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Spring clamp third hand for hand soldering SMDs

A quick-to-build spring clamp for holding SMD components down during hand soldering.

jenny-listJenny List
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Hand soldering SMD components is a fiddly business at the best of times. The problem is that the component has to be held in place while the solder is applied and while it solidifies. If you hold your components down with the end of a small screwdriver as I have been then you are susceptible to the tiniest hand movement. This project provides a spring clamp "third hand" to hold an SMD component in place, allowing you to use both hands for soldering and freeing you from problems with movement.

This is a very simple project that should take about 20 minutes to build. Find a small spring with a 30 - 50mm end piece. See the pictures, mine came from a scrap CD-ROM drive but you'll find suitable candidates in all sorts of electromechanical consumer goods. Then find a screw about 15 - 20mm long that fits through the coiled part of the spring.

The body of the project is a piece of softwood, roughly 50mmx10mmx200mm. Cut a 50mm piece off the end of it and in the 50mm piece machine out a T-shaped slot to hold the coiled part of the spring with the screw through the middle of it. See pictures for a close-up. I used a Dremel for this, you could just as easily use a small chisel or even a knife.

With the spring and screw in the slot, screw the 50mm piece onto the remainder of the wood such that it traps spring and screw. I drilled a couple of guide holes to take the screws in mine, you may choose not to.

You should now have a completed spring clamp. To use it, place the board under the spring with the end of the spring coming down onto the place your component will go. Carefully unpack the component - in the pictures it's a 1206 chip resistor - onto the board, lift up the spring and edge the component into position before letting the spring down to hold it in place. You can then apply some flux, solder each end, and use a bit of desolder braid to remove excess without having to worry about holding the component down.

  • 1 × Small spring with a 30 - 50mm end piece See the picture, mine came from a CD-ROM drive.
  • 1 × Small screw, about 15 - 20mm long
  • 1 × Piece of softwood, about 50mmx10mmx200mm
  • 2 × Screws suitable for wood, about 15mm long

  • Hook on the end of the spring

    Jenny List • 12/01/2015 at 18:20 • 0 comments

    As you can see in the photo there is a hook on the long end of the spring. This is left over from its former home, it located with something in the CD-ROM mechanism.

    It's worth noting though that it's very handy for placing the spring on an SMD component. I simply pick the hook up with the end of a small screwdriver to lift it, much easier than trying to manipulate the spring itself.

  • Notes on usage

    Jenny List • 12/01/2015 at 16:44 • 0 comments

    Having done a bit of SMD work with this device now it's worth passing a few comments. First of all it makes an amazing amount of difference to SMD soldering in general. I find myself no longer using the magnifier because the component is securely held and I can concentrate on the soldering.

    The spring can work its way sideways, I occasionally have to recenter it. There is also the possibility of it flicking a component off the board if the component isn't seated well. I had this happen on a reworked component where I evidently hadn't desoldered the pads well enough and there was a "hump" of solder. Not too bad when it's a 2p chip resistor, though I can see it would be a disaster with an expensive and exotic semiconductor.

    All in all though, pretty happy with this device.

  • Twenty minutes, and we're done

    Jenny List • 11/29/2015 at 15:17 • 0 comments

    A lengthy project log for a build that took twenty minutes from idea to completion is a bit pointless. My SMD soldering skills are probably average, I've built quite a lot of stuff over the years but I've always had problems keeping my components steady while I work on them. This clamp solves that problem with a very quick build and some readily available scrap.

    The board in the picture is a pre-production prototype for my Pi-HF direct conversion radio receiver kit for the Raspberry Pi.

View all 3 project logs

  • 1
    Step 1

    This is repeating the essence of the instructions in the project description.

    Cut a 50mm piece off the end of the piece of wood, and in the 50mm piece machine out a T-shaped slot to hold the coiled part of the spring with the screw through the middle of it. See pictures for a close-up. I used a Dremel for this, you could just as easily use a small chisel or even a knife.

  • 2
    Step 2

    With the spring and screw in the slot, screw the 50mm piece onto the remainder of the wood such that it traps spring and screw. I drilled a couple of guide holes to take the screws in mine, you may choose not to.

    You should now have a completed spring clamp.

View all instructions

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Jan wrote 03/11/2016 at 15:35 • point

Simple idea and truly hacked together ;)

  Are you sure? yes | no

Jenny List wrote 03/11/2016 at 20:08 • point

Driven by necessity :)

  Are you sure? yes | no

danjovic wrote 12/12/2015 at 14:35 • point

Amazing! I'll make one for me too. My next SMD soldering I'll use it together with soldering paste and regular soldering iron.

  Are you sure? yes | no

Jenny List wrote 12/12/2015 at 16:35 • point

Thanks :) It's certainly made SMD soldering a lot easier here! So far tested with SOICs, 0805 & 1206, though would probably also be of use on some smaller sizes too.

  Are you sure? yes | no

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