soldering

[kilo_4que]

hi guys, thanks for the replies

I was actually practicing today and really made a mess of things. had blobs of solder on the edges rather than a neat rim

Taking what you guys have said into account, is it correct that I need to (once cleaned and fluxed etc) heat the joint and keep touching the end of the solder wire on one spot?

Two questions, how do i know how hot to make the joint

Secondly when using presoldered joints, do you simple heat the rim and for how long (until some solder seeps out?)?

thanks

 

[wilhelm]

make it just hot enough ,before this

 

[Aquaheat]

Taking what you guys have said into account, is it correct that I need to (once cleaned and fluxed etc) heat the joint and keep touching the end of the solder wire on one spot?

pretty much yes although try not to concentrate the flame on one spot as it will get too hot too quickly i usually move the flame back and forth along the length of the pipe/fitting for about an inch.

Two questions, how do i know how hot to make the joint?

practice! The solder will start to run when your at the right heat.

Secondly when using presoldered joints, do you simple heat the rim and for how long (until some solder seeps out?)?

Yup!

 

[mogget]

I was actually practicing today and really made a mess of things. had blobs of solder on the edges rather than a neat rim

Other people may have something to say about whether this is ok, but there is a way to sort out solder blobs.

Take a flux brush, not the one you use for putting the flux on the pipe, dip it in the flux, work it well into the brush and wipe off the excess with a rag or paper towel. Keep this nearby when making the joint.

While the joint is hot and the solder still molten, use said brush to flick the blobs off. Don't hold the brush on the pipe for any time, just a quick flick. You'll need to be careful about where the hot blobs land, and clean off the excess flux when the joint has cooled.

Of course it's better to not make blobs in the first place

 

[kilo_4que]

Hey thanks for the tips guys. Lets hope it all goes well tomorrow lol

Just one more thing, regarding presoldered bends and straights. I tried a straight join horizontally but the problem was the solder merely weeped out on top where i decided ive done enough but as soon as i looked at the bottom of the link, I realised more soldered had infact come out and formed like a droplet type shape. You know when people try painting copper piping and with gravity it dries up in droplet form.

Basically my problem is that as soon as you see a little solder seeping through i stop but realise more has infact seeped through at the bottom

 

[Softus]

is it correct that I need to (once cleaned and fluxed etc) heat the joint and keep touching the end of the solder wire on one spot?

...try not to concentrate the flame on one spot..

when using presoldered joints, do you simple heat the rim...

Yup!

Huh?

 

[mogget]

Basically my problem is that as soon as you see a little solder seeping through i stop but realise more has infact seeped through at the bottom

That's where it will show - watch the bottom of the joint and then you can stop just as soon as the solder reaches there.

 

[kilo_4que]

silly me, i was looking at the top of it lol

 

[mogget]

We all have to learn, reason I know is someone told me

It's a steep learning curve when you first set out to make neat leak-free joints. Once you've done that, you will find that your skill level will increase with practice, and your joints will become tidier and more consistent as time goes on.

 

[kilo_4que]

gona get ma hands dirty tomorrow, see how things pan out

 

[macfudd]

Buy yourself a length of copper and a bag of mixed fittings.
Go out into the garden and find a nice solid flat surface.
Place your blowlamp on the surface and ignite.
Cut small lengths of pipe and prepare and insert them into various fittings.
Using a pair of grips to hold the pipe,you can now solder away to your hearts content.
This also allows you to look at the connection from all angles and see exactly what is happening.
Rinse and repeat until happy or bored .