Soldering Techniques

This free introductory soldering course on the Tinker Tailor website aims to equip absolute beginners with the fundamental knowledge and a successful first soldering experience, covering essential tools, safety precautions, and simple soldering exercises (wire-to-wire, protoboard). We encourage further learning by later enrolling in the more in-depth topics and slower pace offered in the premium soldering course available on Patreon (soldering practice with microcontrollers, making your own clips and connectors, and other tips and tricks).

 By providing a helpful start, the course intends to inspire you to develop your soldering skills for electronics and wearable tech projects.

Course Details

Instructor

Christine Farion

Level

Beginner

Duration

4.5 Hours of practice 😊

Type

Self Guided
Launching Soon

This is an intro course; to access it you need to use the code:

SolderWithTinker

The course opens May 5th 2025 : https://www.tinkertailor.tech/soldering-technique-free-course/

Course Content

Welcome and What is Soldering?

A brief introduction to why soldering is important for electronics and wearable tech projects.

◦ Demystifying Soldering: Briefly explain the purpose of solder and flux.
◦ This is a short intro, and a more in-depth course is available for those wanting to master the skill.

 

Essential Tools for Beginners (Keep it Simple!)

We have a brief look at the essentials to get you started. 

◦ Soldering Iron: Recommend a basic, affordable beginner iron. You don’t need the most expensive equipment to start, but you do need to take care of it!
◦ Solder: A look at the type of solder to use (e.g., lead-free, rosin-core).
◦ Sponge: What is its purpose in cleaning the soldering iron tip.
◦ A mention of Solder sucker/desoldering braid (for fixing mistakes, which will be covered more in the paid course).

 

Safety First!

Important things to consider when we solder.
We discuss:
◦  Working in a Well-Ventilated Area: the importance of fume extraction or good airflow.
◦ Wearing Safety Glasses: Protect your eyes from solder splatter.
◦ Handling a Hot Soldering Iron: Emphasize caution and avoiding touching the tip.

◦ Briefly mention safe disposal of solder scraps.
Your first solder joint

Your First Solder Joint: Wire to Wire | Proto board with resistors for practice

◦ Preparation: Show how to “tin” the soldering iron tip.
◦ Tinning Wires: Demonstrate how to apply a small amount of solder to the exposed ends of two wires.
◦ Making the Connection: Show how to heat both tinned wires together and apply a small amount of solder to create a secure joint.
◦ Visual Inspection: Explain what a good solder joint looks like (shiny, smooth, cone-shaped) and what a bad one looks like (cold joint, blobby).

 

Quick Tips for Success

◦ Cleanliness is Key: Clean your iron tip and the components you are soldering.

◦ Heat Transfer: Ensure both parts being joined are adequately heated.

◦ Don’t Use Too Much Solder: A small amount is usually sufficient.

◦ Practice Makes Perfect: don’t be discouraged by initial attempts.

Next Steps: Unlock More Soldering Secrets!

◦ A brief introduction to the topics covered in the premium Patreon soldering course:

▪ Detailed tool breakdown and recommendations.

▪ Soldering different types of components (e.g., through-hole LEDs, wires to circuit boards , making your own wire ends and connectors).

▪ Advanced techniques, tips, and tricks for stronger and neater joints.

▪ Troubleshooting common soldering mistakes in detail.

▪ Working with different types of solder and flux.

▪ Solderless techniques vs. soldering (a brief touch upon when each might be useful in wearables).

Motivation for taking this course

Soldering has a huge connection to wearable tech projects. Having soldering skills will enable you to create more complex and durable wearable projects, beyond just sewing with conductive thread.

Patreon

Please have a look at the Patreon page for the full, in-depth soldering course – if you enjoyed this free introduction and want to further develop your  skills.

Benefits of supporting my work on Patreon includes access to more tutorials, exclusive content, conversations about components and discounts from Tinker Tailor too!

Also – your support allows me to create more prototypes, make more tutorials, and makes me happy! 

What’s Included

45 minutes of Video Instruction

Written Information

Checklist of tools

Requirements

A Positive Attitude and Patience: Learning a new skill takes time and practice. A willingness to try and not be discouraged by initial attempts is very important.
• Access to the Course Materials: This would include viewing the course content on the Tinker Tailor website (text, images, and videos, if applicable).
• A Basic Soldering Iron: used for a very simple demonstration and to try a practice exercise afterward. Pencil Soldering Irons are recommended for a beginner, I still use one at times – these connect directly into a wall socket and don’t have an adjustable temperature.
• Solder: Similarly, having a small amount of appropriate solder (e.g., lead-free, rosin-core) available is necessary if you choose to engage with a practice exercise.
• A Sponge (or damp cloth): For cleaning the soldering iron tip, usually with a holder for the solder iron.
• Safety Glasses: the importance of eye protection, even for a brief practice.
• A Well-Ventilated Area: Understanding the need for this is crucial for safety.
• Two Pieces of Wire to Practice On (Optional but Recommended for Hands-On Learning), or a protoboard / resistors.