When soldering, you use a hot soldering pencil or gun, working with temperatures in excess of 700 degrees Fahrenheit. To get an idea of what that temperature means, it’s the same as an electric stove burner set at high heat. You can imagine how much that hurts if you touch it. Most electronic projects or fix-it jobs call for a soldering pencil rather than those big soldering guns, however when performing small work a fine tip high heat station can be more suitable.
Keep the following safety tips in mind:
Always place your soldering pencil in a stand designed for the job.
Never place the hot soldering pencil directly on a table or workbench. You can easily start a fire or burn your hands that way.
Be sure that the electrical cord doesn’t snag on the table or any other object. Otherwise, the hot soldering pencil can get yanked out of its stand and fall to the ground. Or worse, right into your lap!
Soldering produces mildly caustic and toxic fumes. Make sure that your electronics workshop has good ventilation to prevent a buildup of these fumes. Avoid hunching over the soldering work because the fumes can waft into your face. Yuck. If you’re having trouble seeing the soldering
joint at a distance, use a magnifying glass to enlarge the image of the work.
If your soldering pencil has an adjustable temperature control, dial the recommended setting for the kind of solder that you’re using.
If you’re concerned about stunting your growth and other health issues, you may want to avoid solders that have lead in them. As an alternative, you can use lead-free rosin-core solder specifically designed for use on electronic equipment.
Never use silver solder or acid-flux solder in electronics, by the way. They wreck your circuits.
Don’t try to solder on a live circuit — a circuit to which you’ve applied voltage. You run the risk of damaging the circuit or the soldering pencil, and you may receive a nasty shock.
Never grab a soldering pencil as it falls to the ground. Just let it hit, and buy a new one if the pencil is damaged. There’s an unwritten Murphy’s Law in electronics that you will always grab the hot end. Trust me, a burn from a hot soldering pencil is something you don’t ever want to experience.
