Soldering

When making connections with wires, I usually solder and then cover with electrical tape... but I can't seem to solder correctly. I usually use 14 gauge speaker wire, with my 30W soldering iron. The iron is fairly new, but the tip is kind of dirty. I'll heat up the wire for 30 sec to a minute so the soldering paste will melt, but the wire just never seems to get hot enough for the solder to melt... I'll even touch the solder to the actual tip of the iron, and it still won't really melt. All I end up with is a really hot wire that has soldering paste dripping all down between the wire and the insulation.

By the way the solder I'm using is BernzOmatic 100% Lead Free Solid Wire Solder, silver bearing, Melting temp. 430 F, and it's .062" Dia. It says on the package it's good for plumbing fixtures and hot water tanks, pipes, etc. It does look a little too thick for what I need... any idea what could be the problem?

What type of solder should I be buying? I remember in high school we soldered without any soldering paste...

using solder flux can really help. I solder almost everyday, try getting a small sponge and keep it moist (wet). Wipe the excess solder off on the sponge after every wire. Also, use shrink tubing instead of tape .... just remember to put it over one of the wires and slide it down the wire some BEFORE you solder the wires together.

Yeah I make sure the flux is melted all over the wires I'm soldering together... so then the solder will coat everywhere the flux is... but my iron just sucks I guess... today it actually stuck to the solder on a wire - I melted some solder with the iron, then it dried attached to the wire and the tip of the iron, so I guess my iron tip isn't too hot... it is 30 W but it's a Walmart special so probably not too great. What wattage is your iron? Do you buy the really thin solder?

it's not the temp, it's the wattage ....... you may need a small welding gun or a larger pencil - like 75 watts or more

get a soldering iron that uses butane. And yeah, make sure you always clean your tip with a wet sponge like paul said.

Does it make a difference that I'm using 14 gauge, speaker wire? Is it taking a long time to heat up because it's thick?

Has anyone used that coldheat soldering iron yet? If so is it any good?

the cold heat iron sucks ass. It does work, but its very tricky. You have to touch the wire, and the solder to two prongs at once for it to work. the instant it loses connection, it loses heat. It's not worth the trouble, it's very frustrating to use.

However, the free wire stripper you get with it makes it worth the money. But it only is good for like 14 awg and up.

Johannes, do you touch the iron to the underside of the wire or the top? Hold the iron to the bottom. Also, if you melt a little bit of solder on the iron and let it soak into the wire, it will heat about 20x faster. If you are doing this, then you just need a new iron.

those "cold heat" soldering irons are really mini arc welders. they have very limited power. And yes, 14 Ga wire is fairly thick for a small 30 watt soldering iron.

wtf is an arc welder?

a welder that arcs..... lol just as the name says it arcs electricity through whatever is being welded instead of using a heating element.

oh... ok i didnt think it would be that obvious