Soldering Iron

[epix1718]

What soldering iron you folks use? Right now I just have a lil $4 unit I picked up at Harbor Freight but maybe want to upgrade to something a little bit better. The type of work I typically do is wiring on my bike/cars and other simple stuff. No PCB circuits or anything like that.

[stainlesscycle]

if you're not doing anything small, and just need quick soldering - i really like the inexpensive ($30 or so) butane iron... no waiting. extremely portable. excellent for heavier gauge wire.



like this one

http://www.amazon.com/Weller-P2C-But...ref=pd_cp_hi_1

[P B G]

I just have a basic Weller 40 watt "pen" style soldering iron, but I bought a temperature control, think it was from Kenma? Tenma? something of that nature.

Essentially soldering irons are rated in wattage, but what's really important is temperature, most irons will eventually reach high heats, the rate at which they do is related to the wattage, but you normally don't want that much heat for soldering, and this causes a lot of people to either have no heat, or melt the insulation. Having good temperature control and sufficient wattage to keep the tip hot when in use is the key.

[ragtoplvr]

any decent solder iron in the 40 to 60 watt range is good for wiring.

I use a solder gun for the fast heat

Your local radio shack will have a solder gun for under $40. You can also get wire and heat shrink tube

Harbor Freight has them too.

http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog...ord=solder+gun

they also have a lined heat shrink kit

http://www.harborfreight.com/42-piec...ing-67598.html

Best is the Weller solder gun.

under $40; Walmart and hardware stores

Rod

[troidus]

I like to solder at 700°F. That quickly heats the the work, without heat-soaking the surrounding components. Having used a good iron (Weller) and a crappy iron (Radio Shack), my next iron will be a good one.

[Pro_Marinero]

So admittedly I completely suck at soldering. It's the one thing that frustrated me most in the shop.

I got tired of the cheap harbor freight one and the little battery-operated one I got from Santa one year. They never seemed to heat up very well. I splurged and bought the big Weller 260/200W gun. That sucker gets it done NOW! However, as an earlier poster said if I don't watch it I melt insulation and heat shrink tube if it's too close.

A little knowledge goes a long way. A lot of my problem is my impatience and crappy technique. Trying to twist wires together and hoping they hold while I apply a solder tip to them rarely works. I watched the video below and learned a few good tips, especially using his little wire coil with the clips. My soldering is way better now, though probably still quite hack to a pro.

[troidus]

My mom used to solder amplifiers into seismic cable, so I learned seismic-capable soldering early on. Later, Boeing taught me how to make aircraft-grade solder joints. It's like anything else, though: you need good tools, good materials, and lots of practice to be any good at it. One thing to keep in mind is that you want to minimize disruption of the natural lay of the strands as much as possible.

[Tarka]

+1 for the gas iron.
I carry one with me and some solder.
(Plus a can of gas....otherwise it`s as much use as carrying an empty petrol can).

I also have a trigger operated electric gun one in the garage.

[P B G]

In the video, something seems wrong with his soldering gun and technique, I suspect loose connection between the tip and the body. And also he is applying the cold gun to the joint. Also it helps to "tin" the tip of the soldering gun, the soldering on the tip then acts to improve the conductivity of the heat to the wire.

That is a big benefit in the world of soldering. You want to get a lot of heat into the area of wire you want fast. If you don't then the heat spreads, melting insulation is a mark of applying the heat too long, or too low, allowing the heat to soak into the wire and down the strand where its insulated. And one of the benefits of the butane or heat gun method of soldering is simply rate of heating.

My buddy showed me a trick.

Cut two circles out of pop can/beer can, about 1" circular. Drill a hole through and slit to the hole, open slit and place over wires between the area of solder and the start of the insulation. you can flex them away for access, but these work as a heat sink for the wire, heat that is flowing down the length then flows into the aluminum cans.

The point here, get your iron hot how hot depends on the material. Use appropriate solder, and appropriate size solder the small sizes and rosen core are easiest to use. once iron is hot it should be cleaned, then tinned with a bit of solder. Apply it as shown in the video, below the wires, and wait a moment, then touch the solder to the top of the joint. If done correctly the core of the wire should flow into the wires and clean them and shortly later the solder should flow into the joint. Remove solder, remove heat source, clean solder tip.

[RVDan]

http://www.amazon.com/Weller-P2C-But...ref=pd_cp_hi_1

I use the Blue-Point version of this for everything I need to solder.

[Pike Bishop]

The trick to soldering metals that are highly conductive of heat (like copper) is (like welding highly-conductive metals like aluminum) to dump A LOT OF HEAT FAST into the metal, so that it doesn't all leak away into the surrounding metal.

That requires a lot of amperage in a welder or a lot of wattage in a soldering gun.

That's why I use Weller's highest-power soldering gun, the D650 ... it gives you either 200W or 300W

http://www.amazon.com/Weller-D650-In.../dp/B000JEGEC0

[Maggot12]

I have a pen type 30watt that is ok for small stuff using smaller than 20 gauge wire.

I alo have a Weller 100/140 watt gun that works great. The high heat very quickly makes soldering much easier. It'll do pretty much anything in a typical garage. Around 40-45 bucks I believe.

[NewMexico505]

I've used a bunch while in the Navy..I liked the "pen" styles more and a variety of attachments tips that screwed on..flat point, triangle tip, etc...

Erik

[muddywater]

Originally Posted by NewMexico505

I've used a bunch while in the Navy..I liked the "pen" styles more and a variety of attachments tips that screwed on..flat point, triangle tip, etc... Erik

+1
Just have to let it heat up for a few minutes. I have a 30 watt and a 100 watt depending on the wire size. If you have more than a few connections to do it is faster than the guns as the pen type doesn't cool down between uses. Keep a damp rag or sponge handy to wipe the tip occasionally.

[el profe]

I have a Weller WP35 that I've been using for about 4 years. I build pipe organs (lots and lots of soldering onto brass escucheons and key contacts) and have used this same iron with a smaller tip for doing circuit boards on the guitar pedals I've built. It's a quality iron that doesn't burn up the tip like the cheap-o Wellers you can buy at Lowe's (the orange handled ones). If you take care of it and don't do dumb things like use a we sponge or rag to clean the tip, it will last a very long time.

http://www.cooperhandtools.com/brand...c=037103593610