holding boards while appling a bit of force while soldering they tip over easily

@kac3514 3 жыл бұрын

you get a 3$ 25w soldering iron here in India which is obviously not thermally balanced, but there are even cheaper versions available close to a dollar or two which suck. For its price it gets the job done but surely not good for most work. I myself started with it and upgraded to the yihua 939bd+, which is amazing and also had a real neat wiring and a clean double-sided PCB inside.

@rizkyp 3 жыл бұрын

I like how he actually use a cheap but functioning tools, unlike most KZfaq channels if it is not JBC or Hakko it is garbage. The professional are definitely spoiled by their expensive tools and forgot how the started.

@Shaun.Stephens 3 жыл бұрын

Good video Clive, thanks.

@robertallen5890 Жыл бұрын

I love this guy from Isles of Men. long live the Scott! May he continue to get the same things we buy from China and take em all to bits exposing those only who dare to ship things which were not up the standards of sir clive.

@loganbabcock6179 3 жыл бұрын

I got one of those expensive USB TS100 soldering irons and I was initially impressed, but I got a Yihua and fell in love with it. I don’t do anything major, just trashy projects but in doing that I could feel the difference. It’s worth it to spend a bit on it.

@dickJohnsonpeter 3 жыл бұрын

a great handy video, these kinds of videos are so important.

@DanielLopez-kt1xt 3 жыл бұрын

I couldn't agree more with this video. I have the previous touch usb solder iron for unexpected jobs and to avoid using extension cords, the same bad "Paleto" cutter, but already mooved to local high quality lead based solder tin, and also have a generic T12 temperature controlled soldering station. Also started myself with some random suite kits, to then moove to other slightly more advanced kits (there's a 10€ power supply, a component tester and an oscilloscope quite good for practice, that gives you something useful once you finish). However, the best thing i "inherited" from you was the skill to hold both the soldering wire and the components with just one hand, that's the most useful thing, I'm already used to the harmless burnt sensation. I'd dare to say that you increase some products demand after your videos.

@rodoherty1 3 жыл бұрын

Really enjoyed that. More please!

@20thcenturyboy85 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for this video. I recently built a Stereo Valve Amplifier over these past months. It was quite a challenge as I had no prior electronics experience. I used many of your videos to help me get a grasp of electronics. THANK YOU!

@20thcenturyboy85 3 жыл бұрын

BTW: I had an audio tech check out my wiring logic and work since there were Capacitors involved in the final testing. Overall, I had done a competent job. However, the main problems were with multiple cold solder joints. I reviewed your videos on "How to Solder" (amongst many other youtube videos and I did multiple small kits before doing the Amp). I thought I was doing a good job. So, I was wondering if you could do a video about how to avoid doing Cold Solder joints. The tech said that I needed to work on proper technique. I am unsure if it might have been the solder? Also, I did some SMD kits and I was paranoid about burning the parts. I guess that larger parts require much more heating of the solder? Looking for very practical knowledge about achieving good solder joints.

@20thcenturyboy85 3 жыл бұрын

PS: I got the Amplifier working!!!

@uwepolifka4583 3 жыл бұрын

I bought my first Antex in 1983. It has 15W and is working until now. I like it because it is like a pen.

@Pch100 3 жыл бұрын

My father Taught me how to solder braze and weld when I was a boy every boy should learn

@alfie5281 3 жыл бұрын

I'm 12 and I already know how to program solder weld and forge all thanks to my dad

@evensgrey 3 жыл бұрын

It was my oldest brother, who recently retired from a career as an electronics technician.

@mfx1 3 жыл бұрын

And not girls?

@BenQuigley 3 жыл бұрын

@@mfx1 pfft no obviously girls can't weld /s

@michaelbaae 3 жыл бұрын

I learnt soldering by myself when I was 8 yrs old... my dad didn't teach me

@Kondzio29 3 жыл бұрын

I use my USB soldering iron since your first video about it. I have Hakko clone also but for quick jobs that don't require any temperature regualtion it does the job perfectly. For use in the car, or on the go it is just perfect. I have also second modified tip for putting brass inserts in plastic parts :D

@sounddaddyno1 3 жыл бұрын

Great Video for anyone starting out, My missus has recently enjoyed watching me make all sorts and wanted to learn solder, i got her a little soldering kit from CPC and now she's away making 12v LED String Lights (xmas lights) and some cheap ebay kits. I had a go with her solder and hated it, I personally use loctite multicore 309 60EN 60/40 solder, i'm now intrigued on what other pro and hobbyist users like??

@nutsnproud6932 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the video Clive. I was skeptical about USB irons. I'll have to get one and a meaty power bank too. And I need some more Poundland screwdrivers.

@mmdirtyworkz 3 жыл бұрын

Got a set from ebay recently. More than great for 1-2 times a year I need to solder something :) Haven't checked for USB irons (they seem great due to mobility) so I got 80W adjustable temp one. Got the exact same solder. All very cheap as you said and working fine. Oh and I got one of those solder joint cleaning pumps, so when I can easily remove old solder :)

@larvey 3 жыл бұрын

For the long run, I used to do console modifications with a £6 USB soldering iron off ebay and some cheapo lead free. Worked great and did everything I needed. I have upgraded now however, with a nice Hako FX888D station and some decent 60/40.

@acmefixer1 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks a million for helping to get people interested in electronics projects. I wouldn't say this the cheapest, but it is one of the least expensive ways. I've seen some rinky-dink amateur videos where the guy uses a nail clipper to trim the leads, so that could save a few bucks/quid. There is one video of a guy who built his soldering iron so that could save money. This past summer I tried to solder with a magnifying glass and bright sunlight. It worked but I had spots in my eyes even though I wore sunglasses. 😵

@davidshutt1136 3 жыл бұрын

I really like that spring steel thing you use to "disect" plastic enclosures

@bigclivedotcom 3 жыл бұрын

It's an iSesamo spudger. The copies are nowhere near the quality of the original one.

@ohnoitschris 3 жыл бұрын

I really like these beginners videos. I gotta get one of those tiny little LED kits

@freemansfreedom8595 3 жыл бұрын

The video comes just as I did this around a week ago. I'd recommend a fan too to vent the fumes. Ideally you'd be in a well ventilated area, and with your face far from the solder, but I noticed that I ended up leaning too close withouth noticing. More than I anticipated. The experience was more or less the same as you described, went to aliexpress, got the cheap 5-7 euros mains voltage soldering iron kit, reused the side cutters from my 3d printer, got the same 6 euros clock kit you did 3 years ago or so (the one with the acrylic laser cut case), a spool of solder for another 5 euros from my local supplier and off to the races. Certainly not the easiest for a beginner, wasted the first tip inmediatly (didn't knew I had to prep the tip), in one spot the traces started to show, my fingers are burnt in a few places and the work ain't pretty, but the clock works mighty fine, that is for sure. My (mild) regret is not getting a usb powered one, since it probably would have made my life easier, cable wise.

@salfordjc 3 жыл бұрын

a good and educational video for newbies

@petertryndoch8857 3 жыл бұрын

My experience with cheap multimeters is that they have dodgy rotary switches. One I have measures 0V, wiggle wiggle, oh look 240Vac - lovely! Another one requires you to press a button to select continuity mode. I have to mash the button over and over before it chooses continuity. Its not a faulty button as it steps through the options, just quirky. So after many years I decided to splash out and buy the EEVblog Bryment 235 - I'm happy!

@twizz420 3 жыл бұрын

A really good iron to use is the TS-100. I chose that over a Hakko 888 and it's absolutely awesome. I can run it either on a laptop power supply (12-24v) OR I can use it with a +3C battery pack. There's also the TS-80 which is USB-C powered, but it's a little more weak compared to the 100. But both give you digital temperature, shutoff, current, and lots of other options. And the firmware is open source IIRC. There are some good firmwares online. Lots of great reviews on youtube, as well. I think even Louis Rossman got one and said it was awesome.

@lachlan1971 3 жыл бұрын

My first soldering iron was one of those yellow Antex ones. I still keep it handy as spare, good iron.

@steverpcb 3 жыл бұрын

I ran into the same issue when ordering lead based solder, my favorite brand (Cynel) is now in short supply on ebay so I ordered 1kg of it from TME and had to sign up as a company for them to sell it to me, not big deal as all I had to do was select "Company" and fill in the usual personal details :)

@NiyaKouya 3 жыл бұрын

I bought my soldering equipment mostly from a local (German) electronics store and probably went slightly overboard for first-timer equipment, but it works fine xD Temp-controlled soldering station with swappable tips, a roll of quality solder (Stannol HS10, SN60Pb39Cu1), Knipex side cutter (though I mostly use the cheap Chinese one that came with my 3D printer...), Jokari Super 4 Plus cable stripper (definitely agree with what others mentioned about automatic strippers, it tends to remove parts of the copper core on thin wires). Rest of the equipment came from Amazon/Ebay. My multimeter looks almost identical to your TackLife one, got it mainly because it is (or at least claims to be) a CAT III model, so you can also check/measure wall sockets, light switches and other equipment that runs directly on mains voltage. Once you start working with perf boards to put together small circuits it also doesn't hurt to get a crimping set for dupont (or similar) connectors. And I support keeping at least a few of those snipped-off resistor (etc) legs, they make quite decent "bridges" if you want/have to cross tracks on a perf board ^^

@PaulOvery001 3 жыл бұрын

Places like PCBWAY support Shared Projects, you get a small cut if others order your project. (lots of neat projects a click away)

@richardbrobeck2384 3 жыл бұрын

have you ordered from PCBway ? I am looking at getting some circuit boards made up for a project

@vtbn53 2 жыл бұрын

That USB soldering iron is a great little standby even for professionals, I constantly need more soldering irons even though I have a dozen or so - you can't have too many soldering irons. I wish I could get them here in Australia at that price.

@snowdaysrule 3 жыл бұрын

Another good search term for ebay kits is “high voltage diy” they cost around $3 and are straight-forward and fun to build. Just be aware that the high voltages involved are potentially dangerous so exercising caution and taking appropriate safety measures is a must.

@Slikx666 3 жыл бұрын

I'm going to have to get one or two of those soldering irons. I can keep on at my friends place for when in have to repair something, I need to teach him how to fix things!

@cojones8518 3 жыл бұрын

I scrapped out a small 32vDC 2A power supply from something(don't remember how it got in the junk pile) and bought a cheap DC-DC converter board. Took the trimmers off the board and wired in some pots. Added a Volt Amp meter and some binding posts. Now I've got a pretty good power supply that delivers about 28VDC at 2As to let the magic smoke out of stuff with for about 15 bucks. :D

@lemagreengreen 3 жыл бұрын

I've been using that exact cheapo USB soldering iron a lot these past few years, it's actually pretty much ideal for the odd soldering I do. I know there's probably better out there and eventually I'd like to set up a workbench area for electronics, soldering etc. but right now I need all my fixing-electronics stuff to fit in a box I put in a cupboard and that little iron is ideal, I like the size for working on small stuff too but it's surprisingly cable given its low power.

@AntonioClaudioMichael 3 жыл бұрын

Nice little project as well as good informative video on tools and items to start out @BigCliveDotCom

@daishi5571 3 жыл бұрын

LOL The tips alone for my iron cost as much as your kit, and the iron didn't come with any tips. That kit is still better than what I started with 40 years ago.

@tomboxyz5564 3 жыл бұрын

As far as measuring stuff in industrial cabinets goes, at work I have a set of VFDs that are powered by a common DC bus, 565V (capable of delivering 400A and quite exposed to get touched once you open the cabinet) you can see a little spark when touching the probes to the terminals, a proper meter is definitely a must-have in such a case... For hobby stuff, pretty much any meter will work

@razzix2 3 жыл бұрын

This is a great cheap way to get into it soldering and hobby projects. I have one of the usb rigs like this with the motion sensor in my emergency tech kit. Comes in SO handy fixing the odd wire here or there. Small enough that I have done some simple trace repair. Certainly not a lot of watts but goodness does it work well for what it is.