Soldering is an important part of electronics, being used almost everywhere, and it is good to know how to solder if you are in electronics, no matter your level of experience. In order to solder you will need the proper type of solder
and a soldering iron (pencil), gun, station, or if there is no power available, a soldering torch.
Before soldering, you will, of course, need to choose your soldering iron or soldering gun. Most electronic circuits are very heat sensitive, so a low wattage soldering iron such as the 20 Watt Soldering Iron is a good choice.
For most instances, a soldering gun provides way too much heat and will most likely damage your PC board or its components. But for larger jobs, like soldering together two very large pieces of metal or a wire to a large chassis, a soldering gun such as our Medium Duty Soldering Gun
may be used.
Normally soldering guns should not be used in electronics
because of their very high wattage and because they generate their heat by running a current through the tip. This could cause voltages from the tip to destroy components.
For static sensitive components, a soldering iron with anti-static control and wrist straps should be used, and maybe even an anti-static mat.

You should be prepared to remove components from your PC board as well. Although there are certainly many products available for this type of procedure, the one
that I have found most reliable is what is referred to as a desoldering pump.

Before you solder, you will need to tin the tip of your soldering iron. Tinning the tip is just putting a coat of solder on the tip. This can be done by applying some solder to the tip and then wiping it off.





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Mark Boehm