Hey guys! New to the cigar box scene.
I am on low low low low low budget and was wondering if there was a cheaper way to solder on the piezo to the jack?
I kno I need to buy the iron, but getting a hold of the tool is something my bank account is not going to let me do anytime soon. How else can I do this?
Replies
With all the old timers on here I am surprised no one mentioned the old style irons. Just supply your own heat source and walla.
63, just outside Phoenix-have made a couple cbg's that so far are cool to look at, but dont play well, but then niether do I :)
Did make a couple of flutes years back that ended up nice wall hangers. But them 2 wooden salad spoons I tied together keep a pretty steady beat !
wood & copper iron.jpg
Soldering is pretty easy and you should be able to find a cheap iron. Harbor Freight has one for $3. If Tucson is anything like Yuma you've probably got a few swap meets that are getting ready for snowbird season and can find similar deals at them.
I started soldering when I was about 5 by building Heathkit kits with my dad. The soldering you do on a guitar is really basic stuff and a cheapie iron is just fine for it. I'd suggest staying away from the lead-free solder though since it can be harder to work with. And be sure to get actual electronics solder (60/40 rosin core) not plumbers solder from the hardware store. I prefer really thin solder but again for guitar work that's not really necessary and in some ways harder to deal with than slightly thicker stuff. You can get a small pack of .032" 60/40 rosin core for about $4 at Radio Shack.
The trick is to remember to heat the connection not the solder. Make sure you have a good mechanical connection first by twisting your wires together, then apply heat to the wires/jack and once they're hot enough apply the solder. The solder will wick into the connection naturally all by itself if you have it hot enough.
It's a good skill to learn and a cheap iron will handle a LOT of common soldering jobs.
Find someone to do it who knows how to solder. Soldering is not simple without a bit of practice.
I would buy a second hand one on a flee market. Or hope that a person has several ones and would be nice enough to send you one. Good luck !
What QGolden said. The cheap ones will work fine, but you need to buy an iron.
There is really no replacement for soldering. (IMWO (in my worthless opinion ) Lowes and Home Depot offer a Soldering Iron for about 14 dollars. If you can search for a Harbor Freight near you, they have the same one for about $5.00 , I think Radio Shack has it for about $9,00. They are low watt and you will need a bit of patience, but they will solder.