Soldering Fundamentals
Soldering Fundamentals is a free thirteen-lesson course on how to solder, from what a joint actually is to fixing your mistakes. No sign-up, nothing held back.
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Lesson 1: What soldering actually is
Soldering is not glue and it is not welding. What happens inside a solder joint, and the habit that ruins most beginner attempts. Soldering Fundamentals, Lesson 1.
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Lesson 2: Choosing your soldering iron
What actually matters in a soldering iron, and what does not. Temperature control, tips, and why your power supply decides how hot it can get. Lesson 2 of 13.
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Lesson 3: Solder and flux, explained
The honest comparison of leaded and lead-free solder, what flux is and why it is inside your solder, and what those fumes really are. Soldering Fundamentals 3.
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Lesson 4: The rest of the kit, and what can wait
Stands, third hands, magnification, mats and cutters, grouped by when you will actually want them. Most of it can wait. Soldering Fundamentals, Lesson 4 of 13.
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Lesson 5: Safety, ventilation and setting up your bench
The real risks of soldering, in proportion: burns, flux fume, lead on your hands, and eyes. What actually matters and what does not. Soldering Fundamentals, 5 of 13.
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Lesson 6: Tinning and tip care
Tinning takes five seconds and decides whether your iron works. Why a bare tip cannot transfer heat, how tips die, and how to bring a dead one back. Lesson 6 of 13.
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Lesson 7: Reading the board, and working in the right order
What the printing on a circuit board is telling you, which way round parts go, the assembly order that stops them falling out, and why some pads refuse to heat up.
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Lesson 8: Your first joint, step by step
The actual technique, one beat at a time, with timings and what to watch for at each moment. Plus the four things to check before you start. Lesson 8 of 13, free.
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