Pro tip: I was using the wrong solder gauge for through-hole work this whole time

I've been repairing circuit boards for like 3 years now and always struggled with getting clean joints on through-hole components. They'd either look all blobby or I'd end up with bridges between pads. Last week I was watching a repair video from this shop in Detroit and the guy mentioned he only uses 0.032 inch solder for through-hole stuff. I'd been using 0.020 this whole time because I figured thinner meant finer control. Turns out the smaller gauge just burns off flux faster and makes you chase the joint. Switched to the thicker stuff and my first board came out way cleaner with less effort. Has anyone else dealt with choosing the wrong solder size for different kinds of work?

2 comments

2 Comments

phoenixgonzalez1mo ago

Same thing happened to me, 0.020 was a nightmare until I finally tried 0.032 and it was night and day.

noahclark1mo ago

My buddy had the same thing with guitar strings, went from 9 gauge to 10s and suddenly his fingers didn't hurt during practice. It's like that with a lot of stuff, you try the common size or setting first because that's what everyone recommends but it's not matching how you actually use it. Coffee grind size, shoe width, even the gap on spark plugs. There's this sweet spot that feels right for your specific setup and once you hit it everything else feels wrong. I think we just get stuck in the default and don't realize the small tweak is the answer.