Make: Tips and Tales from the Workshop

12 Soldering

At Make:, we’re fond of telling people that there are two fundamental skills that all makers should know: soldering and sewing. Lots of people seem intimidated by soldering, but they shouldn’t be. If you have a halfway decent iron, a clean and hot tip, and spend a little time practicing on some junk electronics, you can be a serviceable solderer in no time. The following tips can also go a long way toward making soldering easier.

Years ago at Maker Faire Bay Area, we started doing “Learn to Solder” workshops, where Faire-goers pay a few bucks for a soldering kit, usually a simple blinking LED circuit on a cool circuit board. There is a great tip found in this kit and in this workshop for all who teach beginner electronics (or ...