Okay. I think I've got it. Just so you know, I have to work on my dining table, so everything has to be small and simple. The last time I tried, I couldn't get the star hot enough because the metal in the "Helping Hands" was stealing my heat. Today I bought a small vise grips style c-clamp, and glued some leather to the "clamps". This worked perfectly, almost too good. It was so fast, you can see where the topside of the star scorched brown...it scorched the leather too. Next time a little less heat. Usually, I can see the LED settle down, but I missed it. I used a flux pen on the contacts before I tinned them. This pen has a felt tip, and it paints on flux like a marker pen. The flux is clear, like water, or clear marker ink. When I dabbed on the tinning, it went on so evenly, that the Led sat so flat, there was no noticable settling for me to see. Anyway, scorched or not, I tested the LED and it works fine.
Glad you got it done. Yes, a little too much heat. I use quite a bit of flux and when I see the flux start to smoke, I know I am close. Sometimes you can't see the led settle, so seeing the flux smoke a little, is another way to judge the heat.
You mean solder with no flux at all? I don’t think it would be good to solder with no flux. Not sure what you mean though. I use solder to reflow and I use flux to make the solder flow better.
I’ve been soldering for 50+ years and seldom use flux (except for what is in the solder core). As my fields and waves professor said: “Flux, flux is a crutch…”
Flux should be a crutch for someone who has soldered for 50+ years. For the rest of us who solder only once in a while, flux saves our bacon, because the only way to get technique is years of daily practice.
I use quite a bit of flux and when I see the flux start to smoke, I know I am close. Sometimes you can't see the led settle, so seeing the flux smoke a little, is another way to judge the heat.