Tape or Poster Putty

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oldogtrik
 
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Tape or Poster Putty

Post by oldogtrik »

I am new to soldering small components and one of the things I always had a question on is: how to hold the components while you use your two hands to do the soldering?
But now having seen a lot of videos and photos I see that some use Painters tape and some use Poster Putty to hold things together while soldering. Is one better then an other?
Or are there better methods?

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neslekkim
 
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Re: Tape or Poster Putty

Post by neslekkim »

vise, third hand, etc. anything that goes, even someone in your family.

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Tape or Poster Putty

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

We like the third-hand tool: http://www.adafruit.com/products/291

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: Tape or Poster Putty

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

If you're talking about SMT components, people do use tape to hold the parts in place long enough to solder the first few connections. I'd suggest against using poster putty because it does melt when it gets hot, and the goo could possibly interfere with the joints.

Personally, I don't bother with either. I use the 'anchor pad' technique: Before you even pick up the component, put a small blob of solder on one of the pads where it will go. Only do a single pad though.. doing more will cause all sorts of problems. Once the first pad has solder, pick up the part (you can use tweezers like these: http://www.adafruit.com/products/422 or a toothpick with a blob of poster putty at the end), heat the pad with your iron so the solder melts, and set the part in place.

That one solder joint is more than strong enough to hold the part in place while you solder all the other connections, but it also gives you the freedom to adjust the part if necessary. If the part sits slightly off the remaining pads after you pull the iron away, just reheat the joint and nudge the part into the proper position. Once everything looks right, you can solder all the other connections in peace.

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oldogtrik
 
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Re: Tape or Poster Putty

Post by oldogtrik »

That is a good soldering technique. And I do have a third hand.
What I was curious about was from the assembly instruction for the ScrewShield for Arduino where a blue putty is used to hold the Terminal Blocks to the board before soldering. This seemed like a simple trick but if you say it can cause a problem with melting then maybe it is not such a great idea.

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: Tape or Poster Putty

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

Poster putty is a good choice for things like the terminals because they're large, heavy, and awkward compared to most SMT components. You also attach the putty to the plastic housing, which won't get as hot.

For passive components or chips up to about SOIC-20, the package is so small and light, and its center of gravity is so close to the PCB, that a dab of paste flux will hold it in place pretty well.

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Franklin97355
 
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Re: Tape or Poster Putty

Post by Franklin97355 »

I've also used super glue on the tip of a toothpick. works well for all but the smallest chips.

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