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Not to reveal my true newbieness, but what is a solder pot?

Thanks for the hint ofb... I'll try that.

literally a wee pot of simmering solder. come in a variety of sizes. ideal for stripping magnet wire, but i think i'd want a fume hood to go with one.

http://www.hakkousa.com/Products/96/96.htm

Since we're on the subject of solder pots at this point, does anyone know if you can plate little PCBs in a solder pot? I understand the physical limitations imposed by size.

I have tried the plating chemicals, and it's a real drag if cleaning/fluxing/dipping will achieve the same. I'm pretty sure it does not work well, as I can picture all the drilled hole flashing over. Right now I 'plate' by tracing over the paths with solder anf a hot iron prior to assembly.

I have used a full blown wave soldering set up that didn't prove to be very reliable.

Stick with your original method.
Also, you can go online and find several companies that will prototype your board for very little. They'll also HiPot and MEG the board if you desire.

Making PCB's are a blast when the method works.
I used to prototype boards in an electronics lab.
I found it easier to send them out and someone else deal with the hassle.

Good Luck

Voodoochile,

I've tried dipping small PCBs in a solder pot with limited success. Too quick and there're a bunch of "splashes" stuck to the board. Too slow and the adhesive fails and the copper traces are in the pot. Be prepared to deal with filled holes.

I've had great luck making my own PCBs... I even enjoy it. The express pcb or advanced circuits is still to much for my short short run stuff. Like if I want six boards. I do have an account with advanced, they do nice work and it's not too bad, but you need to buy more than a couple boards to make it reasonable.

I guess I'll just keep working off that 1lb roll of Kester.

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I had the same problem with my Foreplay. I pulled out the stupid magnet wire and redid it. I had some copper wire of similar gauge with plastic insulation, I took off the plastic insulation and used that for the ground, it works fine. I used CAT5 cable for the signal leads. My Foreplay works great.

I don't think there's anything magic about the magnet wire, the Bottlehead folks just think it's cool. I thought it was a silly PITA.

I like the Foreplay, and it's certainly a great deal for $150. But I think when you get done you'll see why mainstream electronic equipment isn't constructed that way anymore...

These are worth a shot as well:
Degrease the board first and after!

Basic - Assuming your iron is well tinned, just tin the needed pads,
even all traces with small runs of solder - carefully!

Advanced - Do step 1. Then use Peanut Oil as in popping corn, preheat in shallow pan. Drop in a couple corn kernels and when they go, you go, carefully lower the board copper side down and swish it about some - trials inevitable and again, it's untried!

A solder pot works like a little crucible. It melts about ¼ pound of solder in 20 or 30 minutes. I use it for Doc Bottlehead magnet wire. It will strip it of varnish and tin it under a second. I got one with two bars of solder and shipping for under $25.00. Look through the Bottlehead forum for an address, I forgot who I ordered it from.
The magnet wire Doc sells is very worthwhile. Less expensive than Jena wire or the other boutique stuff.
Doc has two preamps now the Foreplay and a phono amp too. They both are very nice sounding preamps.

Jamont;
I’m sorry you had so much trouble with your Foreplay. The varnish is next to impossible to get off unless you use a solder pot or a drimel tool to sand the darn stuff off. If you don’t get every little bit of varnish off you will have a cold solder joint.

Voodoochile; No way are you going to use a solder pot for boards.

Ofb; I’ve noticed very little smell or smoke from the pot.

Blip; If you have any questions about building your Foreplay please feel free to PM me.

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Thanks, I hope I didn't give the wrong impression. I think the Foreplay is a great deal and I enjoyed building it. It turned out well (low measured noise, excellent sound) once I got past the magnet wire. If I was doing it over again, I'd probably try to remove all the varnish with an organic solvent.

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Do you mean because construction is such a hassle or because the sound is lacking? I don't really understand why Bottlehead doesn't use PCBs. Seems to me they produce enough kits to warrant a run. I guess the FPs are easier to modify if everything is point to point though. It's also much more of a learning experience.

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The sound of the Foreplay is fine, assuming it has been properly constructed. But it's much easier to achieve a consistent build quality with a PC board, and much cheaper too, at least in a commercial product - build cost is not much of an issue in a kit. The Bottlehead kits are intended to be educational and fun at a low cost, so somewhat different considerations apply.

I always use an oxy acetylene torch when I'm stripping wire... it's great for lighting cigarettes too.

Pinkie.