I guess I mean: ” What do you use to hold the led board and driver while soldering them to the pill/ driver wires”? This tiny delicate soldering is challenging to me. Thanks.
these HelpingHands Clamp device. : Amazon.com
Small vise.
I am waiting for bits to make one of these (or something like it) - using these from ebay - 251540143519 and some clips etc, I ma make a few different ends, some clips, some magnets etc.
I’m using helping hands that DBSAR linked mostly for reflowing emitters, small rotatable vice for driver assembly and most of the other work and UHU Patafix for working with wires.
Same as DBSAR link and a 40x loupe to inspect it http://www.amazon.com/Illuminated-Jewelers-Loupe-40x-25mm-Lighting/dp/B007GJJRZC
Dittos on the Helping Hands by DBSAR.
I also ripped some PC hard disks apart & use the magnets inside, stuck to the Helping Hands & the steel “shade” of my work light, which let me stick tools & the soldering iron to the magnets while I’m working.
It helps me to pre-tin the end of the wire so there’s a wee blob of solder at the tip. I set the clips up so the wire is held in place on the driver pad where it belongs, with a little bit of pressure, just enough to push the end through the wee blob when it melts.
Then I take a blob of solder on the tip of the iron & use that to transfer heat to the end of the wire. When the solder flows, it will likewise transfer heat to the solder pad on the driver.
The clips hold everything in place, only the melted solder touches the wire, and the natural flow of solder takes care of the rest. This keeps heat off the driver as much as possible.
…
As for the LED end, when the driver wires are secure & the whole thing has cooled, I slide the insulation down to the driver end, making sure I have “plenty” on the LED end.
Then I put all the hardware together properly, bend & cut the wires to fit first, then straighten them out to take the driver back out to strip the ends of the wires.
I’ve found if I strip the LED ends “a little close”, when the soldering process melts the insulation back, it doesn’t melt “too much”, although that’s nothing to worry about. Mostly just hold the wire in place until it cools since you’ll have to insulate the solder anyway.
Now reassemble the pill for good, pre-bend the wires so they lay in their proper places & use the head of the flashlight as a pedestal for the pill. Gravity does the trick, and a toothpick, cooking skewer, any thin piece of wood or maybe a #0 flat-tip screwdriver sinks the heat away from the insulation & holds the wires down to the heatsink solder pads until the joint cools. This is where you can pick up a short if you’re putting too much stress at the point where the wire bends, when the insulation melts. Something to watch out for…
As before, melting a tiny drop of solder on the tip of the iron lets me transfer heat & solder to the wire ends without touching the iron to the work (which tends to disturb things since I shake some). As the heat sinking is fully attached at this point, the melted solder on the iron will need to already be “hot enough”, and will freeze very quickly. Just hold the droplet in place until it flows & makes a pretty joint, then pull the iron back & wait for it to cool enough not to melt the insulation. Obviously you’re probably going to have to touch the iron tip to the work, but I try to only touch the wire end.
Hope this helps. It works for me.
Dim
i used a mini vise… yea… for some non flashlight smd soldering~
I just stick my 17mm to the table with blutack for wires~ but if smd soldering… I go for the top option
Couldn’t deal with flexi arms on solder stations. I am too violent and the board just moves around
I was like that when I started welding back in the day. Things like energy drinks are the worst thing you can have before doing any kind of serious work. Even coffee will give me the jitters. Beer seems fine but you will do stupid stuff eventually 
I find can concentrate better with a good ipa beer on long welds.
I thought the helping hands was garbage too but it’s not too shabby, gets the job done. Results!
Thank You all for your input/ info. So, I plan on using helping hands and a mini vise.
Just got one of these and took the wood handle off.
I have a fly tying vise that I use (my most valuable tool, maybe besides my iron). Good ones can get expensive so it’s one of those things that is best bought at a thrift store or flea market.
Helping Hands with the magnifier and a Panavise model 381.
that loc line thing is the bomb!
In addition to the previous posts,
I use several different sizes of vise grips. I sometimes even mount them in my bench vice. Or prop them up on things. Or get the wife or daughter to help.
Keeps my fingers from being burned too.
Just ordered one.
Thanks for the tip
Don’t ever rub it or clean it. It’s not glass- try to keep it from getting touched that’s why it’s so cheap. But it does a good job for what it is.
Thanks for the update.
I use a vice. Other than that I wish I had those flexible arm things for smaller pieces of work though.
I use a couple large glass aspheric’s for magnification. One 53mm one 63, they work great and you can touch them and clean off dirt no problem.