Soldering issue on TLA-1

Hi everyone

I am having a problem with the wiring of my TLA-1 and need some help.

I had no problems wiring the jack, or the hot wires for the pick-ups. However, I am having all sorts of problems wiring the ground wires to the pot.

I have sanded the pot to ensure there is something for the solder to adhere to , but no luck. I no that i am meant to heat the wore and let the heat of the wore melt the solder, but it just seems that I am melting the wire. In any event, I can't get it to adhere to the pot.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I running out of solder...

Any alternatives would also be appreciated.

Thanks
Mark

How many watts is your soldering iron? And what kind of tip does it have?

If it's under 40w you're going to have trouble heating the back of a pot adequately to get the solder to flow. Even with a 40w iron, it takes a long time and it may not flow very evenly. Also, a chisel tip is better for heating up pot casings than a pencil tip.

The first rule of soldering is "heat the object, not the solder". I know people get worried about ruining the pot with too much heat, but it would take an enormous amount of heat to actually do that, and if you have a soldering iron that puts out that kind of heat, you've got bigger problems!

So, if you have at least a 40w iron, just be patient. Hold it on the back of the pot in one place don't keep moving it around or taking it on & off. If will eventually get the case hot enough that the solder will flow when you touch it to the case and the tip simultaneously. (not just the tip itself)

I've been doing this a while and my soldering skills could still improve, but I've seen work from guys that have truly turned it into an art-form and they make it look effortless. So my point is, keep practising. It takes time if you haven't done it before or don't do it often.

Hope this helps.

I sometimes put a bit of solder onto the tip when I start heating an object to form a thermal bridge. My theory is that if you put the tip straight onto the dry joint, the thermal conductivity will be poor. Putting a bit of solder on there solves this.

Thank you McCreed and Dwubyd for your responses, which were invaluable.

I was only using a small hobby soldering iron, but I have now sorted the issue.

I have posted pics of the completed guitar in my build diary.

Thanks Again.

Cheers
Mark