Soldering the back of a pesky volume pot!
Have you ever had to wire up a guitar and struggled to solder those black wires onto the back of the volume pot? Nation member, Jon Lesley posed the same question here and got some great responses. Here's a few:
Scratch My Back Hack: Use some 400 grit wet or dry sandpaper to sand the back of the pot. This will remove any oils that might keep the solder from sticking. Then use tape to temporarily hold the wires in the spot that you want them. Solder the wires and remove the tape. Voila! -Skeesix
Flux Hack: My technique is to sand the back of the pot, as already suggested. Then, smear some flux on the spot you just sanded. (Just use a little teeny dab, you don't need much.) Make sure you have a beefy enough iron and melt enough solder onto the tip of the iron until you have a blob of solder that is just about ready to drip off. Very slowly touch just the bottom of the blob to the back of the pot, and just hold it there. As soon as the back of the pot is hot enough, the blob of solder will just flow off the tip of the iron and you should have a nice shiny solder joint. -Dan Sleep
You never know what cool tips you'll find on The Nation.
Replies
I have a question for solder gurus. I definitely think thinner solder helps. I actually prefer .032". However, over the years I have noticed some are easier to work with than others. My favorite is labeled 60/40, and says it contains lead. The other is labeled 95/Tin, 5/Antimon, and says lead free. I live in the US and have searched for 60/40 with no luck. Is lead containing solder a thing of the past, or do any of you have a recommended source? Or have I been inhaling too much lead over the last 20 years, and it's everywhere and I am just too blind to see it? Ha-ha
I scrub the backs of the pots with alcohol using a stiff acid brush and never have a problem getting a good solder joint. Scrub the contacts of the output jack and the pots too,
For my most recent guitar instead of soldering the ground wires to the back of the pots. I mounted the pots thru a piece of flattened can and tied the wires together with a bolt thru the can section. According to my meter its a nice solid ground
Great idea. Thanks.
Shared to my Facebook......
I use a file to rough up the back of the pot, flux and thin solder, keep it neat. No problems at all.
Also a temperature regulated soldering station is the best investment I have made in a while. I have been solding for 30+ years, and this was the best $40 I have ever spent. No more burned tips! And yes, high quality solder is key...
How does that work John? A piece of tape attached to the box then another over the top to attach the ground wires or ?? Thanks!
Yes, bought me a Weller station and love it. Man what a deal compared to the hassle caused by the cheapo. The digital control allows perfect temp settings. and the iron mount with wet sponge to clean tips makes soldering a breeze.
1. tin the items to solder before joining them (pre-coating contact points & wire ends with solder)
2. Let the solder do the work, not the iron. lay the solder on top of the point to solder, touch the iron to the solder and when it liquefies and the iron goes through and touches the part - add a little more solder and pay more attention to heating the solder than the part. HOT solder will more than sufficiently heat the part(s) to get good contact & you will see it flow like water on a paper towel. this is also how you fix a cold solder, heat the bubble of solder and keep it hot till you see it flow outward.
3. Keep the tip in shape. the reason to always keep a coating of solder on the tip is to protect it from oxidizing and protect it from collecting a coating of trash from wire insulation, resin core residue, wood sap, plastic casings, skin & blood, burnt paper, burnt cat hair, motor oil, spray paint and lacquer, polyester sweaters, sneaker sole rubber, beer, paint thinner, nylon webbing handles on the tool bag, rubber mallet heads, screwdriver handles, ex-spouses, etc.
If it isn't doing the job quick and easy like it used to, take a good metal file and file off the outer layer of gunk till you have bright shiny metal again, or get a new tip.
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