Solder pots???

[Zero Cool]

This may seem like a dumb question but im curious. what are solder pots for?? I can see that might be useful for tining the end of wires. but what else? can you dip PC boards in them or float them across the top to sort of wave solder or something?? I have seen them from small to really large.

Do i need one? should my shop have one? Don't know what your missing until you have tried something.


Just a question.



Zc

[Zero Cool]

wow no one??

[jneutron]

I don't reply to long haired people who stick their tongue out at me..

I use a solder pot when the parts are too big to heat nicely by an iron. We use regular pencils, 500 watt monsters, and gas fired ones. But sometimes they are just not right.

For example, if you have to tin a #6 or #8 awg conductor, all irons get messy. Just dip that into flux, then slowly lower it into the pot as the meniscus climbs...nice and easy, and it prevents damaging the insulation as much as using the irons would.

We also used big pots to attach a flat cable to a copper bar. The cable was 1/2 inch wide and 1/8 thick, and the copper was 1 inch wide and 1/8 inch thick. I bent some stainless welding rod like a small bobby pin, and used them as clamps...R type flux on all the parts, clip them together, then dip it entirely into the pot. The stainless does not solder with R type flux, so the clips just came off. The assemblies were about 24 inches long, with bends of different types.

Some feedthroughs I use have 100 mil diameter copper, and they needed to be tinned..much gentler on the ceramic seals than using the iron.

I wouldn't try using one as a wave though. But tinning large parts is perfect for it.

Cheers, John

[richie00boy]

They are also useful in production for doing a load of joints in a line at once. For example I worked in a factory making transformers and when there are say 4 or 6 taps along the edge, a dip in the pot is quicker then soldering each one individually.

[Ryan_Mc]

How nasty are the fumes?