What soldering iron...

[NorCalTuna]

If you're going to EE school? check this bad johnny out:

http://www.amazon.com/WD1001-Digital-Channel-Soldering-Station/dp/B000UMBAU2

yah, it's beaucoup bucks but relative to books and failure it's cheap, with 6 buck replaceable tips and 85w. The presets are rad- I idle mine at 350, then stab 660 for good parts- it heats in the moment it takes you to refocus your attention- or 850 for disassembly- then back to 350 to save tip life. On a good week I potentially make a few thousand joints (bad week? none. thanks economy.) with mine and have replaced my tip twice but only after abusing them at 850 ripping shit apart with it. My original heater handset/cord is still going strong. The butane one, though, is awesome for the road and track, so to speak.


oh yah and +++ on LFPs comment. Thats how brittle, cold, poorly-conducting crappy work gets done!

 

[auraslip]

The stahl soldering station from parts-express is dead. What can you expect for $15.
The tip housing rotates when tighting the tip retaining nut and severs wires to the heating element.

 

[x88x]

For board-work: 50W (374-896°F)

~$20
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0234569

I have this one as well and it's great for small stuff. No temperature readout, but the quality is quite nice for the price. The one downside is that tips are hard to find.

For big stuff, I picked up this the other day from Harbor Freight:
http://www.harborfreight.com/plastic-welding-kit-80-watt-iron-67102.html
$15 for a 80W iron with a hugeass flat tip (plus it comes with "plastic welding" materials if I ever have a use for them ). It takes the same size screw-on tips as my old Radio Shack 40W iron, so easy availability of other tip designs. I had soldered on one connector to my 8AWG wiring with the 40W before I got this, and it was like night and day...went from having to wait 15-20 seconds for it to heat up the wire and connector to less than one second.

 

[auraslip]

me likey
now I just need to find something else at HF that I "need"


BTW - chopped the broken head off the parts express soldering station and installed a weller 25w solding iron.

 

[amberwolf]

They also carry that iron at Fry's Electronics, if you have one in your area, but they charge about $40 for it.

It's $25 here:
http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/IR-50/TEMPERATURE-CONTROLLED-SOLDER-STATION-50W/1.html
but they have a bunch of other useful stuff, and shipping on a typical small order ends up only $7.
Another useful bit is this:
http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/SSR-1/SOLDER-SUCKER//1.html
I've had one just about exactly like it for 20-something years, and it still works fine.

The stahl soldering station from parts-express is dead. What can you expect for $15.
The tip housing rotates when tighting the tip retaining nut and severs wires to the heating element.

That's fixable, both the failure and likely the cause, too.

 

[auraslip]

That's fixable, both the failure and likely the cause, too.

It's a shitty soldering station...lots wrong with it.... couldn't disassemble it completely because of some security screws...

Here's what I ended up doing ---- Not a bad setup - I just need to replace the tip on the weller because it's like 10 years old!

 

[x88x]

now I just need to find something else at HF that I "need"

couldn't disassemble it completely because of some security screws...

Here ya go. Solves both problems.
http://www.harborfreight.com/100-piece-security-bit-set-91310.html

I have yet to find something I can't get into with that set.

 

[spinningmagnets]

Occasionally I wanted a third hand to hold the soldering iron...so I made this with 4 screws, some scrap particle board, and a wire coat hangar from the dry-cleaners (its also an RC-motor test stand)...PS, particle board can be scored with a razor knife and then snapped instead of cutting with a saw.

 

[auraslip]

Wow, so parts express refunded me the price of the iron including shipping because I left a poor review. Very cool!

 

[jaylightning76]

Heres what I use. 29 bucks cant go wrong!
http://www.web-tronics.com/cispdeesdsas.html

 

[auraslip]

I must be using the wrong type of solder or I'm leaving the tip too long in between jobs... I got a cheap 40w radio shack unit and it worked fine for a few days, but now I'm having trouble even doing 4mm bullets and 10 gauge wire.

I'm done doing cheap stuff!

I'm going to get a weller 100/140 watt gun for big wires http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100085564/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
(mostly because it's local)

What solder should I use for that?

 

[Metallover]

I have had bad luck with the gun type irons, especially with large gauge wires. The tip is too small and it doesn't hold enough heat. I had a Weller similar to the one you linked to and it died on me after a couple months. I picked up a cheap 40w Weller pen-type iron and it has worked flawlessly for close to a year now.

I don't know how experienced of a solder-er you are, but if you want to learn a thing or two this video taught me a lot about soldering - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_NU2ruzyc4

 

[Ypedal]

auraslip, try removing the tip from the iron, clean ( sand paper ) the thing and put it back in.. sometimes you get a buildup of carbon an crap between the iron body and the tip preventing heat from transfering across properly... common cheapie irons !!

I love my Hakko btw !!!..

 

[x88x]

Great video, metallover.

Auraslip, I think Ypedal is right; sounds like your tip just got oxidized. Did you tin it?

 

[auraslip]

I thought sanding the tip was a no no because it removes the plating that conducts heat well?

In any case I have watched that video and it is quite good.... I wish it went into more depth

I just got the weller I linked to from Lowes. I'll keep the receipt in case it dies on me.

 

[amberwolf]

Yeah, don't sand the tip-tip, but rather the butt of the tip that inserts into the heating element section. Use the finest grit you've got, or even just steel wool.

FWIW, steel wool or a completely-rinsed-out old brillo pad is what I use to "dip" the tip into before and after each soldering operation, as I remove and insert the iron from it's holder, to scrape off the rosin and crud from the tip.

I don't recommend leaving an iron (especially a high-wattage one) running for more than a few minutes without retinning it, or it oxidizes garbage onto the tip and gunks up. Or burns away the tip coating, and then it starts getting eaten away by every joint you solder.

If you have a lot of soldering to do, try prepping all your stuff to be soldered so you can do it all in one swell foop if possible.

 

[auraslip]

Yeah, don't sand the tip-tip, but rather the butt of the tip that inserts into the heating element section. Use the finest grit you've got, or even just steel wool.

FWIW, steel wool or a completely-rinsed-out old brillo pad is what I use to "dip" the tip into before and after each soldering operation, as I remove and insert the iron from it's holder, to scrape off the rosin and crud from the tip.

I don't recommend leaving an iron (especially a high-wattage one) running for more than a few minutes without retinning it, or it oxidizes garbage onto the tip and gunks up. Or burns away the tip coating, and then it starts getting eaten away by every joint you solder.

If you have a lot of soldering to do, try prepping all your stuff to be soldered so you can do it all in one swell foop if possible.

This is one long PRO tip.
thank you AW

 

[amberwolf]

Sure...just keep in mind I dont' always follow my own advice, so if you ever see me doing something different, do what I say and not what I do. :lol:

 

[Farfle]

for really big stuff like cell tabs and that Turnigy 8-Ga wire, i use one of these guys: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00927320000P?mv=rr

And for the little stuff i have one of these: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00954054000P?prdNo=6&blockNo=6&blockType=G6

Both are working well past their four year warranties, and sears still carries them and their tips as well.