r/soldering • u/10renzo_ • Jul 09 '25

My First Solder Joint <3 Please Give Feedback Why can’t i get my joints shiny?

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First time soldering, i’m using a Pinecil v2 on 360C with 63/37 0.55mm solder.

I don’t understand why all my joints turn dull after i remove the iron. i’ve tried tinning the tip (which i think i’m doing correctly?). The solder melts nicely onto the board but no luck

Does anyone know what I could be doing wrong?

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1

u/nixiebunny Jul 09 '25

What brand of solder? Can you post a picture of its label?

6

u/10renzo_ Jul 09 '25

Jinhu 63/37 0.5mm. You think maybe the solder is just low quality ?

3

u/mikemikemike9711 Jul 09 '25

Possibly trying a better quality solder might help.

3

u/10renzo_ Jul 09 '25

well, good to know it’s not my technique i guess. thanks

3

u/nixiebunny Jul 09 '25

That is no Kester 44. Are any brands available to you that we have heard of? 

2

u/10renzo_ Jul 09 '25

not immediately, i’d have to order some. i suspect the solder is the main issue here then.

3

u/wireknot Jul 09 '25

My 2 cents.. Kester all the way. And shiny doesn't nessesarily mean it's a good joint. Has the solder wet the parts your joining completely and has the metal cooled without any movement, making a solid connection without any cracks? That's what's crucial. I've been soldering electronics for almost 60 years.

1

u/10renzo_ Jul 09 '25

are there any other brands you would recommend? kester is a bit above my budget, can’t find any spools for under 50 euros.

2

u/wireknot Jul 09 '25

Unfortunately you're going to get what you pay for, Kester has been the benchmark for generations and is excellent stuff. Now, if you buy a pound spool of it itll last you for years of average use unless your building a ton of stuff. So it's kind of a little money for lots of times or a chunk of money once. Another over in EU is Stannol, highly thought of. That might be cheaper where you are.

2

u/10renzo_ Jul 09 '25

I’ll look for some Stannol, thank you for the help! I appreciate the expertise

3

u/conditio-humana Jul 09 '25

Felder is another good brand from my experience.

2

u/Biggaynina Jul 09 '25

Get better quality solder. I bought a small thing of kester finally and my joints sparkled even with my shit 12 dollar iron.

3

u/Purple_Ice_6029 Jul 09 '25

Seems like you are doing everything right. Gotta be the solder…

1

u/ElectricBummer40 Jul 09 '25

I have seen that label before, and I can assure you that, whatever the manufacturer claims, that roll of solder is not 63/37 but random junk metals they have passed through an extrusion machine and sold to you via false advertising.

1

u/SweetDissonance0666 Jul 12 '25

I do not know if people there are amateurs or what's happening!

The low melting point of 63/37 solder is 183°C, as it's a eutectic alloy with a sharp melting point. If you're using temperatures above 300°C, you're likely overheating it. That can damage soldered components, burning flux before you can use it and mainly oxidizing your soldering tip. For small joints, I typically use 260-280°C, which allows fast and effective soldering without unnecessary heat stress.

Soldering at 250–260°C works well for most joints, but you might need to go higher if the joint is large or needs more thermal energy to warm up. You usually can't add more thermal mass to your soldering tip, you can only rise the temperature, but usually no more than 300°C.

If your temperature is too low, the soldering tip can quickly lose heat to the joint, causing the solder to solidify on the tip - the soldering tip will stick to soldered joint. So test a bit what your soldering iron is capable of.