I’m not sure why, but some people have the idea that soldering is more complicated than it really is. Soldering is the process of splicing together two electrical connectors by melting over them a thin layer of metal, usually a mixture of tin and lead. In the photo shown here, movie star Hope Hampton is shown soldering together a radio in 1922.

To solder, you need a soldering iron and some solder.  They’ll set you back only a few dollars. For example, this kit at Amazon comes complete with solder for a very reasonable price, and will prove invaluable for all kinds of little repair jobs around the house. I can’t imagine not owning a soldering iron. But for some reason, there seem to be a lot of solderphobics in the world, and they refuse to consider the possibility of doing a job right by melting a little bit of solder.

Fortunately for these people, there are alternatives. An Amazon search for the word “solderless” gives over two thousand results for “improved” versions of various parts that don’t require soldering.

As shown by the ad at the top of the page, this is not a new phenomenon. Despite Hope Hampton showing the public how easy it was, many would-be radio hobbyists of the 1920’s were afraid of solder. The ad is for “No-Sod-Er Radio Kits” put out by the Radio Specialty Company of New York.  It appeared in the January 1926 issue of Radio Review, and promised the following:

Book explains what you want to know about new revolutionary way of assembling your radio set from our many kits–no solder, no bus bar, no poor connections, no waste of time, no skill required, no dissatisfaction, no tools needed except common screwdriver and pliers.  Even a boy can quickly assemble a completed kit.

This might all be true, and “even a boy” could put together such a kit.  But as Hope Hampton proved, even a girl could do it right, fire up her soldering iron, and build herself a real radio.

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