Third arm for soldering from ball joint. Homemade soldering clamp or “third hand” device. Materials and tools

Greetings, dear friends! You are on my modest blog dedicated to amateur radio creativity and other sacred knowledge. By the way, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Vladimir Vasiliev and today I have a new entertaining article for you.

As you probably knew from the title, today we will talk about a tripod for mounting printed circuit boards. From the article you will learn why this tripod is remarkable and how great it makes life during installation. Don't forget to subscribe to blog updates, just leave your email and you will receive articles immediately after they are published. Well, let's go.

There is some content here, so let's enjoy it for your health :-)

It's no secret that every radio amateur and every radio installer faces one very common problem. This problem is widespread and is called this problem as the lack of a third hand.

Is the lack of a third hand a serious problem?

Indeed, I decided, for example, to solder two wires. Well, isn’t this a tricky activity, what is there to talk about here? Well, anyway, here I took it right hand soldering iron, flavored it with a decent portion of solder, and then dipped it in rosin. Next, I take the wire with my left hand and…..and that’s all… the resource in the form of human hands has unexpectedly ended :) Which hand will we take the second piece of wire and then combine them?

It would seem that I am talking about completely obvious things; everyone is familiar with these situations and everyone is used to them. Everyone decides these questions for themselves in their own way.

To begin with, before soldering two wires, it would be a good idea to first twist them together (you still need to tin before doing this) and then you can start soldering. Still, it will be more convenient to solder the twist than to combine and stabilize two wires separately.

You can also connect your hands to this action on an external device, and external media maybe a friend, brother, matchmaker, or just a passerby :-) Just be sure to follow safety precautions, because your assistant may not be a big fan of therapeutic procedures with a soldering iron.

A homemade third hand is one of the options for solving the problem

By the way, one of my options for solving the problem of the lack of third hands is a wooden tripod. Here is a homemade third hand for soldering, I made it with my own hands from a children's cube, two clothespins and two self-tapping screws. It turned out to be budget-friendly and practical. I spotted this simple design of a soldering clamp in an old amateur radio magazine (I don’t remember exactly whether it was Radio magazine or Modelist-Constructor).

This clamp is good for everyone, but no matter how you look at it, the design is still not perfect, the clothespins do not grip the radio component tightly enough, and the cube itself is so light that a decent-sized capacitor puts the entire structure on its shoulder blades.

And yet, how good it is that we live in the 21st century, in a century when industry has already prepared for us ready-made solutions and all we can do is take them and apply them. So I decided that it’s enough to be content with handicraft devices, it’s time to use something more serious.

You can just buy a soldering stand

Online stores are simply replete with a variety of clamps, tripods and other soldering devices. I dug around among all the variety and bought myself such a tripod from the LODESTAR brand.

So, in the dealextreme store you can buy such a tripod for soldering for less than 800 rubles, by the way, there are still some promotions there now, so it will probably cost even cheaper.

Although this tripod is popularly called a third hand for soldering, on the website of the dealextreme store it is called “p” ayal installation with a holder and a 2X magnifying glass” although this does not change the essence.

Tripod Lodestar L316218, pros and cons

Let's figure out what are the pros and cons of this clever clamp for circuit boards and small radio components.

This tripod has clear advantages over the previously discussed cube.

pros

• The base of this tripod is quite massive, so knocking it over is not as easy as a wooden cube with clothespins.

I even decided to conduct a small experiment; I loaded this tripod a little more than usual. Usually he holds the details with me, but here I loaded him with my debugging board, I didn’t even expect it, but he stood it and didn’t budge. This is despite the fact that I removed the magnifying glass, thereby further simplifying the design of the tripod.

• Manipulator clamps have many degrees of freedom, in other words, the clamps can be rotated in different sides as your heart desires.

To be honest, I wanted to make some kind of gif animation, ala a dancing robot, but something didn’t work out, so we’re content with simple photos.

• Availability of a magnifying glass with 2x magnification, this circumstance itself is a tangible advantage.

Although I myself did not use a magnifying glass on a tripod, I simply could not find a suitable task for it. I don’t use SMD components, so I don’t really need it on a tripod. But from time to time I find a use for it, sometimes I look at small markings or, after etching, inspect the board for the presence of jumpers.

Minuses

As you know, nothing is perfect, so in addition to all the advantages and features of a “third hand” tripod, there are also disadvantages.

• Imperfect fastening of clamps.

The clamps in this tripod are ordinary crocodile connectors, and as you know, these crocodile clips were originally designed to be attached to a wire by crimping. These crocodile clips are secured in the holes of the holding tubes with special threaded rods. This circumstance slightly spoiled the impression of the entire respectable appearance of the tripod.

In general, for me this was the only significant drawback in the entire design of the soldering stand.

Overall, I was very pleased with the purchase as this device makes life a lot easier during installation, so I recommend it to everyone.

And here I will end this short post, since the muse is leaving me and it’s already dark outside, it’s time to drink tea and go to bed. And you, dear friends, do not forget to subscribe to blog updates, or even better, press Ctrl + D, thereby you will save the page as a bookmark and then you will definitely not miss new posts.

Wish you, sunny mood even on cold winter evenings, good luck and success in everything.

With n/a Vladimir Vasiliev.

P.S. I suggest watching a short review of the “Third Hand” tripod in video format, I found the first thing I came across on YouTube, so don’t scold me :-)

P.S. Friends, be sure to subscribe to updates! By subscribing, you will receive new materials directly to your email! And by the way, everyone who signs up will receive a useful gift!

Often, when soldering small circuits or individual elements, there are not enough hands to simultaneously hold a wire or a circuit element, solder, a soldering iron, sometimes a flashlight or a magnifying glass, and the circuit also tends to run away somewhere when soldering. In such situations, the “Third Hand” comes to the rescue. Many people make similar devices on their own to suit their needs.

I decided to make a similar device without going much beyond the scope of its application. Or rather, making it universal and with an aesthetic appearance.
Video recording step-by-step assembly and a device test for familiarization.

Materials and tools

1. 2 crocodiles with insulation;
2. Parts from an old compass;
3. The bottom is from an aluminum can;
4. Base for stability made of plastic, wood or metal;
5. 3 flexible legs “Goosenecks”, 20cm each;
6. Heat shrinks 3mm and 5mm;
7. Electrical tape;
8. Hot melt adhesive;
9. Superglue.

From the tools:

1. Pliers;
2. Thermal gun;
3. Lighter;
4. Scissors.

Making a third hand

We will need 3 flexible gooseneck legs, 20cm each. I took them from a USB flashlight and USB fan purchased at a fixed price for 60 rubles. The USB flashlight has a flexible leg of 39 cm, it can be cut in half by cutting it with pliers or wire cutters to get 2 x 19 cm.

The USB fan has a 23 cm leg, so we’ll leave it that way.

Now you need to choose a suitable base for the stability of the structure. I have a plastic case from a quartz watch lying around. table clock, I will use it.

It's better to take something heavier, depending on your needs. I have large boards from tablets and heavy objects I won’t hook it there, so a plastic one will do.
We make 3 holes in the base for flexible legs.

Since hot melt adhesive does not adhere well to metal, we will use electrical tape. We wrap the ends of the flexible legs, which will be fixed to the base, with electrical tape. This will then allow the flexible legs to be firmly fixed at the base.

We take 2 crocodile clips and put 3 mm heat shrink on the teeth, as shown in the photo. This is so that the metal teeth do not damage the elements on the boards, the winding of wires and do not leave marks on objects that will be fixed by crocodiles.

Use super glue to glue the crocodile to the end of the flexible leg. We don’t skimp on the glue) After the glue has dried, we put on 5 mm heat shrink (it will give a good fixation to the crocodile with a flexible leg) as shown in the photo. And we repeat the same with the second leg and the crocodile.

From an old compass we take out such a thing with a fixing bolt and nut.

Glue the fixing bolt super glue inside the flexible leg (it just fits there). Don't skimp on the glue) This will be a universal leg that can be customized and used to suit your needs. In my case, there will be an additional clamp for the wiring or light bulb and a clamp (where the lead is inserted) for the solder wire.

We insert the resulting flexible legs onto the base into the prepared holes and glue them with super glue. After the super glue has dried, fix it generously with hot glue.

You can make 4 legs using hot glue, for better stability and to prevent slipping on the table surface.

I was thinking about how to fill the empty space on the base and decided to make a place for small things necessary for soldering or for push pins, paper clips, or something else.
The bottom of an aluminum can worked very well. It is necessary to trim the edges, round the corners and fix them with hot glue to the base.

Can be used for a load (using the example of a hefty nut)), if I still need to hook large boards or heavy objects)

That's it. Everything is ready.
In the “Third Hand” case, it didn’t show itself badly. It copes with the task. The pattern holds well and does not slip. The light bulb in the photo is weak (there was no other one), you can use a more powerful one. The adjustment is convenient, hot melt glue holds the base of the legs well.

Many people cling to lenses and fans. He refused this. Sometimes it takes up a lot of space on the table when not in use.
This design And appearance allows you to leave the device on the desktop and use it for other purposes. Using a universal flexible leg, you can change the design and add the necessary elements (the same fan, a magnifying glass, a flashlight, another crocodile, a diagram drawing) depending on the purpose of use.

By the way, the remaining fan can also be used. In a couple of minutes, turning it into a tabletop battery-powered one.

As planned, it can be used not only for soldering.
For example, attach notes with important things to do for the day or a card so as not to forget.

Even holds the phone confidently. I didn’t plan for this purpose) Nice addition)

I have no doubt that in the process of using it I will find more than one application for this device.

Device for mounting radio circuits

In the device, the clamps are secured to a massive stand with a screw. One of the legs of the clamp fits into the groove of the stand and is pressed with a screw through a washer, and the second leg is free and allows you to clamp parts.

This fastening allows you to rotate the clamp or slide it along the groove, while the part remains clamped in the jaws. It becomes possible to remove an unfinished product from the rack, put it aside without releasing the clamp, install another clamp with a new product, and return to the first one at any time. You can do several jobs in parallel with one device. There would be clamps.

The device can accommodate two clamps, which is sometimes necessary. A fourth hand appears, as it were. Comfortable.

Buying clamps is not a problem. It is impossible to name the address, since the Internet is literally flooded with offers. Prices from 100 rubles. There are up to a thousand, but the latter most likely have carbide jaws and are not needed for our purpose.

Recently I needed to make a charging circuit for lithium battery, it was so inconvenient to solder wires to it that I decided to fix it with my next homemade product, namely, a “third hand”, which will not only conveniently solder wires and circuits, but also hold other components while soldering. Also, by making it ourselves, we save as much as 500 rubles, which is exactly how much a “third hand” costs on average in a radio store in the central part of Russia.

This homemade product does not require any special skills, so even a beginner can do it.

In order to make a “third hand” with your own hands you will need:
* Parquet or board
* M4 bolts
* Lambs, I removed them from a Soviet training potentiometer
* Iron plates
* Two corners
* Alligator clips
* Gas-burner
* Tin solder and soldering acid
*Epoxy resin
* Electric drill
*Heat shrink or wire insulation
* A couple of washers

That's all you need to assemble the soldering "assistant".

Step one.
First you need to decide on the size of the platform on which the entire structure will then be installed. My choice fell on oak sections of parquet, since this is not the first time I am familiar with this material and I know that it will last a long time. When choosing a material for the base, pay attention to its weight, since a small weight will make the entire structure unstable, which is not good.

After I decided on the material, I, armed with PVA glue, glued the two parts together, eventually getting a square platform that weighs 200 grams. Next, I wrapped it with nylon thread and left it for a couple of hours until the glue completely hardened.

Step two.
Now you can do the fastening to the platform itself, I didn’t think long and decided to use M4 screws, since their rigidity will be quite sufficient. And to attach these screws, I drilled two holes in the base through a 4 mm drill and a 6 mm drill to the middle, after which I drove the screws with reverse side so that only the thread appears from the outside, its length of 10 mm is enough to screw the wings onto it. On the back side of the board I filled the same holes with a diameter of 6 mm epoxy resin so that the screw does not turn further and does not fall out.

Step three.
In order to later attach the levers to these threaded studs protruding from the base, it is necessary to make corners. I cut them out from a large corner using a hacksaw; the thickness of the plate of this very corner is 1.5 mm. On the other hand, so as not to constantly keep the screw from turning when tightening, I soldered it with the simplest tin solder, using a gas torch and soldering acid.

Such a connection turns out to be quite strong; in any case, there will be no heavy loads on such a homemade product. The second corner is made similarly to the first.

Step four.
When the base with fasteners is ready, we move on to the levers themselves, which will be adjusted using the thumbs that I twisted from a Soviet potentiometer. I made the levers from metal plate, 1.5 mm thick, holes were already made in it in advance, so there was no need to drill anything.

You will need two such plates, but if you want to expand the functionality of your homemade product, you can make more levers.

Step five.
Since the homemade product provides for precise adjustment of the clamps when soldering, the presence of a second lever is mandatory. In any case, one lever is not enough. The second lever will consist of the same plate as the first, but will have a screw at one end and a nut at the other. All these parts are successfully soldered to the plate, all that is needed is at this stage, this is a gas torch, some tin solder and soldering acid.

After soldering the parts, they must be washed with technical alcohol or a similar solvent.

You will need two such levers, one for each clamp.

Step six.
The time has come to make clamps that can be easily installed in the levers and adjusted, both in height and in position relative to the part being clamped, vertically, horizontally or at a certain angle. Nothing smarter came into my head than to make this option using a pin and a wing that would lock the clamp in the required position. I made the hairpin from the same M4 screws that I used to saw off the heads with a hacksaw. Next, follow the same method, tin the pin and using gas burner We solder it to the alligator clip, which I bought at a radio store for only 6 rubles.

We perform the same operations with the second clamp. For better fixation, place a washer of suitable diameter under the lamb.

Step seven.
When I checked the clamps to see how they held parts and wires, I decided that their metal ends needed to be insulated, which would not only prevent the components from shorting out when soldering, but also reduce the chance of slipping. Since I didn’t have any heat shrink of a suitable diameter, and going to a radio store more than 3 km away is not the most pleasant pleasure, I took the insulation from an old one usb wires from Sony, its quality was good enough for my homemade product, and in terms of diameter everything was the same as from the factory.

Now with such a rubber backing, the clamps hold parts and wires more confidently.
We collect all the details into a single whole.

At this point, the homemade “third hand” is ready, I am very pleased with it, because after I made it, it helped me out more than once. Soldering with it is a pleasure, you don’t have to hold the wires with your hands, but for some people they sometimes tremble, which does not allow you to solder anything at all.

I have to solder very often, and sometimes it’s not very convenient to do it. Large parts can be clamped in a vice, but you can’t do that with small ones. There is a device for this third hand, but I didn’t want to buy such a toy in the store, I decided to make it myself from scraps at hand.

I started this creation with a stand. Cut a rectangle from centimeter plywood:

And I immediately wondered how to secure the rod to the base and then attach horizontal posts to it. The best idea was to cut the thread and secure it with a nut, but there was no necessary die. I had to get out of the situation...

To secure the stand at the base, I found a bolt with a longitudinal hole. It was smaller than the diameter of the rod, so I had to sharpen it a little:

For fastening horizontal racks I found a long nut (found in Soviet cassette recorders) and carved a stock for it at the end of the rod:

I wanted to secure the nut with threaded connection, but the drill stubbornly refused to make a hole in the end, so I had to do it this way.

The unit is ready for assembly:

To make the connection stronger, I put a tube on the rod and made a cut in it:

And he began to solder the nut:

Now we move on to securing the bolt. We clamp the part in a vice and start soldering from the top:

The part is ready:

Now what do we need to do? That's right, you need to connect vertical stand and base. To do this, I cut out another auxiliary part - a rectangle from 4mm plywood:

Using a feather drill, I drilled a hole in the base. I also made holes in the auxiliary plywood backing and found 4 self-tapping screws. Everything is ready for assembly:

Half the job is done, the base with the vertical stand is ready. Let's move on to the second part - creating horizontal stands, clamps and a magnifying glass.

These metal plates, pins and bolts with washers are the future arms of our device:

To fasten them I use the following bolts with washers soldered to them (for ease of unscrewing/tightening):

But I got these parts from hard drive(magnet stands). I cut the threads with a tap and got nuts that are easy to tighten by hand:

Well, the most important thing is the clamps. I soldered bolts to the ends for fastening and rotation around the axis:

We begin to assemble the components of our mechanism.

Holder No. 1

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Assembled unit:

Holder No. 2

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Assembled unit:

Magnifying glass holder

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