thebrig Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I'm thinking of having a go at making my own cables. Can anyone recommend the best solder to use, and where to purchase it? Might be a silly question, but do you need top quality flux as well? Thanks in anticipation of your responses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robocorpse Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Electronics grade solder has flux built in, no need for extra flux, its just as important to make sure the metal surfaces are clean before you start. Scotchbrite pads are good for this (nick one off the missus, or 99p for 3 in Tesco), and finish off with a quick wipe of IPA or meths on a tissue or cotton bud to degrease it. Don't touch any metal area you are soldering with your fingers after this point or you'll grease it again. Some cheap connectors have horrid plating that takes ages to get solder to adhere to without abrading it back to base metal, so stick to decent parts like Neutrik and Switchcraft. There is zero point paying double for the silver-loaded stuff at this level if you are just making up leads with OFC cable, a tiny bit of silver alloy in one joint will make no difference whatsoever against the hundreds of non-silver joints in every pedal, amp and factory-made cable you have in your rig. The eco friendly "Lead Free" solder is a pain in the arse as it has a higher melting point than traditional 60/40 and some smaller irons have difficulty with it on anything other than very small connections, so its no good for pots etc unless you have a decent iron of at least 20w with good heat recovery like a Weller PU, or you'll cook the plastic spindles while you wait for it to heat the joint sufficiently. That said, its getting hard to find 60/40 tin/lead solder now. The key to good lead making is tidiness of the preparation, exact cuts, careful removal of insulation so you don't lose or damage strands, neatness and order and no straggly ends or blobby solder. And a decent iron too. Antex XS25 is a good starting point, or a used Weller TCP series. Something between 20-50w with easily swappable tips. Under 20w and you'll have a hard time soldering anything bigger than a centre conductor, over 50w and you'll cook everything and won't be able to get fine tips. I think thats covered it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrig Posted February 17, 2011 Author Share Posted February 17, 2011 (edited) [quote name='robocorpse' post='1130835' date='Feb 17 2011, 12:11 PM']Electronics grade solder has flux built in, no need for extra flux, its just as important to make sure the metal surfaces are clean before you start. Scotchbrite pads are good for this (nick one off the missus, or 99p for 3 in Tesco), and finish off with a quick wipe of IPA or meths on a tissue or cotton bud to degrease it. Don't touch any metal area you are soldering with your fingers after this point or you'll grease it again. Some cheap connectors have horrid plating that takes ages to get solder to adhere to without abrading it back to base metal, so stick to decent parts like Neutrik and Switchcraft. There is zero point paying double for the silver-loaded stuff at this level if you are just making up leads with OFC cable, a tiny bit of silver alloy in one joint will make no difference whatsoever against the hundreds of non-silver joints in every pedal, amp and factory-made cable you have in your rig. The eco friendly "Lead Free" solder is a pain in the arse as it has a higher melting point than traditional 60/40 and some smaller irons have difficulty with it on anything other than very small connections, so its no good for pots etc unless you have a decent iron of at least 20w with good heat recovery like a Weller PU, or you'll cook the plastic spindles while you wait for it to heat the joint sufficiently. That said, its getting hard to find 60/40 tin/lead solder now. The key to good lead making is tidiness of the preparation, exact cuts, careful removal of insulation so you don't lose or damage strands, neatness and order and no straggly ends or blobby solder. And a decent iron too. Antex XS25 is a good starting point, or a used Weller TCP series. Something between 20-50w with easily swappable tips. Under 20w and you'll have a hard time soldering anything bigger than a centre conductor, over 50w and you'll cook everything and won't be able to get fine tips. I think thats covered it?[/quote] Thanks for the info. I do intend using high quality connectors and cable etc. which is why I'm seeking help, and your advice certainly covers everything I need to know. Many thanks. Edited February 17, 2011 by thebrig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloodaxe Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 [quote name='robocorpse' post='1130835' date='Feb 17 2011, 12:11 PM']That said, its getting hard to find 60/40 tin/lead solder now.[/quote] Too right. However... these guys have it: [url="http://www.finescale.org.uk/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=56#solders"]http://www.finescale.org.uk/index.php?opti...emid=56#solders[/url] Items C2004 & C2011 seem to fit the bill. They've also put up some very informative factsheets: [url="http://www.finescale.org.uk/images/stories/pdfs/ds002.pdf"]Solder & Fluxes[/url] [url="http://www.finescale.org.uk/images/stories/pdfs/ds003.pdf"]Soldering[/url] P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 [attachment=72444:universal_soldier.jpg] Oh, no ... wait ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 [quote name='robocorpse' post='1130835' date='Feb 17 2011, 12:11 PM']I think thats covered it?[/quote] Pretty much From a practicality point of view, I have an old metal box (about half a breeze block size) that I've mounted a whole pile of different connectors in. I've put a sealed bag of sand inside to act as ballast and stuck some old rubber feet I had kicking around on the bottom. It makes a nice easy way of holding the connector in place while you're working on it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrig Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 [size=2]Just received some cables that Dave (OBBM) made for me. Don't think I will bother making my own now. I'll never be able to make anything as good![/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuee Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 [quote name='thebrig' post='1134112' date='Feb 20 2011, 10:18 AM'][size=2]Just received some cables that Dave (OBBM) made for me. Don't think I will bother making my own now. I'll never be able to make anything as good![/size][/quote] Very wise. Much like with bass playing, buying an expensive iron and top quality solder won't get you a good solder joint without a certain level of skill, and it's a lot harder than it looks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrig Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 [quote name='Stuee' post='1134153' date='Feb 20 2011, 10:56 AM']Very wise. Much like with bass playing, buying an expensive iron and top quality solder won't get you a good solder joint without a certain level of skill, and it's a lot harder than it looks! [/quote] That's right, although I have done a bit of soldering in the past, there is no way I'm ever going to achieve a pro level joint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 (edited) I have a local shop Clas Olson (like a cross between Ikea, Maplin and Homebase!) that sell the good ol' lead stuff: [url="http://www.clasohlson.co.uk/Siteseeker/Search_o.aspx?q=solder"]http://www.clasohlson.co.uk/Siteseeker/Sea...o.aspx?q=solder[/url] I tried the Maplin silver solder and not only is it hard to melt, it doesn't stick anywhere near as well as the 60/40. Edited February 20, 2011 by dannybuoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
algmusic Posted February 24, 2011 Share Posted February 24, 2011 [quote name='thebrig' post='1134112' date='Feb 20 2011, 10:18 AM'][size=2]Just received some cables that Dave (OBBM) made for me. Don't think I will bother making my own now. I'll never be able to make anything as good![/size][/quote] I've made my own cables in the past and they were very good, not blowing my own trumpet (toot, toot).. but OBBM cables are king and very well priced over making your own and as mentioned they are made by pro's not idiots like myself OBBM all the way!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrig Posted February 24, 2011 Author Share Posted February 24, 2011 [quote name='algmusic' post='1140006' date='Feb 24 2011, 02:39 PM']I've made my own cables in the past and they were very good, not blowing my own trumpet (toot, toot).. but OBBM cables are king and very well priced over making your own and as mentioned they are made by pro's not idiots like myself OBBM all the way!![/quote] Just received three cables from OBBM, and that's the reason I changed my mind about making them up myself. They are brilliant, and feel like they will last a very long time indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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