Any tips for soldering on etched boards?

[jimijam]

Thanks for the replies everyone.  I'll be sure to give it a decent clean and scrub before I start soldering again.

Can I take it that if you make a solder bridge between two pads that aren't also connected by traced that the board is a write off?  I've never had much luck completely removing solder with a braid or pump.

also each time you reheat a joint you MUST add new solder for it to flow out. reheating solder causes it to stick to the iron's tip and drag away dull looking  "horns" of semi molten solder and quite make quite a mess especially on a dense layout. I've been at this for years but sometimes I get lazy and skip adding new solder (the tiniest bit) and everytime I do I pay the price for it... solder bridge somewhere almost always

[Guybrush]

I'm all too familiar with this problem too Jimjam. I'll remember to add an extra bit of solder time. Got to be careful not to flood the pad though!

[jimijam]

I'm all too familiar with this problem too Jimjam. I'll remember to add an extra bit of solder time. Got to be careful not to flood the pad though!

you only needs add the tiniest bit to flow out a joint. I always try to err on the side of too little solder. when I try to work too  quickly is when I run into problems. soldering isnt difficult but it must be done methodically and with the same technique every single time. rushing is only going to cause problems and make a build take far more time when you have to track down errors and fix them. tip cleaner (tinning paste) that comes in the little round tins at radio shack helps you acheive smooth shiny joints, especially if you set your iron pretty hot as i do. touch the tip in just before you make a joint and again after to keep the tip well tinned and I use steel wool and poke my tip in to remove crusty solder buildup from the iron as i work.

[Guybrush]

You only needs add the tiniest bit to flow out a joint. I always try to err on the side of too little solder. when I try to work too  quickly is when I run into problems. soldering isnt difficult but it must be done methodically and with the same technique every single time. rushing is only going to cause problems and make a build take far more time when you have to track down errors and fix them.

Thanks for the advice. How much is 'enough'?  Do you have to put enough on to form a blob or will just enough to fill the hole do? 

Tip cleaner (tinning paste) that comes in the little round tins at radio shack helps you acheive smooth shiny joints, especially if you set your iron pretty hot as i do. touch the tip in just before you make a joint and again after to keep the tip well tinned and I use steel wool and poke my tip in to remove crusty solder buildup from the iron as i work.

Cool thanks.  I'll have a look on eBay for some tinning paste as we don't have RS in the UK. 

[9Lives]

don't forget your conical tip dude. It's a must. Especially for etched boards. I'm telling you, once you go there you,ll be hooked. It's so convenient. I love to support guys like bean making badass pcbs but I find it impossible to turn down a good layout to etch.

[asatbluesboy]

Bending the leads makes the job much easier in the same proportion as it makes servicing harder. Having a (near) physical connection will always make things more reliable.