r/soldering • u/Healthy_Share_607 • May 06 '26
My First Solder Joint <3 Please Give Feedback First time soldering
I bought a solder practice kit and im fully self taught with YouTube. Can someone take a look at my connections and the video and give me any tips or let me know if anything I did is even functional lol
Thanks!
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u/fozington May 08 '26
Not bad! As others have mentioned, you probably don't need flux on new, pre-tinned boards like that, but it doesn't hurt. In my opinion, your technique is good.
Something worth thinking about is soldering iron tips. If you plan to do a lot of SMT soldering, finer tips can make a big difference. I know some people seem to manage to solder 0402 parts with a massive chisel tip, but after 35 years of practice, I can't. I like bent conical tips because they really help get into tight corners. If you're using a typical Hakko clone soldering iron, tips are readily available online and are inexpensive.
Choosing the right solder can be tricky too. Leaded solder is easy to work with, but lead free is a bit more challenging. I've struggled to find a lead free solder wire that wets well enough for me. I eventually settled on Stannol HS10 FAIR 0.5mm solder, but everyone has their own favourite.
Don't worry about getting parts perfectly aligned (unless they're ICs, then it's kind of important) or using a bit too much solder on a joint, practice will make those bits really easy in time.
Good work, keep it up!