Reddit mentions: The best solder & flux products

Is it necessary to clean up flux? Almost never. Is it a good idea to do it anyway? I'd say so. Here's a good article about all things solder and flux to bring you up to speed.

Flux is SUPER carcinogenic, or so I've been lead to believe, and it also causes serious gastrointestinal issues if ingested, in even relatively small amounts. I generally try to leave all the circuit boards I work on clean of big globs of flux, but I'm no perfectionist. Flux is non-conductive, so don't worry if you leave a bunch behind or it looks like the flux might be bridging a connection. I oftentimes leave smaller flux contamination spots on the board, unless it's in a spot where I'd be likely to touch next time I'm handling the board.

Here's a pretty good soldering iron, the Hakko FX-888. It's more than enough iron to last you through all your projects in the foreseeable future, and it comes with extra tips and a tip cleaning canister. To be honest, though, it's pretty expensive, and I totally understand if it's out of your price range. Personally, I use a Chinese clone, which works extremely well, for what I paid for it.

I'd also recommend anyone working on anything with a soldering iron to get a set of helping hands. Finding one which isn't broken or of shit quality is a real crapshoot, but, once you have one that works, you'll wonder how you ever got by without one. Personally, I recommend spending the cash to get one with some sort of LED built in, but here's a link to a cheap and functional set of helping hands.

If you're going to be desoldering things often (or trying to make beautiful solder joints), you definitely want to get yourself some desoldering braid, which is just stranded copper wire filled with flux paste. When you put heat to the top of the braid and put the bottom of the braid on the component, the braid will wick excess solder from the component. Once you master using this stuff, it's a real boon for disassembly (or cleanup of solder blobs). You might also want to look into a desoldering pump, which is okay for some things, but not nearly as versatile as desoldering braid.

Last, but certainly not least, is having the right solder for the job. Personally, I use silver bearing solder, because I've been told it is more resistant to cold joints, and slightly more conductive. Here's a link to a spool of silver bearing solder, which I'd buy, were I in the market for a new spool.

One more link for you... When I was looking for a link to that Chinese clone soldering station, I stumbled on this DIY SMD soldering practice kit. Might be worth your time to invest in one and try your luck. For $2, it's a great way to go from soldering zero to soldering hero in a day or two. Also, check this page for more DIY kit ideas.

Let me know if you have any more questions! My inbox is always available, if you'd feel more comfortable PM'ing me questions, too. (That goes for anyone who needs a hand, not just /u/websurferathome)

If you can't get it with a Q-tip, it's nothing to worry about. Grab yourself a soldering iron on Amazon, as well as some quality solder and flux. I will link some in an edit to this comment in a few minutes. Also, screw everyone else in this thread, that is damn near the perfect amount of thermal paste.

EDIT: Here are my recommendations and reasons!

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SOLDERING IRONS:

Cheapo soldering iron:

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https://www.amazon.com/GLE2016-Soldering-Adjustable-Temperature-Different/dp/B01N413T8U/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=soldering+iron&qid=1554943755&s=gateway&sr=8-5

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This one will do you some good for the quick fix, although I can't speak to the longevity of the iron or its ability to melt some of the higher temperature solders that factories use.

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More expensive (but WAAAAAAY BETTER) iron:

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https://www.amazon.com/Weller-WLC100-40-Watt-Soldering-Station/dp/B000AS28UC/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=soldering+iron&qid=1554943755&s=gateway&sr=8-6

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This is a great soldering iron if you think electronics is something you'd like to get into. Quality replaceable tips are available, and it has a stand and comes with a cleaning sponge. I've used these, and absolutely love them. Honestly though, if this is going to be one of very few times you solder, just go for the cheap one.

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SOLDER:

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The cheap iron comes with some solder, and honestly you can probably get away with that for this one repair. If you decide to get the more premium iron though, here is some good solder:

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https://www.amazon.com/Mudder-Solder-Electrical-Soldering-0-22lbs/dp/B01B61TWGY/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=solder&qid=1554944194&s=gateway&sr=8-5

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OR (I've never used this particular solder but MG chemicals is a great brand)

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https://www.amazon.com/MG-Chemicals-Leaded-Solder-Diameter/dp/B004258YDE/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?keywords=mg+chemicals+no+clean&qid=1554944408&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1

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I usually stick to smaller diameter solders because you have a lot more control over how much you're putting onto a joint. This stuff is good, but really you just need to make sure it's lead solder because it melts a lot easier and is easier for beginners to work with.

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FLUX:

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If you want your joints to form and form well, you need some flux. At least coming from me, this is mandatory. Here's some good no-clean flux that you can use that will mostly evaporate off and shouldn't be much fuss to clean.

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https://www.amazon.com/Paste-10-milliliters-Pneumatic-Dispenser/dp/B00425FUW2/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=mg+chemicals+no+clean&qid=1554944408&s=gateway&sr=8-3

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TUTORIAL:

Although kind of slow, here's a pretty good soldering guide. This relates more to soldering electrical components, but most of the lessons remain the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpkkfK937mU

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Best of luck!

This is really all I needed to be happy and dangerous. I was actually just doing more research when I saw your reply come though. I just didn't know if it was even possible to wire these connections. My basic understanding is that it should be possible but there's so much I don't know.

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As for my soldering skills, they are probably "Beginners moderate" which is a thing I just made up. I've got the right gear to do the work but, as I'm sure you know, having the right gear is 10% of the job. Burned through 2 Teensy ++ 2.0's before I got it right with my last project.

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And I'm totally comfortable ruining some more hardware to try this. I'm actually excited by the prospect. I think I kept those teensy's. If I can find them, I'll practice by trying to remove the smt micro usb ports on those. Not nearly as hard but a better start.

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Anyway, really appreciated the reply. If you have the time to confirm I'm trying this with the right hardware, that would be just gravy. You've already done more than enough, though.

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I'm planning on using my:

- Hakko FX888D-23BY Digital Soldering Station

- T18-BR02 Tip

- and the thinnest solder I could find that still has a rosin core

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Anything look like the wrong choice? Tip and rosin?

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Thanks again for all the help

This is the lead free solder I am using... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B61TWGY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And here is my flux... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008ZIV85A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It wets the tip of my iron just fine, but if I hold the iron against the wire lead I'm trying to tin the wire lead never seems to get hot enough for the solder to flow. It's really maddening. I clean the tip of the iron frequently, and it always comes away from the sponge shiny silver. It's definitely getting hot (and I can show you the spot on the back of my right thumb where I learned that lesson the hard way). I will check for tightness of fit on to the iron whenever I get home, but I don't think it's loose.

Mudder Lead Free Solder Wire Sn99 Ag0.3 Cu0.7 with Rosin Core for Electrical Soldering 100g (0.8 mm) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1X2MKV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_ALA7CbE5NK95Q

It's this.

You can mitigate a lot of problems with a drop liquid flux from a needle tip bottle. A better iron will help too.

additional parts
ribbon cable
Pro micro 3 pack
solder
Flux
Solder Wick
EDIT
In case you lose your marbles