Learn to solder
Join wires and parts with a hot iron and a little melted metal, then fix gadgets, build kits and make things light up. Here's the video that hooks everyone, and everything you need for your first joints.
Space neededA corner of a desk
First projectTen practice joints in an evening
Skill levelBeginner-friendly
Good forTinkerers, fixers, gadget fans
The video that hooks everyone
A soldering crash course: techniques, tips and advice
A crash course in the basics of soldering: the iron, the solder and the techniques behind a clean joint, with tips and advice along the way. Press play and see why it hooks people.
Is this your video? Claim your page and share in the sales
Tool list
What you need to start
Everything you need for your first project, and nothing you don't. A good temperature-controlled iron matters more than anything else. The rest can wait until your joints come out shiny.
Starter kit
01Temperature-controlled soldering ironA pencil iron with a dial, or a small station. You set the heat and it holds it.
02Lead-free rosin-core solderThin, about 0.8 mm (0.031 in.). The flux is inside the wire.
03Iron stand with brass cleanerHolds the hot iron safely. The brass wool wipes the tip clean.
04Helping handsClips that hold your board so both hands are free.
05Flush cuttersSnip leads and wire clean and flat.
06Wire strippersTake the plastic off a wire without nicking the copper.
07Practice kitA scrap of perfboard plus a bag of resistors and LEDs.
08Desoldering wickCopper braid that soaks up solder when you need to undo a joint.
09Safety glasses + a small fanClipped leads fly. The fan pulls flux smoke away from your face.
The manual tells you what to look for when you buy each one.
- 1Melting solder on the iron, not the jointSolder flows toward heat. Heat the pad and the lead, then feed solder into them, not onto the tip.
- 2A dirty, dry tipA black, crusty tip won't pass heat. Wipe it on the brass and keep a little shiny solder on it.
- 3Moving the joint as it coolsHold still for a second after you pull the iron away, or the joint sets dull and weak.
