Soldering - General

The use of a temperature-regulated soldering iron is always recommended for strain gage soldering. This is particularly critical when soldering is to be done on unbonded gages. Unbonded gages have less capacity to dissipate soldering heat.

Soldering stations having variable heat control should be adjusted to a tip-temperature high enough to allow quick melting of the solder without vaporizing the flux or hindering proper cleaning and tinning of the iron tip. Note: On Mark V and Mark VIII Soldering Units , this adjustment is automatically accomplished by turning heat selection on the front panel to the range of the solder being used.

When using soldering irons without heat controls, they should be powered through a variable transformer. A setting of 70 to 75% of line voltage is a good starting position for adjusting tip temperature.

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