If you’re anything like me, then you often find yourself foraging around on your workbench for a piece of solder, only to discover that once you find it, you can’t remember whether it is hard, medium, or easy solder. I try to use the bending method to mark my wire solder once I cut a few inches off from the spool. I loop it like a lowercase ‘e’ for easy. Give it a hard right-angle bend for hard. And bend it twice for medium. I must admit, though, that sometimes this bending method takes more time than I am willing to commit to marking my solder.

So when I found this tip in Contenti’s newsletter, I was quite excited, because it is faster and more practical than my current bending methods. If you use sheet or wire solder, color code it with a Sharpie marking pen. Use red for hard, blue for medium, and green for easy. That way, if you find stray solder snipets on your desk or floor, with a quick glance you’ll know exactly what you have by the color. It also makes it easier to put different types on your solder station, so you don’t have to stop each time to change solders.

To find more helpful tips and tricks, visit Contenti’s webiste here.