Silver solder--what wattage soldering iron?

When I learned electronics in the 60's, acid flux was a no-no for electronics. It would cause corrosion in the weeks following the solder operation. Acid was for plumbing only.

I struggled with the same problem when I had a 40 watt Radio Shack soldering iron. A 25 watt Weller made an enormous difference. It seemed hotter despite a lower watt rating. If you plan to do more projects, get a better soldering iron. You'll save yourself a lot of time and cursing. I've heard excellent comments about this $15 station from Parts Express:

Stahl Tools Variable Temperature Soldering Station

Mingles, that one even looks like a Weller. For that price it would be hard to beat. It would be nice if it had a temp readout, but that would probably drive the cost up. :-) Heck, that would make a great backup iron.

Yep, I had one of those Rat Shack irons a while back. It is not the power rating that makes it not perform, it is just a cheap tool. I found it required longer contact time to heat anything up, then found that the soft material the tip is made from doesn't last very long and they don't sell replacement tips for it. I mean the tip literally burned away to a stub. In honesty, the poor thing was probably overworked with all of the projects I've done in the last few years.

With cartridge clips and fine wire you want something that will do the job fast so there is less chance of the heat traveling. Just my .02 based on my experiences.

I can highly recommend the Cardas silver solder. I bought it from Michael Percy Audio, but it can be found other places. The Cardas solder does seem to take a bit more heat, but once it begins to flow it works beautifully.

Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. I finally got the clips soldered, after spending the day trying 3 different soldering irons (2 40W ones and one 15W/30W). The solder ended up flowing fine using the dual wattage iron on the 30W setting. The enclosed ends of the clips where the wires attach ended up getting completely filled with solder---I ended up applying the solder quite liberally to make sure I got a good weld. Which brings me to the next question---is it possible to have *too much* solder on a cartridge clip? I've since remounted the arm on the table and everything sounds as it should, so apparently my solder joints are competent, but still I wonder if the amount of solder has any effect on the sound (typical audiophile nervosa question)...in any case the whole ordeal was a major PITA and I have no plans on soldering again any time soon...wonder if I should've just gotten that Incognito rewire afterall...;) Will

is it possible to have *too much* solder on a cartridge clip? I've since remounted the arm on the table and everything sounds as it should, so apparently my solder joints are competent, but still I wonder if the amount of solder has any effect on the sound

Will, as long as the joints are good, a little extra solder won't harm the sound. For what it's worth, the Incognito requires soldering the cartridge clips.