Soldering Surface Mount LEDs

NOT BAD FOR NOT HAVING SOLDERED IN 8 YEARS! :)

I've been working on soldering some surface mount (SMD) LEDs. These LEDs are 1/8" long and a 1/16" wide. I attached these crimping beads that I found at a beading store and I used a fine clean tip with a high gauge solder wire. I think I got some good results. The LED next to quarter (near the a in "Dollar" doesn't have any crimping beads soldered onto it - just to give you an idea about how small I'm working here.

The long leads were an experiment for another small wall piece that I am working on. The LEDs aren't exposed here, just the leads with the crimps attached.

HERE IS A GREAT TIP (One that Ian Hanschen came up with): place the the components face down on a piece of tape and nest the beads next to them. The tape holds the beads in place while you solder them. Also you can tin the bead and gently roll it over to the LED or a lead (Leah Buechley method).