Soldering can be a tricky skill to learn, mainly because you don't spend all day honing your soldering skills. When something needs soldering, you have to take out the iron, wait until it heats up, solder to the best of your ability, and then you're done! At Fralin Pickups, we spend all day soldering, and we've gotten pretty good at it. Fortunately for you, we love passing our tips and tricks along! Here are some useful tips and tricks to get you started:
TIP # 1: CHOOSING THE CORRECT SOLDER
Using the right solder is key to making sure you get the job done right. Ideally, the best solder to use is a lead-based solder with a rosin core. Lead-based solder with a rosin core will secure a reliable electrical connection and flow nicely. We use the Kester® brand of solder, and you can usually find Kester® Solder at your local hardware store.
Don't have the Kester Solder? That's okay! Most solder will work well for installing pickups. One type of solder is a pain to work with, though - Lead-Free Solder. This solder does not flow and is prone to cold solder joints. Avoid this if you can.
TIP # 2: CHOOSE THE RIGHT SOLDERING IRON
Use a soldering pencil - not a gun! Soldering guns are unwieldy and produce a magnetic field around them. This magnetic field can demagnetize your pickups during installation - a huge bummer.
TIP # 3: MAKE THE RIGHT CONNECTION
The best connection you can make when soldering is a "Mechanical Connection". A Mechanical Connection features a "kink" in the wire before the solder is applied. When connected properly, a Mechanical Connection is basically fail-proof!
TIP # 4: PRE-TIN
Pre-tinning your connections is one of the most game-changing tips we can offer. It's the difference between a clean, pretty, and effective solder joint and a messy "cold" one. To pre-tin your connections, simply apply solder to both elements you want to connect before soldering them together.
For example, if you were soldering a 5-Way switch, you would pre-tin the terminal of the switch and pre-tin the pickup's wire separately. Then, all you would have to do is join the two and apply heat from your soldering pencil, and voila! You have a beautiful, clean solder joint. Pre-tinning coats each surface with solder and burns away any impurities on each surface to provide a clean and effective solder joint.
TIP # 5: PROTECT YOURSELF
Soldering can be dangerous. Use proper eye protection and wash your hands after soldering if using lead-based solder - it's poisonous!
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