Chances are, it’s one of these three issues that are creating your problem.  So lets take a deep, cleansing breath and review what I’m sure you already know.  You just need gentle reminding!

1. File/Fit: A key element to a quality solder join is the prep work. The first rule of thumb to remember about solder is that it absolutely, for sure, 100% guaranteed, DOES NOT fill gaps of any kind.  If there’s a hole in your join and you can see light coming through it, it won’t solder. You can try all day long, but you’re going nowhere fast. So…if you’re trying to join flat to flat, it has to be flush. File, file, file and file some more. During my first soldering lesson, my mentor made me file the two sides of a ring join so many times, I didn’t think I’d ever get to the soldering part. In reality, she was teaching me a valuable lesson. The more time you spend on your prep work, the more flawless your soldering will be. Again, check for light coming through the join.  If you can see it, back to the bench and file and fit some more.

2. Clean/Pickle: Solder will not flow on dirty, grimy metal. That includes freshly cleaned metal that you just touched, leaving your skin oils behind. Once you Scotch-Brite that baby down and put it in the pickle pot, NO TOUCHING it again with your fingers. Use your tongs. That’s what you spent $12 on them for. Leave your piece in the pickle pot until it’s dull and white.

3. Flux/Flow: Here’s the controversial part: many will tell you to not put flux where you don’t want solder to flow. The other camp tells you that if you don’t flux the entire piece, you risk firescale, which is a great big pain in the ole’ rear end to try and remove in the polishing stage. My instructor taught me to flux the entire piece. You’ll have to experiment what works best for you. But make sure that you use enough flux and get it right on the joint so your solder flows smoothly. Next step, turn off all overhead and direct lighting on your soldering station. Dim light will allow you to see the change in color of the metal as it heats up. First the solder will ball up, then it will pool. The second you see your solder go shiny, take the heat away. If you leave it there too long, your solder has run all over the place and left the join. Last but not least, solder will follow the flame, so try and take your torch off of your piece by pulling the flame straight up. Otherwise, you’ll have solder to the right and left of your join.  A small bump at the join upon completion of soldering is acceptable.  A big one is not, unless you plan on working it into your design.  

Steps 1-3 should get you right where you need to be. If your join still doesn’t come together after this process, then repeat the steps and take your time with each. You only earn points for speed once you’ve mastered the drill.

Hope this helps you in your soldering journey!

~D.