This video is something you won't find when you are actively searching for it yourself. But only something that youtube will recommend you 5 years down the line. Good technique!
Thanks. I made the video 2 years ago and it was features by Hackaday and Instructables (66k views - much better than youtube). BTW love the hexspeak 0xDEAD name.
So much utility in under 3 minutes. These are the tricks you have to be lucky to have the right instructor to learn from. Now, thanks to the internet, you are this instructor for all of us, tens of thousands of people! Thank you, Rich Langner, for your contribution!
About eight years ago I watched a video on the "Absorber of Light" channel... he referred to the "University of TH-cam". You might not end up with any recognised qualifications, but I think he was dead right! 👍
I have used this method for decades, but never ever it occured to me to share it. You did it, and did it bloody well. The best tutorial style: short, focused and thorough. This is what YT should be used for.
Thank you for your kind comments! It's really encouraging, and the huge amount of positive comments have encouraged me to make a followup video with the finer points and answers to questions.
YT pushed this video on me for over 2 weeks. And finally i watched it and it was 3 minutes of pure gold. I'm glad YT never gave up with this recommendation.
Time Travelling from 2024: Freakin' brilliant! I'm going to steal this method. The last bit about pulling the wire casing back is awesome. Thanks much, and continued success!
The Holy Grail of DIY content. You just shared an incredibly useful trick that you clearly learned from years of experience, and did so in a tiny fraction of the time most TH-camrs would have wasted. TY 🙏🏻😊
Thanks for the feedback. My videos start out quite long then I chop, chop, chop, speed things up, slow them down. Straight to the point, and no background music. I'm preparing to make a video on my soldering techniques, and the use of matrix board, etc. If you want to suggest anything for it, please do.
@@richardlangner Yes props on your Production values. Most You tubers are really really bad and they all pick up terrible habits from each other. You have a wonderful voice. I am such a stickler having been involved in Radio. You Sir are a Natural.
Thanks for the feedback. Fifty years ago it seemed the obvious way to solve an old problem, and since making the video it made me realise it wasn’t so obvious to other engineers after all.
Thanks for your comment. I thought up this method in the 1970s - it was so obvious I thought everyone did it! I taught my 9yo niece to solder and she uses this method so naturally (to her it's normal).
TH-cam has blessed me with this video. I will forever use this from now on, where applicable, of course. It's so genius that you would wonder why this isn't in every 101 video.
I'm so glad you liked the technique. I thought it up when I had to change line-output-transformers where the wires were not 'through-hole' connections, One hand to hold the iron, one to hold the wire in position, a third to feed the solder - but I hadn't grown a third hand at that time! Necessity was the mother of invention.
THIS IS INGENIOUS ! Take a bow sir, take a bow In twenty years I've only left a comment on TH-cam maybe once or twice but this video needs to be seen by anyone who's ever picked up a soldering iron and learned to solder by making cubes from paperclips... before attempting it with copper wire and knows how different those tasks are by their fingertip burns 😊
Yep, this is going straight into my favorites. I would have NEVER in my life thought of doing this, now I'll never do it any other way. Thank you so much, Richard!
I'm glad you like it. This is really for soldering to pads. No great advantage for through-hole components as they are already held in place and you then only need two hands. Having said that it will be a very useful 'tool' to use when the needs arises. Thanks.
I've been occasionally soldering since 1984. I've never seen this method, but wished I had. Super easy, really sensibly. Why haven't I thought of doing this. Brilliant 👍🏼
I have taught over 100 apprentices electronics and have never seen this method of soldering. It is brilliant. Pity I am retired now, but I can still use it for myself
Thanks for the feedback. I taught City & Guilds practical skills in circuit construction for over 20 years, and may make another video with more tips and tricks.
What the heck kind of wizardry is this!? Awesome. Been soldering for 40+ years. Never would have thought of this. Well done and thanks for sharing, good sir!
Thanks for the feedback. Another soldering video to come, but in the meantime take a look at my videos on making front panels in a few minutes, measuring ultra low currents, a milliohm short circuit tester...
Thanks Rich. Game changer. I've been soldering for 40 years and I'm switching to your method immediately. I told all my friends, and they're all going to adopt your technique. THE LANGNER METHOD. Instant classic, even though it should have been discovered 40 years ago!
Actually I've been using this method since the early 1970s, and way back I taught it to students at Chesterfield College, and recently to members of Sheffield Hackspace. The technique only needs to be used if you need a third hand (and haven't grown it yet) - for through-hole it is not needed as everything should be held in place. THE LANGNER METHOD : I like it! As my name is often spelled wrongly without the second 'n', and I often joke that if there were a 'd' on the end it may be more appropriate! I intend to make another video on soldering soon.
I have a question. I have been told that unless both pieces of metal are heated enough to melt the solder on their own, without the iron touching it, you are creating a "cold solder" that will be prone to fail later on: there needs to be enough heat to create an actual chemical bond between the different materials. Since you have been using and teaching this method, I will assume it's safe for me to use it in my extremely sparse events of soldering. But I would really appreciate your thoughts? Am I good to go if I place a cold cord on the contact with molten solder and allow the solder to solidify? Or do I need to get it to a specific temperature? I'm glad to have found your video: have a cord that needs replacing. :)
@@BjornMinou I will have to make another video showing the finer points of the 'Langner method' as someone called it. But for now, if you watch the video carefully you will see that 'cold' joints are impossible. Creating the solder leg is part of the pad's tinning process. I assume you have already tinned the wire. To make the joint, the iron presses the wire onto the pad. The wire heats up, which in turn heats the pad, the pad heats up and melts the solder, so actually the pad and wire are at a higher temperature than the solder. Only when this occurs does the solder melt. Does this answer your question?
@@richardlangner It does. You are tinning both parts, the pad and the wire, separately as a first step. If we didn't tin the wire, we could get a cold solder. Now the solder is already gripping onto the metal of both parts, so we almost only need the solder of each part to fuse. So the temperature only needs to melt the solder, but you additionally add heat and pressure by holding the wire down with the soldering iron. I feel convinced. Tin you wires! :) I was also told: melt some solder onto the iron before you begin, "to work with". I now know better. The blob of solder on your iron will rapidly finish off the fluss, and start to oxidize, and won't melt into a pretty little mound like yours but will be a flaky unsightly mess. Your method keeps the fluss extra well because it's so instantaneous. I like it.
@@BjornMinou Before soldering, I tin the iron, then clean it, then tin it very slightly. If the iron is perfectly free of solder the heat will not transfer easily as the point of contact will be small (assuming a flat iron and a round wire). The solder on the iron will mould itself around the wire creating a greater area on contact, and hence better heat transfer. Yup, definately another video needed here! Thanks for the feedback, it's good to know what people need.
I devised this method around 50 years ago as I had to regularly change line-output-transformers where the wire needed no mechanical strength, and thought it was so obvious that everyone must be doing it. Judging by the massive response on Instructables (www.instructables.com/Soldering-Wires-Heres-a-Better-Way) I was wrong!
@@richardlangner I learnt long ago to manipulate 3 things with two hands. The circuit board is fixed (with a vice or otherwise). With one hand I feed solder while holding a tinned and fluxed lead (each via separate finger pairs, while the other hand feeds the tinned soldering iron. It becomes very natural to do this but it becomes apparent that it is a learnt skill because it's not easily taught.
I grew up working in my families electronics shop in the 70s-90s and electronics has always been a hobby. I have never seen that technique before, very slick. Thanks for sharing it !
You don't need this for through-hole stuff, as it is mechanically held together and you don't need an extra hand. But I find myself using it in other senarios. And remember to use less solder than I did - this was a demo - I normally use a lot less and solder quicker.
great techniques, quickly and effectively taught! I've done something similar, by laying the "right" length of solder on the pad, and starting soldering at the long end, but your method doesn't need any space past the pad, so it's definitely better in most cases! THX!
Seems legit, can't wait to try it, I'm an occasional soldering hobbyist who's lucky enough to still have quite a big spool of tin/lead solder left, I'm quite frugal with it and this technique falsely appears to be a bit wastful but I know it's not, as you feed extra in anyway, I'm glad you are getting all the credit you deserve, but you know other bigger channels will share this "secret of the pros" to further their viewing figures and not give you a mention, but that's the way this platform works sometimes, anyway thanks for sharing! 💁♂️👍
Definately legit. I use it when I need to, but it's not an advantage when you solder through-hole components as you only need two hands. Wasteful of solder? Not really as I used extra to demonstrate the process. In practice it's super quick no matter how much solder is used.
All this great feedback has made me decide to make a longer video for beginners and experts, with some unusual tricks developed over my last 60 years in electronics!
@@richardlangner I’ll subscribe for that since I’ve been making boards for my flight sim cockpit I’ll found soldering the most difficult still to acquire. I’ve no background in electronics but the coding is easy.
I started soldering as a child in the 70’s and thought I’d seen it all - apparently not! Great technique, I build valve hifi and guitar amps so this would be super useful for consistency but I should imagine even more so on >1Mhz circuits. Genius!
Local knowledge indeed. So you're not too far from Sheffield Hackspace, maybe call in sometime and say Hi! www.sheffieldhackspace.org.uk/ I am usually there Monday evenings or Saturdays.
Stopped because soldering the keyboard PCB boards can be a gatekeeping point. And here you just opened the gate! 👏👏👏 A seemingly slight shift, utilizing all the principles, and you've maximized your efforts. I'll use this, and pass your technique on. Thank you!
I stumbled on this a while ago, but didn't think it was particularly uncommon. Another fun method I sorted was to fill a desoldering bulb and inject solder into the site. I discovered this when dealing with arc solder materials that require higher temperature than the medium can handle. It can be uses to affix but also create a lower temperature alloy that is far easier to quickly manage.
Thanks - it may take a little practice to get it perfect, but well worth it. My 10 year old niece uses this method as a matter of course and finds it easy (she doesn't know it's not an everyday technique!).
I've always held the wire between thumb and 3rd finger, and the solder between 1st & 2nd fingers. I can feed the solder into the joint with a bit of nimble finger work, but this method seems much better, will definitely give it a go.
I just saw this video. It is a good video, short and to the point. Unfortunately, i have been doing both like this for many years now. I learned to feed the solder like that when I learned to braze copper pipes, you usually have a brazing rod, and used to also attach the rods together to make them longer as well. There .ust be something with the algorithm that has put you on many peoples lists recently. Anyway, i like the short and sweet videos like this, keep it up!
Thanks for that. Feeding the solder like that is pretty obvious and I thought everyone did it at the time (50+ years ago). They say great minds think alike!
Thanks for the feedback. I was teaching my 9 year-old neice to solder, and after only 2 hours she was up to C&G exam standard. Later I showed her this technique and it's now part of her skill set.
Yeah, I hear that sooo many times. My 10 year-old neice saw me doing this and copied (with a little help) and her soldering is now up to C&G standards. Not a teqhnique I use all the time, just another skill added to my skill-set.
Very nice! I have never seen it done like this but it makes absolute sense. And the results look very good. I have needed to refresh my meagre soldering skills recently - this may come in handy! Thank you for sharing! All the best, Rob in Switzerland
I'm a very occasional solderer(?) and I've done this before, frustration and lack of a helping hand led me to it but it never occurred to me that it's a legitimate technique. I still feel enlightened and somewhat validated to see it in this video.
For the past 50 years I wondered why such an obvious idea (to me) wasn't used by others as it saves so much time amd fumbling! I now use the technique on SMD but with thinner solder.
@@richardlangner wow I never thought of this technique, and after reading your comment I realize it didn’t cross my mind to use it for SMD soldering either. I do believe this is going to game changer for me and SMD components! Can’t wait to try it now.
@@jcughan It may take a bit of practice at first, and is more suitable for the larger SMD stuff like 1206, 0805 or 0603 sizes. For the smaller stuff like 2020 I use a different technique. Good luck!
Thanks for taking the time and effort of making this video, and for sharing Your knowledge. This "technique", like many other great tips and techniques, might seem simple and obvious once You have been shown, yet in all likelihood You would never have come up with it without someone graciously showing You. To me it's videos like this that makes TH-cam "worthwhile" Best regards.
Thanks for sharing. I am relatively new to the electronics hobby, have been using smd components and wires a lot since I have started. I have often used helping hands to hold fiddly wires and when doing repairs to things around the house. I appreciative having another method and skill in my tool box when working with wires.
I devised this method when I had to change the 20 or so wires on line-output-transformers and they were not 'through-hole' connections, One hand to hold the iron, a second to hold the wire in position, a third to feed the solder - but I hadn't grown a third hand at that time! Necessity was the mother of invention!
Propably not seen the method as I kept it to myself for 50 years! I thought it was so obvious that everyone must do it, but seaching the web revealed it was only me, so I made the video. Such a lot of feedback that I will make a video with some other super tips in the future.
I gave up on this long ago when I was getting poor connections and decided to buy those little Chinese terminals and solder those to the board, and just clamp the wires after putting Ferrules on the wires. Having now watched this I think I'll give it another shot, as the low footprint is often desired, thanks for the tip!
Those Chinese terminals are really poor quality, It's worth paying a little more to get quality, or take terminals of old equipment if you can. Good luck with the soldering.
Finally the algorithm turns up a video which is short and incredibly useful. I've been soldering for nearly 40 years, and did a proper apprenticeship back in the day. Done lots for work as well for hobby stuff. Never seen this before, and it should be a standard practice for everyone. Just a great tip that should be spread far and wide as it allows such precise control of the amount of solder and automates it without needing any additional equipment. Thanks for sharing this, I'll use it any time I do this kind of soldering in the future.
Thanks for the feedback. You may have seen some of my replies suggesting I will make a few more videos on skills I developed over the years. I've been soldering since 1962 so it comes naturally to me, so much that I didn't realise how my solder-autofeed worked until my friend analised it when he video'd me doing it. So definitely some basic videos coming soon, but different to the nornal on youtube.
@@vegsalad www.sheffieldhackspace.org.uk/ It would be good to see you again. The management folk have changed and we have a lot more woodworking equipment, and also a newer larger laser cutter. Oh and another 3D printer. Apart from that it's much the same, and still very welcoming. I'm normally there Monday evenings 6-9pm and Saturday afternoons 2-6pm. Graham usually attends on Monday evenings.
Been soldering for over 40 years since I was 10 years old and this has never occurred to me! This solves a lot. Compared to other "best" techniques this is easy, fast and doesn't require anything! You can learn tricks to old dogs, thanks!
Looking at the comments my technique has amazed many people, especially old-timers. Such kind remarks have inspired me to make another video about basic soldering skills and also to explain more of 'solder autofeed'.
This video is something you won't find when you are actively searching for it yourself. But only something that youtube will recommend you 5 years down the line.
Good technique!
Thanks. I made the video 2 years ago and it was features by Hackaday and Instructables (66k views - much better than youtube).
BTW love the hexspeak 0xDEAD name.
PHRASING 😂@@richardlangner
The algorithm serves again. It just showed up in my feed 😁.
I aree, very good Technique, thank you for showing!
So much utility in under 3 minutes. These are the tricks you have to be lucky to have the right instructor to learn from. Now, thanks to the internet, you are this instructor for all of us, tens of thousands of people! Thank you, Rich Langner, for your contribution!
Thanks, I'm glad you liked it and hopefully you'll find it useful. Feedback is appreciated.
@@richardlangner Found it useful as well; thank you!
Just Brilliant, thanks
@@graemecoad1044 Thanks for the feedback.
About eight years ago I watched a video on the "Absorber of Light" channel... he referred to the "University of TH-cam". You might not end up with any recognised qualifications, but I think he was dead right! 👍
That was great. Been soldering 40 years and learned something new.
Thanks for the feedback, other viewers have said similar. I'm planning to make another video with a few more tips.
I have used this method for decades, but never ever it occured to me to share it. You did it, and did it bloody well. The best tutorial style: short, focused and thorough. This is what YT should be used for.
Thank you for your kind comments!
It's really encouraging, and the huge amount of positive comments have encouraged me to make a followup video with the finer points and answers to questions.
OMG, I would have liked this video 10 times if I could. Short, informative, straight to the point. Thanks!
Thanks! Stay tuned for my desoldering video, it will be different form normal techniques.
YT pushed this video on me for over 2 weeks. And finally i watched it and it was 3 minutes of pure gold. I'm glad YT never gave up with this recommendation.
Thanks. I plan to follow up with a video on my general soldering techniques, including explaning the auto-feed method and how t avoids cold joints.
Looking forward to it!
Soldering for 50 years and I learned something new! Amazing! Thanks!
Thanks for the feedback.
Same here! 🙂
@@WillKemp : Ditto! 😜
70+ years for me. I've seen it all before... HANG ON A MINUTE, what did he just do? WOW!! 😮 👍 😜
Same here
Time Travelling from 2024: Freakin' brilliant! I'm going to steal this method. The last bit about pulling the wire casing back is awesome. Thanks much, and continued success!
Thanks for the feedback. More tips to come!
The Holy Grail of DIY content. You just shared an incredibly useful trick that you clearly learned from years of experience, and did so in a tiny fraction of the time most TH-camrs would have wasted.
TY 🙏🏻😊
Another video in the making to explain the finer points, coming soon.
Here I was thinking you needed a magic soldering iron. All I need is your technique. Also a big cheers to you for not making this a 15 minute video!
Thanks for the feedback. My videos start out quite long then I chop, chop, chop, speed things up, slow them down. Straight to the point, and no background music.
I'm preparing to make a video on my soldering techniques, and the use of matrix board, etc. If you want to suggest anything for it, please do.
@@richardlangner Yes props on your Production values. Most You tubers are really really bad and they all pick up terrible habits from each other.
You have a wonderful voice. I am such a stickler having been involved in Radio. You Sir are a Natural.
At 75 years old and making products for 25 years I never knew this just shows you never stop learning very nice and easy thanks
Indeed, every day is a learning day. Thanks for your comments.
👍🏻 Nearly same age, exactly same (missing) experience. Very clear instruction. I wished to know this some decades earlier! ❤️
Wow I've been a technician for 38 years and it never occurred to me to do this, Brilliant. Thank you so much.
Thanks for the feedback. Fifty years ago it seemed the obvious way to solve an old problem, and since making the video it made me realise it wasn’t so obvious to other engineers after all.
Thanks for your comment. I thought up this method in the 1970s - it was so obvious I thought everyone did it! I taught my 9yo niece to solder and she uses this method so naturally (to her it's normal).
I’ve been soldering on boards since the mid 70’s and have never seen this method. It’s absolute genius, thank you.
TH-cam has blessed me with this video. I will forever use this from now on, where applicable, of course. It's so genius that you would wonder why this isn't in every 101 video.
I'm so glad you liked the technique. I thought it up when I had to change line-output-transformers where the wires were not 'through-hole' connections, One hand to hold the iron, one to hold the wire in position, a third to feed the solder - but I hadn't grown a third hand at that time!
Necessity was the mother of invention.
I have been soldering for 46 years now. I will solder using this method from now on. Simple and with perfect results. Many thanks!
THIS IS INGENIOUS !
Take a bow sir, take a bow
In twenty years I've only left a comment on TH-cam maybe once or twice but this video needs to be seen by anyone who's ever picked up a soldering iron and learned to solder by making cubes from paperclips... before attempting it with copper wire and knows how different those tasks are by their fingertip burns 😊
Thanks I appreciate your comments.
That is the simplest and straightforward approach to soldering the majority of us never thought about. Thanks for the lesson! Regards from Brazil.
Thanks for the feedback.
The simplicity of this is ingenious. Thank you!
Glad you liked it, I am preparing a further video showing another tip to make this even easier!
@@richardlangner Thanks! Will definitely keep an eye out. 🙂
Wow. You are the kindest person on TH-cam. You just helped my soldering a huge amount
Been soldering for 60 years - that is a good way! 🙂
Thanks Steve. Perhaps you have some tips for me after all those years! I've only been soldering since the mid-1960s
Yep, this is going straight into my favorites. I would have NEVER in my life thought of doing this, now I'll never do it any other way.
Thank you so much, Richard!
I'm glad you like it. This is really for soldering to pads. No great advantage for through-hole components as they are already held in place and you then only need two hands.
Having said that it will be a very useful 'tool' to use when the needs arises. Thanks.
Leaving extra solder in the first step is a genius move. This will make my life much easier, thank you!
If genius == obvious, then yes!
I intend to make another video on soldering soon, showing why it works, and how to solder various stuff.
I have been soldering for 364 years and didnt know this. Thanks!
364 years is much more than my 62 years of soldering!
hoping the algorithm will make more people see it. thanks a lot!
I've been occasionally soldering since 1984. I've never seen this method, but wished I had. Super easy, really sensibly. Why haven't I thought of doing this. Brilliant 👍🏼
Thanks. In the 1970s I devised this way and thought everone must be doing it. How wrong I was. Anyway, the 'secret' is out. Hope it helps you.
I have taught over 100 apprentices electronics and have never seen this method of soldering. It is brilliant. Pity I am retired now, but I can still use it for myself
Thanks for the feedback. I taught City & Guilds practical skills in circuit construction for over 20 years, and may make another video with more tips and tricks.
Wow, that's really clever and simple. Gonna try it out for myself next time I'm soldering wires.
Thanks for the comments. I will be making a video soon to show the finer points and explain why this works so well, when to use it, and when not to.
I would have loved to have had this video recommended to me when it first came out. But now I know the technique for next time. Great video!
Thanks for the feedback. In a few weeks I intend to make another video explaining a bit more about the auto-feed method, and add in a bonus tip.
What the heck kind of wizardry is this!? Awesome. Been soldering for 40+ years. Never would have thought of this. Well done and thanks for sharing, good sir!
Great idea. Been soldering for 58 years, this technique would have been so handy.
So many comments like yours makes me glad I made the video. Thank you..
There are a few other techniques I use which will feature in future videos.
Oh my god, life changer! If you have got any more such videos in you, let them out!
Thanks for the feedback. Another soldering video to come, but in the meantime take a look at my videos on making front panels in a few minutes, measuring ultra low currents, a milliohm short circuit tester...
Where were you 50 years ago!!!
That’s an incredible trick and it’s now burned in to my brain forever.
Thank you for your wonderful trick.
Thanks, 50 years ago I thought it was so obvious and everyone did it. Turns out, no.
I hope to do a few more videos with other tips.
@@richardlangnerPlease do!
I don't do much soldering but this will be incredibly useful
Wish I’d watched this before all the soldering I did on my project this weekend was. Will have to try it out next time.
Loved the trick, thanks from Colombia, South America
Thanks for the comment.
Thanks Rich. Game changer. I've been soldering for 40 years and I'm switching to your method immediately. I told all my friends, and they're all going to adopt your technique.
THE LANGNER METHOD.
Instant classic, even though it should have been discovered 40 years ago!
Actually I've been using this method since the early 1970s, and way back I taught it to students at Chesterfield College, and recently to members of Sheffield Hackspace. The technique only needs to be used if you need a third hand (and haven't grown it yet) - for through-hole it is not needed as everything should be held in place.
THE LANGNER METHOD : I like it!
As my name is often spelled wrongly without the second 'n', and I often joke that if there were a 'd' on the end it may be more appropriate!
I intend to make another video on soldering soon.
I have a question. I have been told that unless both pieces of metal are heated enough to melt the solder on their own, without the iron touching it, you are creating a "cold solder" that will be prone to fail later on: there needs to be enough heat to create an actual chemical bond between the different materials.
Since you have been using and teaching this method, I will assume it's safe for me to use it in my extremely sparse events of soldering. But I would really appreciate your thoughts? Am I good to go if I place a cold cord on the contact with molten solder and allow the solder to solidify? Or do I need to get it to a specific temperature?
I'm glad to have found your video: have a cord that needs replacing. :)
@@BjornMinou I will have to make another video showing the finer points of the 'Langner method' as someone called it.
But for now, if you watch the video carefully you will see that 'cold' joints are impossible.
Creating the solder leg is part of the pad's tinning process. I assume you have already tinned the wire.
To make the joint, the iron presses the wire onto the pad. The wire heats up, which in turn heats the pad, the pad heats up and melts the solder, so actually the pad and wire are at a higher temperature than the solder. Only when this occurs does the solder melt.
Does this answer your question?
@@richardlangner It does. You are tinning both parts, the pad and the wire, separately as a first step. If we didn't tin the wire, we could get a cold solder. Now the solder is already gripping onto the metal of both parts, so we almost only need the solder of each part to fuse. So the temperature only needs to melt the solder, but you additionally add heat and pressure by holding the wire down with the soldering iron. I feel convinced. Tin you wires! :)
I was also told: melt some solder onto the iron before you begin, "to work with". I now know better. The blob of solder on your iron will rapidly finish off the fluss, and start to oxidize, and won't melt into a pretty little mound like yours but will be a flaky unsightly mess. Your method keeps the fluss extra well because it's so instantaneous. I like it.
@@BjornMinou Before soldering, I tin the iron, then clean it, then tin it very slightly. If the iron is perfectly free of solder the heat will not transfer easily as the point of contact will be small (assuming a flat iron and a round wire). The solder on the iron will mould itself around the wire creating a greater area on contact, and hence better heat transfer.
Yup, definately another video needed here!
Thanks for the feedback, it's good to know what people need.
Amazing technique! For this exact application it's just perfect. Why isn't this more commonly known?!
Thanks for sharing!! 🤗
Thanks for the feedback. It's very encouraging - maybe more videos on soldering coming in a month or so.
Great tips, simple and yet clever. Thanks, from Texas.
Thanks! More soldering tips to come.
After 50 years of soldering (seriously) , I discover a new technique. I take my hat off to you.
Brilliant. Thank you for sharing.
I devised this method around 50 years ago as I had to regularly change line-output-transformers where the wire needed no mechanical strength, and thought it was so obvious that everyone must be doing it. Judging by the massive response on Instructables (www.instructables.com/Soldering-Wires-Heres-a-Better-Way) I was wrong!
@@richardlangner I learnt long ago to manipulate 3 things with two hands. The circuit board is fixed (with a vice or otherwise). With one hand I feed solder while holding a tinned and fluxed lead (each via separate finger pairs, while the other hand feeds the tinned soldering iron.
It becomes very natural to do this but it becomes apparent that it is a learnt skill because it's not easily taught.
@@richardlangner The way the link is posted includes the trailing ")" which makes it invalid and gets a 404. Just remove the ) and all is good 😉
I grew up working in my families electronics shop in the 70s-90s and electronics has always been a hobby. I have never seen that technique before, very slick. Thanks for sharing it !
What the… what?! This should be taught everywhere.. good one! Thanks!!
Awesome, been soldering since before my teenage years and never thought of this, genius!
Glad you liked it. More tips to come.
@richardlangner starting work in under two hours, will be trying this out, see if I can't imporve the soldering of my coworkers with it.
This is actually pretty incredible
Thanks!
Wow! Definitely worth the watch, thank you!
Thanks! Appreciated.
How I never thought of this before? I used to put some solder on my mouth, bite it and use it as a third arm. Nice.
A great way to get lead poisoning!
Me too. Solder in mouth, balancing it on the desk,all sorts. Then I thought of this very obvious idea.
I've never seen that solder technique before, despite several decades in the electronics industry! It will be my go-to from now on.
You don't need this for through-hole stuff, as it is mechanically held together and you don't need an extra hand. But I find myself using it in other senarios. And remember to use less solder than I did - this was a demo - I normally use a lot less and solder quicker.
Just learned soldering, this is definitely going in the back of my mind next time I do work
Thanks for the feedback, watch out for my next soldering video where I expalin a few more things.
great techniques, quickly and effectively taught!
I've done something similar, by laying the "right" length of solder on the pad, and starting soldering at the long end, but your method doesn't need any space past the pad, so it's definitely better in most cases!
THX!
I'm really pleased to help.
This is the best content on YT. Direct after cat videos.
Made me smile, thanks.
Seems legit, can't wait to try it, I'm an occasional soldering hobbyist who's lucky enough to still have quite a big spool of tin/lead solder left, I'm quite frugal with it and this technique falsely appears to be a bit wastful but I know it's not, as you feed extra in anyway, I'm glad you are getting all the credit you deserve, but you know other bigger channels will share this "secret of the pros" to further their viewing figures and not give you a mention, but that's the way this platform works sometimes, anyway thanks for sharing! 💁♂️👍
Definately legit. I use it when I need to, but it's not an advantage when you solder through-hole components as you only need two hands.
Wasteful of solder? Not really as I used extra to demonstrate the process. In practice it's super quick no matter how much solder is used.
Thanks for putting this on TH-cam it’s great to learn from your experience and try and emulate your skill, soldering isn’t easy.
All this great feedback has made me decide to make a longer video for beginners and experts, with some unusual tricks developed over my last 60 years in electronics!
@@richardlangner I’ll subscribe for that since I’ve been making boards for my flight sim cockpit I’ll found soldering the most difficult still to acquire. I’ve no background in electronics but the coding is easy.
Wow! As a hobbyist I do occational soldering and I often struggle with it. These tips will definitely help me... Thank you Rich!
Glad to help.
This is very helpful to us two handed folk. Thanks
Yup, When I only had two hands back in the day, it came in quite useful!
This is beautiful! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience.
I'm so glad you found it useful.
What a great idea! I’ll definitely be using this, thanks for taking the time to make this video and share it with all of us!
I started soldering as a child in the 70’s and thought I’d seen it all - apparently not! Great technique, I build valve hifi and guitar amps so this would be super useful for consistency but I should imagine even more so on >1Mhz circuits. Genius!
Thanks
Very concise and clear, thank you!
this is incredibly mind blowing yet extremely simple
Thanks!
Nice tutorial. Also I’m only a few towns away from Sheffield between Doncaster and Rotherham so happy to see it is local knowledge 😍
Local knowledge indeed. So you're not too far from Sheffield Hackspace, maybe call in sometime and say Hi!
www.sheffieldhackspace.org.uk/
I am usually there Monday evenings or Saturdays.
Stopped because soldering the keyboard PCB boards can be a gatekeeping point. And here you just opened the gate! 👏👏👏 A seemingly slight shift, utilizing all the principles, and you've maximized your efforts. I'll use this, and pass your technique on. Thank you!
Remember to use less solder than in my demo. And solder quicker - I will do a follow-up video showing the finer points.
The more you know. Good one, sir. Certainly gonna give it a try
I stumbled on this a while ago, but didn't think it was particularly uncommon. Another fun method I sorted was to fill a desoldering bulb and inject solder into the site. I discovered this when dealing with arc solder materials that require higher temperature than the medium can handle. It can be uses to affix but also create a lower temperature alloy that is far easier to quickly manage.
Gotta love finding useful info thats straight to the point. Cant wait to try these techniques thanks a lot mate.
Thanks - it may take a little practice to get it perfect, but well worth it. My 10 year old niece uses this method as a matter of course and finds it easy (she doesn't know it's not an everyday technique!).
I've always held the wire between thumb and 3rd finger, and the solder between 1st & 2nd fingers. I can feed the solder into the joint with a bit of nimble finger work, but this method seems much better, will definitely give it a go.
Just as so many others have commented, I thought I had nothing left to learn with this task. I stand amazed. Thank you, brother. ☮️❤️🌈
Thank you sir, for your comment. After a bit of practice I found this technique useful on the larger SMD parts too.
I’ve never soldered in my life and now I’m an expert and I’ve only watched the video
You made me smile
Oh this is good. Going to try it on my next project. My day is just a bit nicer, learning something new!
It takes a little practice *not* to feed solder onto the iron, but easily learned.
Priceless. Absolutely priceless. Thank you so much.
I am truely amazed how clever this is! Thank you so so much!
Thank you.
I am invested into this video.
Thanks. I used this method again today when I needed a third hand.
I don't always need it for normal soldering when wires are fixed mechanically.
I just saw this video. It is a good video, short and to the point. Unfortunately, i have been doing both like this for many years now. I learned to feed the solder like that when I learned to braze copper pipes, you usually have a brazing rod, and used to also attach the rods together to make them longer as well. There .ust be something with the algorithm that has put you on many peoples lists recently. Anyway, i like the short and sweet videos like this, keep it up!
Thanks for that. Feeding the solder like that is pretty obvious and I thought everyone did it at the time (50+ years ago). They say great minds think alike!
One of my best used 3min on TH-cam
I am about to try this tomorrow
So helpful so quickly. And just when I was starting to do electronics. Thank you.
Thats a really cleaver idea. I usually use silicon wire if i have to solder wire to a proto/perf board just so the insulation doesn't melt on me
Oh. How can something this simple and clever stay hidden for so long? This is brilliant! Thanks!
This is some game changing mind blowing stuff, thank you for sharing!
Thanks, it's nice to have made a change.
this method is total genius! As a beginner I must try this out
Thanks! I glad my method has helped you.
I was surprised to see such a useful soldering technique. I will definitely try it next time I solder.
Thanks for the feedback. I was teaching my 9 year-old neice to solder, and after only 2 hours she was up to C&G exam standard. Later I showed her this technique and it's now part of her skill set.
I tin both parts, wires first so they cool, then dip wires in flux, then sweat them together. No extra solder needed.
Thanks.
I wish I had seen this 40 years ago.
Yeah, I hear that sooo many times.
My 10 year-old neice saw me doing this and copied (with a little help) and her soldering is now up to C&G standards. Not a teqhnique I use all the time, just another skill added to my skill-set.
Seems like a great idea~~ I’ll definitely try it out next time. Thanks!
The insulation part was very helpful to me, thank you!
I'm glad you found it useful. It's the obvious ideas which aren't always obvious!
Very nice! I have never seen it done like this but it makes absolute sense. And the results look very good. I have needed to refresh my meagre soldering skills recently - this may come in handy! Thank you for sharing! All the best, Rob in Switzerland
Thanks Rob. Feedback is appreciated.
I'm a very occasional solderer(?) and I've done this before, frustration and lack of a helping hand led me to it but it never occurred to me that it's a legitimate technique. I still feel enlightened and somewhat validated to see it in this video.
For the past 50 years I wondered why such an obvious idea (to me) wasn't used by others as it saves so much time amd fumbling!
I now use the technique on SMD but with thinner solder.
@@richardlangner wow I never thought of this technique, and after reading your comment I realize it didn’t cross my mind to use it for SMD soldering either. I do believe this is going to game changer for me and SMD components! Can’t wait to try it now.
@@jcughan It may take a bit of practice at first, and is more suitable for the larger SMD stuff like 1206, 0805 or 0603 sizes. For the smaller stuff like 2020 I use a different technique. Good luck!
@@richardlangner A different technique by hand? Or do you mean using a reflow oven or hot plate - something like that?
@@jcughan By hand of course! I may do a video when I have time.
Thanks for taking the time and effort of making this video, and for sharing Your knowledge.
This "technique", like many other great tips and techniques, might seem simple and obvious once You have been shown, yet in all likelihood You would never have come up with it without someone graciously showing You.
To me it's videos like this that makes TH-cam "worthwhile"
Best regards.
Thanks, sometimes the obvious isn't.
Brilliant! Absolutely Brilliant! Greetings from New Mexico!
Thanks, Feedback much appreciated.
I wish that I had seen this a few years ago when I started soldering. I'll be using this technique 'til the day I die for sure.
Thanks for the feedback. With very thin solder I use this method on SMD parts now, but it takes a bit of practice.
Thanks for sharing. I am relatively new to the electronics hobby, have been using smd components and wires a lot since I have started. I have often used helping hands to hold fiddly wires and when doing repairs to things around the house. I appreciative having another method and skill in my tool box when working with wires.
Good luck with your future projects. I intend to make a video with more soldering skills and tips. Subscribe etc..
Very nice.
I am using a similar technique with the outer insulation of power cables.
You... you... you've changed my life.
I devised this method when I had to change the 20 or so wires on line-output-transformers and they were not 'through-hole' connections, One hand to hold the iron, a second to hold the wire in position, a third to feed the solder - but I hadn't grown a third hand at that time! Necessity was the mother of invention!
WoW. The first time ever I've seen this method. Really helpful. Thanks, I will try!
Propably not seen the method as I kept it to myself for 50 years! I thought it was so obvious that everyone must do it, but seaching the web revealed it was only me, so I made the video. Such a lot of feedback that I will make a video with some other super tips in the future.
I gave up on this long ago when I was getting poor connections and decided to buy those little Chinese terminals and solder those to the board, and just clamp the wires after putting Ferrules on the wires. Having now watched this I think I'll give it another shot, as the low footprint is often desired, thanks for the tip!
Those Chinese terminals are really poor quality, It's worth paying a little more to get quality, or take terminals of old equipment if you can. Good luck with the soldering.
@@richardlangner You're not wrong. I had really bad ones on my first 3D Printer, Anet A8 which was basically a fire waiting to happen.
Finally the algorithm turns up a video which is short and incredibly useful. I've been soldering for nearly 40 years, and did a proper apprenticeship back in the day. Done lots for work as well for hobby stuff. Never seen this before, and it should be a standard practice for everyone. Just a great tip that should be spread far and wide as it allows such precise control of the amount of solder and automates it without needing any additional equipment. Thanks for sharing this, I'll use it any time I do this kind of soldering in the future.
Thanks for the feedback. You may have seen some of my replies suggesting I will make a few more videos on skills I developed over the years. I've been soldering since 1962 so it comes naturally to me, so much that I didn't realise how my solder-autofeed worked until my friend analised it when he video'd me doing it.
So definitely some basic videos coming soon, but different to the nornal on youtube.
Very cool! Thanks! Definitely going to start using this method.
This is a fantastic technique, thank you for sharing.
Thanks Anthony. I make videos for fun and to help people. But the best bit is the feedback - the comments below about my technique have amazed me!
Wow been soldering for almost 50 years and never seen this or thought of it, but will be trying it out today.
I taught this to my 10 year-old neice who found it easy, and she does it as a matter of course on PCB pads with no holes.
Are you the same David Glass who was a member of Sheffield Hackspace?
@@richardlangnerthe same is hackspace still running? Pm me with details if so.
@@vegsalad www.sheffieldhackspace.org.uk/
It would be good to see you again. The management folk have changed and we have a lot more woodworking equipment, and also a newer larger laser cutter. Oh and another 3D printer. Apart from that it's much the same, and still very welcoming.
I'm normally there Monday evenings 6-9pm and Saturday afternoons 2-6pm. Graham usually attends on Monday evenings.
Been soldering for over 40 years since I was 10 years old and this has never occurred to me! This solves a lot. Compared to other "best" techniques this is easy, fast and doesn't require anything! You can learn tricks to old dogs, thanks!
Looking at the comments my technique has amazed many people, especially old-timers. Such kind remarks have inspired me to make another video about basic soldering skills and also to explain more of 'solder autofeed'.
What a random gem. Thanks!
Amazing, I'm definitely going to try it!