Soldering Iron
Soldering Iron
Can anyone recommend a good quality soldering iron for around £50 - £60? One that is useful for fine electrical work such as decoder wires. I’ve been buying cheaper ones and you get what you pay for, the damn things either fail or fall to bits.
I’ve noticed that some irons are for lead free solder, not sure what that’s all about either.
Any advice would be most welcome.
Thanks,
Mick.
I’ve noticed that some irons are for lead free solder, not sure what that’s all about either.
Any advice would be most welcome.
Thanks,
Mick.
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Re: Soldering Iron
WELLER all day, everyday. Rock solid piece of kit with many 'bits' available.
Good second hand bargain.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Weller-WTCP- ... SwqTVgL9uq
Mine was roughly £85 second hand and has never let me down.
I don't make brass kits so do not need any temperature control. I've wired not only my model railway but also many recording studios and editing facilities in the West End with this.
Thanks
End2end
Edit: Just for completeness, here's the manual - https://www.manualslib.com/manual/11418 ... tml#manual
Good second hand bargain.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Weller-WTCP- ... SwqTVgL9uq
Mine was roughly £85 second hand and has never let me down.
I don't make brass kits so do not need any temperature control. I've wired not only my model railway but also many recording studios and editing facilities in the West End with this.
Thanks
End2end
Edit: Just for completeness, here's the manual - https://www.manualslib.com/manual/11418 ... tml#manual
"St Blazey's" - The progress and predicaments.
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Re: Soldering Iron
Lead free solder requires a higher temperature. The only place the hobbyist DIYer needs to be involved with it is soldering copper pipes for drinking water. Otherwise you are free to use traditional leaded solder for your own work. Don't let shops/retail depots tell you it's banned.
Growing old, can't avoid it. Growing up, forget it!
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Re: Soldering Iron
Always opt to use Lead Content solder = 60/40 and a Antex 25 watt iron will always solder wire to wire or wire to rails correctly.
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Broken? It was working correctly when I left it.
Broken? It was working correctly when I left it.
Re: Soldering Iron
Thanks guys for the advice and info, much appreciated.
Regards,
Mick.
Regards,
Mick.
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Re: Soldering Iron
Would recommend Antex rather than Weller IME
Re: Soldering Iron
Never had a Weller, but perfectly happy with Antex.
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Re: Soldering Iron
I'd say Weller for full time heavy use, or should that be abuse. Antex for a little more precision but will last you forever if properly looked after. That's my opinion based on owning and using both, the Weller I used at work out on the patch and it got some stick. Including the heinous crime of cooling it down under the tap when I was pressed to get on to the next job.
Growing old, can't avoid it. Growing up, forget it!
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Re: Soldering Iron
Also, no matter what iron you settle on ALWAYS use a soldering iron stand and keep the tip clean with a damp sponge.
Thanks
End2end
Thanks
End2end
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Re: Soldering Iron
You don't need to use lead free solder but manufacterers do use it, so your new iron needs to be able to cope with that. i.e. get a soldering station that says it is suitable for lead-free solder. You can solder to lead-free solder join using leaded solder though.thirdline wrote:I’ve noticed that some irons are for lead free solder, not sure what that’s all about either.
I would choose a soldering station with a controllable tempurature.
I also have a butane gas soldering iron. Mostly I use the "hot-air" mode for shrinking heat shrink tubing. It's also good for reflowing the solder on surface mount components on PCBs.
Regards
Rob
Rob
Re: Soldering Iron
In this day and age, if looking for a new soldering solution, its worth looking at the T12 type of Iron, much better heat control and regulation, easy tip changing, lots of low cost replacement tips, and each tip comes with its own built in heating element and sensor so they last longer.
There are lots of T12 options available from not much money to expensive professional devices from Hakko and from soldering stations to all in one units.
Paul
There are lots of T12 options available from not much money to expensive professional devices from Hakko and from soldering stations to all in one units.
Paul
Re: Soldering Iron
At work, I use an inexpensive temperature-controlled soldering station we bought from RS. Temperature control really makes a difference when soldering precisely as you can use one iron for an array of different jobs. Ours came with a German plug but of course you can just cut that off and swap it. Keep the tip clean by wiping it on a damp sponge after every joint, and apply the first bit of solder to the iron which helps to conduct heat into the work piece- thereafter apply additional solder to where it's needed.
Unleaded solder is like soldering with cheese. Get the old 60/40 leaded solder for wiring jobs, but don't breathe in the fumes! You can rig up a little PC fan or something similar to ventilate the area if you're working in a confined space.
Unleaded solder is like soldering with cheese. Get the old 60/40 leaded solder for wiring jobs, but don't breathe in the fumes! You can rig up a little PC fan or something similar to ventilate the area if you're working in a confined space.
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Re: Soldering Iron
Hello everyone
I am new to this forum
I personally recommend Weller solder iron as i am using it from long time
But i was not happy with ebay service
anyone else faced the same problem ?
I am new to this forum
I personally recommend Weller solder iron as i am using it from long time
But i was not happy with ebay service
anyone else faced the same problem ?
Re: Soldering Iron
My iron is an Antex, which I would recommend to anyone. I use replaceable bits with it ranging from 5mm to 0.1mm, and it has variable temperature settings to suit lead or no-lead solder. Antex service is also very good; mine is so old the gaiter guiding the mains lead into the handle was splitting. After a quick phone call explaining why the on-line replacement part for the current version of the iron didn't look right, they recognised what I needed and sent me one.
I use a damp sponge for cleaning, but I have read elsewhere that this is not good because it cools the tip down. A quick dab seems to make no difference to me, but it's said I should use a copper wire wire-wool type thing instead.
I use a damp sponge for cleaning, but I have read elsewhere that this is not good because it cools the tip down. A quick dab seems to make no difference to me, but it's said I should use a copper wire wire-wool type thing instead.
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Re: Soldering Iron
thanks abenn
I found a website, looks like they are authorized reseller of Grainger
Any experience of their service?
I found a website, looks like they are authorized reseller of Grainger
Any experience of their service?