MIL Soldering Iron SOP

SAFETY: Safety glasses should be worn at all times when using this equipment. Long hair or other items that may get tangled should be removed or tied back. Keep hands away from the heated iron tip. Assure all flammables are out of the area and that the iron is turned off. If you drop the iron, do not attempt to catch it; let it fall and then pick it up by the insulated end.

1. Do not assume the iron is cool even if no one else seems to have used it in a while. You should never grab the iron by the metal end.
2. Be sure the plug to the iron is plugged into the white power timer, which limits power to 30 minute intervals in order to assure you cannot forget and leave the iron on.
3. Assure all flammables are cleared away from the iron’s vicinity and that the iron is secured in its holder.
4. Press the power button on the power timer.
5. Turn the switch on on the iron’s control base.
6. Wait 2 min for the iron to heat up to a proper temperature.  This may depend on the age of the tip and you may test to see if it can melt a small amount of solder before increasing the temperature.
7. On one of the wires you’re joining, put shrink tubing insulation slightly longer than the length of the joint that you will be making and use tubing that is about twice the diameter of the wire you’re using.
8. Use the helping hands to position the two pieces of metal together that you wish to join.
9. Use the iron to heat up those two pieces of metal for at least 3 seconds. Then start feeding solder into the junction between the two metals and the iron. If the wires are too cold before applying molten solder, you may form a superficial connection that may eventually fail.
10. Put the iron in its holder and pull the wires to assure you made a good connection.
11. Slide the shrink tubing over the joint and use the heat gun or the soldering iron to shrink the tubing until it snugly covers all exposed conductive material.
12. Turn off the iron, and assure it’s in its holder to cool.