Chuckle chuckle... I always read Don's messages because they contain much useful stuff!
I got a big grin out of his comment about curved tweezers because my curved tweezers are exactly what saves me from launching SMD's all over the room. It's a classic example of how personal the choice of tools and techniques can be in this work. I *always* rest my hands on something when working. That's one reason I ignore a pc board vise most of the time and simply lay the board on the table. If it wobbles, a small weight (roll of solder or tool) will hold it nicely. A comment about soldering: Many folks get away with larger solder sizes by putting a drop of solder on the iron and carrying that to the joint. After all, they say, that's how a wave soldering process works on a much longer scale, isn't it? The short answer is *no*! When you apply solder to the iron, you see the fumes arise for a moment. That's the rosin flux boiling away. By the time you reach the joint with the solder, the flux is all gone and there's nothing left to clean the surfaces to produce a proper solder bond. If you're going to carry solder to the joint on the iron, a dab of rosin flux on the joint *first* is a must. Otherwise, use a small size solder that lets you melt it directly onto the joint where the flux will do its work before boiling away and without leaving you with a glob of excess solder. Flux is sticky, which helps hold tiny parts and a tiny drop of solder on the iron does it with SMDs. My usual technique is to put a dab of flux on the clean pads, put the part in place, put a drop of solder on the iron, use my curved tweezers pressed together as a fine point pressing the center of the part to hold it steady, and touch my wet iron to a solder pad. By 'wet' I mean a very small amount of solder. Often one can't see anything but that the iron appears tinned. (It's much easier to add solder than it is to remove it.) Getting back to launching parts from the table, a bit of nylon stocking -- (okay, I'll get out of the 19th century) -- "pantyhose" over the suction end of a canister vacuum will often find a bonanza of missing parts and you get a clean shop floor in the process. Just be sure you ask the XYL for some discards. She won't appreciate the big stretched bump left by the suction hose ;-) Oh, you're a bachelor? Aw, g'wan, go to the store and ask the prettiest clerk you can find what size she thinks would fit you. That'll get her undivided attention long enough to explain what they're really for and ask her out for coffee at least. One cheap pair will provide dozens of bits for vacuuming - enough to cover any self-respecting bachelor's vacuuming needs for a lifetime, or at least until the pretty lass moves in. Ron AC7AC _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
