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I say 'proper' loosely, as this is how I have been taught to solder. I believe I work cleanly, and seldom if ever have any problems with a completed harness. To add more credibility, I was taught to solder by a woman I work with (in the Defense industry) who is certified out the wazoo.

Tools: wire strippers, small pliers, small nippers, soldering iron (300 - 315 C), fluxed solder, wire

1. Make a soldering template board and do as much of the work as possible outside of the guitar. I simply use a flat piece of scrap, drill the same hole pattern and mount the components as required. This will allow you to work with proper wire lengths, avoid melting insulation, or dropping solder on a new finish. Ensure your components are properly marked so you do not get messed up.

2. Grounding: I ground all my components first. Ensure you do not create a ground loop (meaning a circle of connected components) you should have a single ground node...think of it like a tree, with branches extending - no set of branches should ever connect past except where the trunk is. I prep the surface with sandpaper and acetone/alcohol because many pots come with a clear varnish coating that can lead to cold solder joints/ bad connections. You can use a really hot iron and this won't matter, or simply scrape a small area.

3. I place a drop of solder on each pot, marking where I am going to make my ground connection

4. Cut a piece of wire to the desired length, strip 0.25" from each end, and TIN the wire. This step is very important...Just take a second and tin it. It will make the job that much cleaner.

5. Take the tinned wire, hold it to the solder drop on the pot, and briefly touch both the wire and solder drop with the iron. When it flows (becomes liquid) remove the soldering iron and all it to solidify.

6. Clean the area with alcohol and a que tip. This is often overlooked. Flux is corrosive, it looks gross, and only takes a second to wipe it off the area - so 10 years down the line it hasn't been attacking the connection and making it fragile.

7. For connections to lugs, tin the wire accordingly. Then, using the small pair of pliers, bend a hook in the wire. Hook this around the lug and pinch it shut to ensure you have a very good mechanical connection. Essentially, you almost do not even need to solder it at this point, but to ensure a great electrical connection. Briefly touch the lug, wire, and solder until solder flows and secures the connection.

8. Repeat as necessary

9. When completed, zip tie things as possible. Secure the wires, and strain relief, just clean it up. Clean wiring harnesses are easy to trace and locate problems, and are not as susceptible to problems like stray wire strand shorts...

More to come...

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www.ziegenfussguitars.com

Stephen,

I'm thin on electric guitars, but also learned soldering from a woman certified for military work. She was also an inspector.

Your post is full of good stuff. I would only add stressing the importance of keeping the joint absolutely immobile after soldering until it's solidified, to prevent cold joints.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Yes...Basically anywhere on the pot that I will be soldering, I hit it with sandpaper and acetone to prep it for soldering.

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www.ziegenfussguitars.com

That sounds really really hot. My assumption is that it is not quite reaching those temperatures. Most of the time I use an ultrasonic solder station in which the temperature is controlled by the tip, usually a 600 or 700 degree F tip. The current/ resistance based stations are typically run around here at 600 as well. I would think 900 degrees would burn up the tip, but I have no experience at all up at those temps. But it works, so there ya go.

Stephen

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www.ziegenfussguitars.com

Great tips, thanks!
I use a little Weller 25 watt job that seems perfect for git-guts.
Works good for most amp wiring too!

Keep in mind that some pots, like CTS, are already tinned and need not be scuffed. Acetone/alcohol is always a good idea to clean any grease, oil, etc., for max adhesion. The cleaner it is, the less time your iron will need to be on the back of the pot.

Rich

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