Sometimes the question arises of how to solder without a soldering iron, because soldering is the most common way to connect small parts at home. But what to do when you urgently need to connect wires, and the soldering iron is broken.
A soldering iron is a convenient and simple tool. You can use it to connect small products at home.
The soldering iron is a simple and handy tool. Probably everyone knows how to join metals using it. But how to solder without a soldering iron when there is no electricity is a question that should be considered in more detail.
Tinning without a soldering iron
Tinning is the preliminary application of a thin layer of solder to the surface of the parts to be joined. It is produced to improve electrical contact and improve soldering quality.
Tinning can be done without a soldering iron. To do this, you need to prepare a small metal trough. The best size for this is a metal can lid, such as an instant coffee can. Small pieces of POS60 tin-lead solder (pure tin is even better) and rosin are placed in the lid.
If you need to solder wires, then first remove the insulation from their ends at a distance of approximately 20-30 mm. The container with solder and rosin is heated until the solder melts. Can be used as a heater electric stove, candle, fire or any source open flame. The bare end of the wire is immersed in molten rosin so that the flux covers the entire surface. Then the treated section of the wire is placed in molten solder for 2-3 s. After removing the wire from the melt fast movement hands, using a rag, remove excess solder. A thin, uniform layer of tin should remain on the surface of the wire.
If it is necessary to tin an area of a flat part, then finely planed solder is poured onto its surface and small piece rosin. The heating flame is brought from below the part, under the soldering area. After melting, the solder is rubbed over the surface with a steel rod. Excess mass is removed with a rag. When tinning a steel part, rosin is not used. The soldering area is carefully treated with soldering acid. The tinning process itself is similar.
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Soldering wires without using a soldering iron
The question is how to solder without a soldering iron for copper wires with a cross section of up to 0.75 mm², it is easy to solve. The tinned ends of the wires are twisted together. The soldering area is heated until the solder layer melts. As a heater, you need to use a source of narrowly directed flame: a candle, a lighter, matches. The solder applied to the surface during the tinning process should be sufficient for.
If you need to solder a wire to the middle of another wire, then its end should be wrapped around the connection point (2-3 turns) or clasped around this area, bending the wire 180º. The soldering itself is done in the same way as connecting the ends of the wires.
When soldering larger wires, the mass of tin in the tinned layer may not be enough for a reliable connection. In this case, finely grated solder should be poured on top of the twisted area and heated until it melts and fills the gaps in the twist. This way you can solder copper wires with a diameter of up to 2 mm without a soldering iron.
Sometimes it is necessary to solder a wire to a flat surface. To do this, the end of the wire and a section of the surface of the part (case) are pre-tinned. The wire is pressed against the plane of the part, and finely sawn solder is poured on top of the soldering area. By heating the parts from below, the tin melts.
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Features of soldering in the groove
Soldering of wires with a diameter of up to 3 mm can be done without a soldering iron using a groove. This groove is made from aluminum foil about 0.8 mm thick. Soldering is done in next order. At the ends of the connected wires, the insulation is removed to a length of about 30 mm. The bare ends are twisted together or laid parallel.
The foil is cut in the form of a short strip with a width equal to the width of the connection area, and is bent in the form of a groove, covering the joined wires. Crushed solder and rosin are evenly poured into the groove. One end of the foil is tightly wrapped around the area to be joined so that the solder does not spill out. When working, pliers with thin noses are used. The area covered with foil is heated with a candle, lighter, etc. until the solder melts. After the mass hardens, the foil is removed.
If necessary, excess solder is removed with emery cloth or a file.
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Soldering utensils or containers
Very often there is a need to solder a small hole in a pan or bucket. If the hole is no more than 6-7 mm, soldering can be done without a soldering iron. To do this, it is enough to use POS60 solder. The area around the hole must be carefully sanded inside the container so that the hole is given a conical shape (with an expansion into the container). This area is then treated with hydrochloric or soldering acid. A small thin plate is placed at the bottom of the hole to prevent solder leakage. From inside the container, crushed solder and rosin are poured into the hole. The container is placed on a source of directed fire. Molten solder seals the hole.
If you need to solder aluminum cookware, then you should prepare special solder in advance. You can use one of the recipes: tin and zinc in a ratio of 4:1; tin and bismuth in a ratio of 30:1 or tin and aluminum in a ratio of 99:1. Such alloys can only be prepared at high temperatures by stirring the melt.
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Soldering using paste
Necessary tools for a soldering iron made from a paper clip: 1 – autogenous lighter, 2 – metal paper clip, 3 – pliers, 4 – slotted (flat) screwdriver.
You can solder a wire or radio component without a soldering iron using solder paste. This pasta is prepared by hand. To obtain the “tinol” paste, 32 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid is poured into an enamel container and mixed with 12 ml of water. 8.1 g of zinc is added to the liquid, and after its dissolution - 7.8 g of tin. After graduation chemical reaction The water is evaporated until a paste-like composition is formed. Further operations should be carried out in porcelain dishes. 7.4 g of lead and 14.8 g of tin are added to the paste in the form of powder, as well as 10 ml of glycerin, 7.5 g of dry ammonia, 29.6 g of zinc in the form of dust and 9.4 g of rosin. The added substances are preheated and mixed in the form of powder.
Soldering a wire or part is done in the following order:
- The soldering area is cleaned.
- The paste is spread on it using a brush.
- The soldering area is heated on the flame of an alcohol lamp or candle until the paste melts.
When soldering small radio components or thin copper wire you can use a slightly different composition: 7.4 g of lead powder, 738 g of zinc dust, 14 ml of glycerin, 4 g of rosin, 14.8 g of tin in powder form. The paste-like state is achieved mainly in two ways: by mixing with glycerin or with a solution of 10 g of rosin in 10 ml of diethyl ether.
For beginners, we have already discussed how radio components are designated and how to determine the pins of microcircuits. But now let's touch on the issue, what you need for soldering, since it is always up to date.
Soldering iron
The first thing we need is, of course, a soldering iron. The best option for both price and power is a 60 W soldering iron.
Rosin
Rosin, ideally - solder wire, which is a long, thin tin tube, similar to a wire, wound on a reel, in the cavity of which there is rosin.
Those. when soldering, in this case, we do not need, as in the old fashioned way, to lower the tip of the soldering iron, now into the rosin, now into the solder, but all this happens simultaneously at one point. More on this below...
Buy everything necessary components You can go to your nearest radio store.
If you don't have soldering station, which is initially ready for soldering immediately after switching on, and a regular soldering iron, then before work (especially if it is new) it needs to be prepared in a special way - tinned, otherwise it will not solder. Now let’s look at what “tinning” means.
How to tin a soldering iron?
Take a file and apply it flat to the cut of the soldering iron tip. Now we sharpen in the same plane, periodically looking at the tip, until it becomes flat, smooth and shiny.
After this, we lower the heated tip into rosin and immediately into solder (into tin). There will be almost no solder sticking to the tip, so immediately after this procedure we apply the tip to a small board, preferably of natural origin (not chipboard), preferably spruce or cedar (resinous), but in principle, any will do, you’ll just have to mess around longer.
So, we repeat this procedure (rosin → solder → board) until the cut of the tip, prepared in advance with a file, made of yellow-gray heated copper, becomes silvery and shiny from the solder evenly covering it. This is what is called “tinning”, in in this case soldering iron
This is what a tinned soldering iron tip should look like.
Now we will learn to solder wires (after tinning it) to a brass tin, also tinning it from the beginning.
Dip the soldering iron tip into rosin, then into the solder, and immediately, with the plane of the tip parallel to the plane, we bring it close to our brass test subject, without allowing the rosin to evaporate, we press it, then we grind it, we grind it, in general, we tin it. If the rosin has evaporated or spread, we repeat the process, and gradually, gradually our tin is covered with high-quality solder adhering to it. If the material is clean or without strong oxides, then such tinning occurs quickly.
If solder wire is used, then we lean the tip of the soldering iron against the tin, and bring the tip of the solder wire to the point of their contact, trying to touch more of the tinned part of the soldering iron, and rub it against this part so that the tin and rosin enrich the contact point.
How to tin a wire?
Now let's tinker with the wiring. We carefully remove the insulation just enough so that we have enough space for soldering, and for the location of the heat-shrinkable tube (or other insulator) so that later no short circuits (short circuits) arise...
It is easier to tin the wire, because Usually, the metal under the insulation is clean, not oxidized. We dip it in rosin, placing the tip of a heated soldering iron on top of it and slowly pull the wire out from under the soldering iron after the rosin melts and starts smoking. This is done, as you probably understood, so that the molten rosin envelops the contact part of the wire. Now we enrich the soldering iron tip with solder, touching the tin, and bring the tip to the rosin adhering to the wiring.
If the wire is copper and clean, tinning will occur immediately.
If not, you may have to repeat the operation or use rosin instead solder paste– special chemical, (like soldering acid, if anyone is familiar) which allows you to tin, for example, even iron.
This is what solder paste looks like.
How to solder a wire?
We have a tinned experimental brass tin and a tinned wire, which we now have to connect, seal with heated solder and then cool in order to forever maintain their electrical connection, which we do by bringing the tinned part of the wire to the tinned part of the tin.
We bring the soldering iron tip enriched with solder to the place of their contact so that the solder properly covers the tinned parts of the soldered parts. This will be facilitated by the rosin involved in the process. If something doesn't go well, dip into it. Once the parts are in the molten solder, try not to move them anymore. You can lightly blow on the solder area until the shine of the solder darkens slightly, which will indicate that the solder has hardened.
That's it, congratulations! You did it.
Tweezers
When soldering, do not forget that all elements are exposed to high temperatures.
To avoid burns and achieve maximum comfort, we use tweezers.
Knowing how to solder with a soldering iron is very useful in everyday life. There are a number of techniques on how to do this, but it is best to master the theoretical part before starting the work process.
Peculiarities
There are many ways to learn how to solder with a soldering iron from scratch. To do this, you will need a soldering iron - a device designed to heat parts or flux during tinning and soldering. The tool is brought to the area where the parts are soldered, touching them with the so-called tip. The tip is the working part of the tool, which is heated by blowtorch or electricity. Rosin is most often used for soldering, but to work with this material you need to know how to properly solder with a soldering iron with rosin.
Before soldering, you need to perform a number of actions:
If you're working with a metal like aluminum, it's worth knowing its characteristics. The melting point of aluminum is 660.1 degrees. A small amount is applied to the joint area and then leveled. The contact point must be covered.
Workflow
A kind of connector between two components is called soldering. Its main role is to create a sufficiently strong connection.
Solder is a metal alloy that can be divided into two large groups. Soft solders characterize the melting point up to 300 degrees, this type used in electronics.
The next type of solder is the hard group, in which the melting point exceeds 300 degrees. This type is actively used for reliable joining of metals.
The soldering sequence is as follows:
- the surface is first cleaned of corrosion or any other type of contamination;
- the next step is complete cleansing until it acquires its characteristic shine. Traces of oxides should not be visible;
- For coating, flux is used, which removes oxide residues and minimizes the appearance of surface oxidation. Optimal choice in this case, flux pastes will serve. Liquid or solid fluxes are not suitable;
- the master carries out tinning. Solder is applied to a certain area of the surface in molten form, after which it spreads evenly;
- using twisting and compression with tweezers or a clamp, the main parts are connected;
- The flux application procedure is repeated. This is necessary to minimize the risk of oxidation of the solder under high temperature;
- Solder is applied along with heating;
- It is also important to note that when using a tool with a tinned tip, it must be cleaned using inactive flux. The soldering iron must be stored with a fluxed tip. This affects the quality of further work.
Cleaning
The procedure for cleaning the soldering iron tip is carried out by rubbing it against a soft porous or fibrous lining. The best option will be the choice of natural felt. An alternative would be to use basalt cardboard. Two-stage cleaning is considered high-quality.
The first step concerns the use of a sponge made from metal tape.
The second stage of cleaning involves the use of felt.
At the end the instrument is turned off. The stage when the master inserts a hot sting into solid rosin is considered important. You need to wait until it stops blowing bubbles. After this, the master removes the sting, holding it with the end down. This way, the excess rosin will drain off. Once the instrument has cooled completely, it can be stored.
Pipe soldering
Based on technological features To carry out this procedure, the masters use the following steps:
You can perform the procedure yourself. If you are unable to complete the procedure, then it is best to use the services of a specialist. It is best to solder the first element first. It is necessary to cool and cut the part in order to check the quality of workmanship. If there are errors, this will be noticeable. In the process installation work, or during pipeline repairs this skill will come in handy.
Soldering wires
The most common question concerns how to solder correctly with a soldering iron. First, you need to free the ends of the wires from the insulation using a knife or wire cutters. The parameters of the cores must correspond to the dimensions of the parts. not too large, then neighboring areas will not be damaged in the process. A small soldering iron, by comparison, achieves unreliable, low-quality results. It is quite difficult to warm up parts with it.
If you are soldering stranded wire, then you need to twist it, then tin it. The procedure is as follows. The wire is dipped into a bath of rosin. The craftsman runs a drop of solder across the surface of the copper wires. The coating should be even, covering all sides. Excess rosin is removed.
Solder is classified as a weak alloy. It is characterized by low reliability, because under the influence light loads is damaged. In the process, rosin is applied to the wires, followed by solder. The heating time for the twist is 2–3 seconds.
If we're talking about about single-core wires, then they are first cleaned until they acquire a shine, then dipped in rosin. The connection takes approximately 3–5 seconds. Then a heat shrink type tube is put on the exposed wire. large diameter. Following this procedure will ensure high level isolation.
Soldering
When asking a question about how to properly solder microchips with a soldering iron, it is better to entrust such work to a specialist. After all, the work itself is quite scrupulous and requires experience and a certain skill.
For proper soldering, it is necessary to take time to prepare the parts needed in the tooling process. Check out theoretical aspect, and then consolidate your knowledge in practice.
It is necessary to remember to protect the layer of molten solder with flux. The operation you perform also matters. Based on this, you need to select a device of appropriate power and with a suitable tip shape.
By following the basic rules for using the device and the recommendations of specialists, you will be able to connect the parts in the correct way, thanks to which the soldering will last a really long time.
Any radio amateur or home craftsman who is interested in radio design, electrical appliance repair and other activities related to electrical and electronic devices, must be able to solder. You can read about how to solder with a soldering iron with rosin in many manuals. But it is very important to have not only theoretical knowledge, but also practical skills and work experience. Let's look at the basic requirements and stages of learning how to solder. What every radio amateur needs to know?
For a beginner radio amateur, it is very important to know the basics of working with a soldering iron.
Amateur radio soldering kit
Every person who likes to work with radio-electronic devices must be minimum set tools. This includes pliers, screwdrivers, files, wire cutters and much, much more. But the most important elements soldering kit are: the soldering iron itself (their variety is quite large, everyone should choose according to their preferences comfortable model), solder (a metal alloy based on different combination lead and tin) and flux (the most common of them is rosin - a product of processing pine resin). It is also worth adding tweezers here, which can greatly facilitate the soldering of small elements. Let's take a closer look at the parts of this set.
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Soldering iron features
For a beginner radio amateur, a soldering iron with a power of 40 W is suitable.
If you are a novice craftsman, then it is best to purchase a regular soldering iron for a 220 V network with a power of 40 W. This is the basis from which it is better not to deviate in order to avoid a lot of problems. In the future, as your skill grows, you can purchase a power regulator for your soldering iron, which will help you independently regulate the temperature of your soldering iron tip and, accordingly, carry out more fine work. When soldering, the cleanliness of the tip surface is extremely important, since a film of oxides constantly forms on it, preventing good contact with the solder. To do this, you need to warm up the soldering iron and clean its tip with sandpaper. After this, dip the soldering iron in rosin so that a dark, damp film forms on the surface of the tip. Then you can dip the tip of the tip into the solder and rub it there so that the solder covers the work surface in an even layer. Later, when a new film of oxides is formed, the operation can be repeated.
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Solder is an alloy of tin and lead.
Connected together using solder metal elements designs.
Solder is a mandatory part of soldering in radio electronics. It is he who helps connect various metal structural elements together. From a chemical point of view, it is an alloy of lead and tin, the proportions can vary significantly depending on the manufacturer and the job being performed. Most often, solder is sold in the form of a silver-metallic wire, but there are options in the form of a hollow tube, the inside of which is pre-filled with rosin (flux) for ease of soldering. But still experienced craftsmen they prefer to choose wire solder, since flux will still be needed for each soldering, only its quantity differs. Each type of solder has its own alphanumeric marking, which indicates to buyers its performance characteristics and composition.
For example, there are such varieties of solders as POS 40 or POS 60. The abbreviation stands for tin-lead solder, and the number indicates the percentage of the main element of the alloy - tin. Many craftsmen prefer to work with pure tin or alloys with the highest possible content. The higher the lead level, the higher the melting point and the darker the color. The same POS 60 has a melting point of 190 degrees Celsius.
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Flux Features
The main task of fluxes is to clean metal oxides from the surface of the elements being joined. In addition, such compositions prevent the appearance of these oxides in the future. Flux also helps improve contact between parts by wetting and preparing the surface for contact with solder. You can see for yourself the effectiveness of the flux on specific example. Try soldering with a soldering iron with and without rosin. The fact is that the main metal of the tip is copper, which very quickly during the heating process becomes covered with a film of oxides that prevents contact with the solder; it will simply roll off the surface of the soldering iron in hot drops. But as soon as you dip the tip into the rosin, a wet-looking film of flux will form on the surface of the soldering iron, which will hold the solder on the soldering iron tip and allow you to carry out soldering work. When speaking of flux, most craftsmen mean pine rosin. It is she who most often plays this role, outwardly resembling frozen pieces of amber. The same rosin is used to treat the bows of musical instruments.
But pine resin is not the only option flux. In addition, to work with metal utensils, zinc dissolved in hydrochloric acid, such a mixture is called soldering acid. But this composition is not applicable in radio engineering due to its causticity. One drop is enough to destroy an important connection or metal wire. Acids cannot be used in soldering radio components; the best flux is rosin. But sometimes masters use alcohol solutions rosin when it is necessary to treat contacts in hard to reach place. To do this, ground rosin is dissolved in alcohol and then applied in a thin layer to the site of the future connection.
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A few secrets of soldering
In principle, there are no particular difficulties in soldering various metal elements together. You can solder, especially without going into any nuances of craftsmanship, but if you want to do the job efficiently, it’s worth considering a few small secrets.
If you have never dealt with a soldering iron before, we recommend that you practice a little. To do this, you can take several pieces copper wire in the shell. With it you can develop skills in proper tinning and soldering.
In addition to those nuances that are listed when describing the main components of soldering (soldering iron, flux and solder), you need to take into account others:
- When soldering, the cleanliness of the surfaces being connected is extremely important. All contact points must be thoroughly cleaned and prepared for soldering. To do this, you must first clean the future soldering area with a knife or sandpaper. As you clean, you will see the metal become lighter and brighter. This involves removing the thin and unnoticeable film of copper oxides that covers the surface of your wire. After physically cleaning the contacts, you need to dip the tip of a heated soldering iron into rosin and transfer a little rosin onto the surface to be treated. Carefully and carefully disperse the molten flux over the workpiece. As a result, your working surface should be cleaned of oxides and covered with a film of rosin.
- It is extremely important to correctly connect the conductors to each other, as well as warm up the place of future connection. To do this, you need to evenly and tightly press the ends of the soldered conductors, which were previously tinned, as described above, to each other, and then apply a soldering iron tip with a drop of molten solder on it to the junction. Hold for a while, let the conductors warm up enough so that the solder alloy spreads and fills the entire space between the elements being fused. The heating should be such that the solder spreads over work surface, and did not freeze in one lump. Remove the soldering iron and let the solder cool. Do not move the conductors under any circumstances. It is better if they cool down for at least 10 seconds. Now the solder securely holds both conductors together.
- If the surface to be soldered is large and there is not enough solder to fill it all, then simply wait until the first batch of solder has cooled and apply another one with a soldering iron. Achieve even distribution of the alloy over the surface being treated. Solder that has frozen in a lump is an indicator of poor quality work by a beginner. With a real master, solder covers the surface, like a second skin, evenly and on all sides.
My relationship with radio and microelectronics can be described with a wonderful anecdote about Leo Tolstoy, who loved to play the balalaika, but did not know how. Sometimes he writes the next chapter of War and Peace, and he himself thinks “trendy-brandy trendy-brandy...”. After courses in electrical engineering and microelectronics at my beloved Moscow Aviation Institute, plus endless explanations from my brother, which I forget almost immediately, in principle, I manage to assemble simple circuits and even come up with my own, fortunately now, if I don’t want to bother with analog signals, amplifications, interference, etc. you can find a ready-made micro-assembly and stay in the more or less understandable world of digital microelectronics.
To the point. Today we will talk about soldering. I know that this scares off many newbies who want to play with microcontrollers. But firstly, you can use
So, we are almost there. I’m writing everything in such detail because, honestly, it was a breakthrough for me. As I accidentally discovered, all you need to solder simple components is a soldering iron, the most common one with an awl-shaped tip:
And solder with flux inside:
It's all about the process. You need to do this:
- The part is inserted into the board and must be secured (you won't have a second hand to hold).
- Take a soldering iron in one hand, and a wire of solder in the other (it’s convenient if it’s in a special dispenser, like in the picture).
- Take solder to the soldering iron NO NEED.
- Touch the tip of the soldering iron to the soldering area and heat it. Usually it's 3-4 seconds.
- Then, without removing the soldering iron, with your other hand, touch the tip of the solder wire with flux to the soldering area. In reality, at this point all three parts come into contact at once: the soldering element and its hole on the board, the soldering iron and the solder. After a second, “pshhhhhh” happens, the tip of the solder wire melts (and a little flux flows out of it) and the required amount of it goes to the soldering site. After a second, you can remove the soldering iron with solder and blow.
It is clear that the waiting time in each phase requires at least minimal practice, but nothing more. I am sure that any beginner can solder Maximite in an hour using this method.
Let me remind you of the main signs of good soldering:
- A lot of solder does not mean high-quality contact. A drop of solder at the contact site should cover it on all sides, without any potholes, but not be an excessively large bulb.
- The color of the solder should be closer to shiny, not matte.
- If the board is double-sided and the holes are not metallized, you need to solder it using the specified technology on both sides.
Planar elements (of course not the smallest ones) are even easier to solder in some ways, although for homemade devices You will already have to etch the board, since there will be no special convenience from using planar elements on a breadboard.
So, a small, almost theoretical bonus about soldering planar elements. These can be microcircuits, transistors, resistors, capacitors, etc. I repeat, at home there are objective restrictions on the size of elements that can be soldered with a regular soldering iron. Below I will give a list of what I personally soldered with a regular 220V soldering iron.
To solder a planar element, it will no longer be possible to use solder on the go, since too much of it can “come off”, “flooding” several legs at once. Therefore, it is necessary to first, in some way, tin the spots where the component is planned to be placed. Here, alas, you can’t do without liquid flux (at least I didn’t succeed).
Drop a little liquid flux onto the patch (or patches), take just a little solder on the soldering iron (you can do it without flux). For planar elements, very little solder is generally needed. Then lightly touch each patch with the tip of the soldering iron. A little solder should come off on it. Every penny “will not take” more than necessary.
Take the element with tweezers. Firstly, it’s more convenient, and secondly, the tweezers will remove heat, which is very important for planar elements. Attach the element to the soldering site, holding it with tweezers. If this is a microcircuit, then you need to hold it by the leg that you are soldering. For microcircuits, heat dissipation is especially important, so you can use two tweezers. You hold the part with one, and attach the second to the soldered leg (there are tweezers with a clamp that you don’t need to hold with your hands). With your second hand, you again apply a drop of liquid flux to the soldering area (perhaps a little will get on the microcircuit), with the same hand you take the soldering iron and touch the soldering area for a second. Since solder and flux are already there, the soldered leg will “immerse” in the solder applied at the tinning stage. The procedure is then repeated for all legs. If necessary, you can add liquid flux.
When you buy liquid flux, also buy board cleaning fluid. Alas, with liquid flux better pay wash after soldering.
I’ll say right away that I’m by no means a professional, or even an advanced amateur in soldering. I did all this with a regular soldering iron. Pros have their own methods and equipment.
Of course, soldering a planar element requires much more skill. But it’s still quite possible at home. And if you don’t solder microcircuits, but only the simplest elements, then everything is still simplified. Microcircuits can be purchased already soldered into blocks or in the form of ready-made assemblies.
Here are pictures of what I personally successfully soldered after a little practice.
This is the simplest type of case. These can be installed in pads, which are the same in terms of soldering complexity. These are simply soldered according to the first instructions.
The next two are more difficult. Here you already need to solder according to the second instructions with a neat heat sink and liquid flux.
Elementary planar components, such as the resistors below, are very easy to solder:
But there is, of course, a limit. This goodness is already beyond my abilities.
Finally, a couple of cheap but very useful things that are worth buying in addition to a soldering iron, solder, tweezers and wire cutters: 
Good luck with your soldering! The smell of rosin is cool!