Fire brigade on speed dial...

[noisepolluter]

...I'm going in!

We've got hold of some cable components and now need the relevant soldering gear. I intend to go to maplin today - is there a specific kind of iron and solder I need, or will bog standard do?

[timmyo]

...I'm going in!

We've got hold of some cable components and now need the relevant soldering gear. I intend to go to maplin today - is there a specific kind of iron and solder I need, or will bog standard do?

What plugs have you got out of interest ?

I bought this the other day (my old one had died) : http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...o=4069&doy=5m6 does the job

[Guitar_Slinger]

is there a specific kind of iron and solder I need, or will bog standard do?

I hear Fisher Price do one with a non-burning tip.

[noisepolluter]

What plugs have you got out of interest ?

I bought this the other day (my old one had died) : http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?...o=4069&doy=5m6 does the job

My guitar teacher had a job lot of unused neutrik right-angles and klotz cable knocking about so I bought 2 pairs of jacks and 2 metres of cable to see how we get along.

I may order more neutrik jacks, or I may try some switchcraft ones which are a bit pricier but a bit smaller so would be less likely to get in the way of other jacks or power cables.

[Sporky_McGuffin]

The Switchcraft ones aren't nearly as nice though.

Erm. Anyways. Get skinny solder - it's much easier to work with. Maplin don't seem to have much choice though - get their lead-free stuff, not the silver stuff. Lots of cable makers bang on about silver solder but it's harder to work with and silver's advantageous electrical properties are irrelevant for cables.

A vice such as L31BQ and a helping-hand thing such as N30CH will be most helpful - saves you trying to juggle the cable and the plug and the solder and the iron at the same time.

For an iron, N78AR looks a bargain - variable temperature is very useful and it's 60% off. Only a tenner.

Then some tip cleaner - JG06G for a fiver - will help keep the iron tip in good condition.

[Estheroid]

Cheers Andi. I too shall be having a go (eep!) My soldering experience so far has been limited to silver jewellery (a long time ago) but it can't be too different, can it?! We shall see. Thanks for the tip about the vice/helping hand - I can see that things could become a bit of a faff otherwise.

[Sporky_McGuffin]

I've done a little bit of jewellery soldering too - cables are far, far, far, far easier!

The vice and helping hand really will make a huge difference. I also recommend bending the teeth on the helping hand clamps outwards so that they don't cut the cable sheath.

[smokingbeagle]

Do you still need to prepare new iron tips? I forget how I used to do this now...

[jalapeno]

The vice and helping hand really will make a huge difference. I also recommend bending the teeth on the helping hand clamps outwards so that they don't cut the cable sheath.

If no vice available, use pliers and an elastic band. (and get the paramedics on standby too )

[Sporky_McGuffin]

A bit, yes - turn the iron on and melt a goodly quantity of solder onto the tip to tin it. The tip cleaner/conditioner I posted a code for is good stuff too - poke the iron into it before each job and everything works nicely.