Please recommend a soldering mat.

October 4, 2010 9:59 AM

Please recommend a "soldering mat" or other heat-resistant surface.

I'm attempting to get into soldering again but running into the problem that I don't have anywhere to do it. The best place would be my dining room table, but I don't want to risk dropping molten solder onto it and burning it. Googling "soldering mat" gives me a few options, and I've also seen similar products referred to as ESD mats. My requirements are: a couple feet square, stays in one place, fire resistant enough to protect the surface underneath from hot solder (but not necessarily from setting a hot soldering tip on it for a long period of time).

This will be used for simple electronics kits initially, and arduino-style projects in the medium term.

posted by crawl to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (14 answers total)

How about a piece of 1/4" plywood, with some felt on the bottom to protect your table?

Cheap, lightweight, durable, and easy to replace when it gets too nasty (which will take quite a long time w/soldering).

Even better, add some fiddles (raised edges) to avoid components running away.
posted by jpeacock at 10:08 AM on October 4, 2010

ESD mats will become discolored by molten solder, but they won't burn. They'll do just fine for what you're interested in. However, it should be noted that if you're using enough solder to burn anything (even wood), you're using too much solder.
posted by saeculorum at 10:08 AM on October 4, 2010

I'm a fairly experienced electronics hobbyist and I just use a piece of wood. The main thing I would advise you about with regards to a workspace is to leave yourself a lot of open space--the more the better! It's nice to be able to spread out.
posted by DMan at 10:10 AM on October 4, 2010

I do some soldering because I do stained glass, and I have a good-sized sheet of plywood (probably 3' x 3') that I just place over whatever table I'm using and that becomes my working surface. Wood isn't fireproof, obviously, but I'm right there while I'm soldering and when any melted lead drips it does nothing but char the surface a tiny bit.
posted by orange swan at 10:11 AM on October 4, 2010

Don't forget adequate ventilation....solder fumes are pretty nasty and not good for you.
posted by cosmicbandito at 10:13 AM on October 4, 2010

I have plywood!

So something like this is overkill? http://store.goodybeads.com/store/products/A007296.html
posted by crawl at 10:13 AM on October 4, 2010

Wood is fairly non-conductive which is good when you power things on... and it's cheap.

The solder doesn't really give off fumes... it's the flux that you really smell... it's an organic solvent activated by heat.
posted by MikeWarot at 10:21 AM on October 4, 2010

It's overkill if you're just interested in preventing stains from solder. However, ESD protection is good practice for any electronics work. The issue is that ESD damage is essentially impossible to debug short of destructive failure analysis using x-ray equipment. I wouldn't want you discouraged simply because a part necessary for your design was ESD-damaged and you couldn't figure out why the design doesn't work.
posted by saeculorum at 10:22 AM on October 4, 2010

Another advantage of a piece of plywood is it's easy to pick everything up and move it somewhere else :)

I just saw these, they are also good DIY projects:

Portable Electronics Desk

Portable Workbench
posted by jpeacock at 10:24 AM on October 4, 2010

So probably a piece of plywood from the garage with felt on the bottom, topped with an ESD mat.

Those portable workbench ideas are cool, but I already have Too Many Projects!
posted by crawl at 10:38 AM on October 4, 2010

I would concur with the plan to add some kind of lip around the edge to catch a ball of solider that gets away from you. (I agree that doesn't really happen much with electronics work but once you have the equipment you might end up working on more mechanical projects). I just brought the cloth I used under the piece of plywood up and over the edge and onto the work surface about an inch. Not only will it stop molten melt from dripping onto your carpet it also finishes the edge to prevent splinters.

The solder doesn't really give off fumes... it's the flux that you really smell... it's an organic solvent activated by heat.

Lead solder gives off lead fumes which should be avoided. Basically any molten metal gives off vapour of that metal. I wouldn't trust any retail source solder not to be contaminated with lead or other nasties like cadmium and zinc. A source of fresh air should be provided.
posted by Mitheral at 12:57 PM on October 4, 2010

This isn't really an answer to your question, but get a $40 circulating air filter - the kind with a carbon filter - and put it on the table next to your solder mat. Arrange it so the intake faces the soldering iron and the outtake goes away from you. Open a window. I use a little filter less than a foot away from where I'm soldering and I can't tell you how great it is to have the fumes diverted and filtered instead of going straight to my nose.
posted by mmoncur at 8:34 PM on October 4, 2010

I've never used an ESD mat, so take my degree away if you want :)

What I do use sometimes is a silicone baking sheet.
posted by Chuckles at 11:55 PM on October 4, 2010

I use a piece of glass.
posted by pants tent at 7:10 AM on October 5, 2010