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Soldering
13 questions By Tony R. Kuphaldt
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Question 1 of 13
Both soldering irons and soldering guns are tools used in the process of electrical soldering. Describe what each of these tools looks like, and how they function.
Reveal answerA modern soldering “iron” is a pencil-shaped device with an electrical heating element in its end. Soldering “guns” have a pistol-shaped body, with a loop of thick copper wire at the end acting directly as a heating element. Soldering irons have no on/off switch, while soldering guns do, which should tell you something about the speed at which they heat.
Notes:Antique soldering irons were really nothing more than iron wedges with wooden handles, which were set directly in a fire for heat, much like clothes irons used to be nothing more than an anvil-shaped mass of iron that was set on top of a hot stove for heat. I’ve used one of these old soldering irons to solder sheet metal pieces together, and the technique of use was exactly the same as it is for a modern (electric) soldering iron.
If you have soldering irons and guns available in your classroom, show them to your students during discussion.
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Question 2 of 13
What does it mean to tin a piece of wire prior to making a soldered connection with it?
Reveal answer“Tinning” is the act of pre-soldering the bare wire end, so that its appearance is like solder instead of copper.
Notes:Some wire may be purchase “pre-tinned” to save you this step, but most electrical wire is not. Here is a helpful hint: tinning the ends of a piece of stranded copper wire really helps to prevent individual strands from bending and breaking away when the wire end is clamped in a terminal strip!
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Question 3 of 13
All electrical soldering, and most other forms of soldering as well, requires the addition of a substance known as flux. What is the purpose of adding “flux” to the soldering process, and what type of flux is typically used for electrical soldering?
Reveal answer“Flux” is a substance that chemically cleans the metal surfaces prior to soldering. For electrical work, the preferred flux is “rosin”.
Notes:This question, and the corresponding answer, point to one of the fundamental requirements for a good solder joint: clean metal surfaces. Flux is designed to chemically clean the joint prior to and during the soldering process, but it is no substitute for proper preparatory cleaning beforehand.
Discuss this point with your students. If possible, set up some wire connections to be soldered, and show the effects of a small amount of oil or grease on a solder joint (even when using flux).
