The day my friend pointed out I'd been holding my soldering iron like a pen for 10 years

I was over at Dave's shop in Austin last Saturday fixing a busted guitar amp. He watched me tin a wire and just laughed. Said I was gripping the iron like I was writing a letter, not doing electronics work. I always figured the tip was supposed to point down toward the joint the whole time. He showed me how to brace it like a pool cue and let the side of the tip do the work. My joints went from ugly blobs to clean little cones in about 3 tries. Has anyone else had a basic technique they thought was normal but turned out to be totally backwards?

3 comments

3 Comments

kellyjones20d ago

You ever realize you've been doing something wrong for a decade and wonder what else you're messing up without knowing? I still can't hold chopsticks right, but I figure if I can eat and not drop rice on myself, that's a win. Honestly, some of us just have to be happy with "good enough" until someone nice enough comes along to set us straight.

murphy.abby20d ago

That line about having someone watch you work being gold even if it stings your pride is spot on. Did it change the way you look at other stuff you do automatically now, or was it just a one time thing for the knives?

ellis.susan20d ago

Wait til you realize how many basic skills we all do backwards because nobody ever told us otherwise. My husband used to cut vegetables with the knife straight up and down like a guillotine until I showed him the rocking motion. Same thing with my kid holding a toothbrush like a scrub brush instead of angling it at the gum line. Most of us just pick up a tool and go with whatever feels natural, never thinking to question it. That's why having someone watch you work is gold, even if it stings your pride a little. Saves years of bad habits and ugly results.