Soldering Iron Recommendations

[Bloozcat]

Wow, except for the color, that Weller looks suspiciously like this Stahl I got from Parts Express for $12.00 last year, otaypanky . It's also 40 watts and it works great.

 

[otaypanky]

Yes, it sure does. I see the Weller is up to $57 on Parts Express now, $52 at Radio Shack (online only)
I just used it assembling 2 amps and it was great. The only problem was me not knowing that leaving it on would burn up the tip. I left it on for countless hours while I was busy trying to figure out what the heck I was doing ~LOL
I went through one tip pretty fast. On the second amp I did better as I read a few posts and learned of my mistake

 

[Telefinken]

Here's my iron

 

[BobbySwift]

The best way to make sure components don't fry when installing them is to get a heatsink. You can buy heatsink devices that clip on to the leg of the component you are soldering and take the brunt of the heat so the part itself won't take up too much heat. they are a lot more effective than they sound or look like. I used to do lots of soldering in my job and found most of the time ii could get away without it (if you're quick enough) but mostly the heatsink idea is best for things like IC chips and sensitive electronics.
Here's a link to see what they look like (one type at least): http://www.robotshop.com/Images/big/en/elenco-soldering-heatsink.jpg

They are available through really any electronics supplier. Good luck with your projects

 

[Bloozcat]

The best way to make sure components don't fry when installing them is to get a heatsink. You can buy heatsink devices that clip on to the leg of the component you are soldering and take the brunt of the heat so the part itself won't take up too much heat. they are a lot more effective than they sound or look like. I used to do lots of soldering in my job and found most of the time ii could get away without it (if you're quick enough) but mostly the heatsink idea is best for things like IC chips and sensitive electronics.
Here's a link to see what they look like (one type at least): http://www.robotshop.com/Images/big/en/elenco-soldering-heatsink.jpg

They are available through really any electronics supplier. Good luck with your projects

I've been using hemostats for years. Not only do they make a great heat sink, but they're also useful for holding components in place while soldering.

 

[Commodore 64]

I've got the same soldering station. When I saw it on sale for $12.00 before Christmas, I asked "Mrs. Santa" to get me one.

It's surprisingly well made for the money, and the tips look to be very good as well (I got an extra set with it). The unit does take longer than either of my two irons (25W & 40W) to heat up, and so far I've only used it for a couple of quick jobs. When I sit down to build my reverb pedal, I'll have some more time to play with the heat settings. If in the end it works only as well as my irons, it'll still be worth more than the cost for that alone...not to mention the nice station that goes along with it.

Having used my Stahl for a while, I was getting frustrated with how long it took to heat up. Literally 10 minutes. And when you use the wet sponge to clean the tip, it takes too long to get back up to temperature. I grabbed a 25 watt Weller that I found while cleaning my garage and tried it one day, when I put new pots and tone cap in my tele. What a huge difference! I use the Weller exclusively now. I cut the cords off of the Stahl docking station and I use it for the Weller now.

DVM mentions this Weller here: http://www.thefret.net/showpost.php?p=186126&postcount=15

 

[Ch0jin]

Rather than cross posting, also see Hakko FX888
replacement to the Hakko 936 recommended in this thread.

 

[Bloozcat]

You guys should move to Canada. We have a $1, and $2 coins.
It doesn't take many of them in a bucket to make a Grand. They replaced the paper bills. Now it is nothing to have 10 bucks in coins in your poket, with 5 coins.
A lot of us carry small coin pouches to save wear and tear on the pockets.

They've tried $1.00 coins here, nobody likes them. Personally, I find them annoying too. Whenever I travel to Canada or especially Europe, I end up with extra pounds of weight in my pocket from all of the one dollar/one euro coins. Since the coins have no intrinsic (precious metal) value, give me the paper instead...much easier to carry. I still have about 15 Euro in coins in the safe from our last trip to Europe (along with some paper as well). At least it's gone up in value with the US dollar on the slide.

And, for anyone who has not bought a 'helping hands' here's you chance, cheap, if there's a Harbor Freight Tools near you.

http://www.harborfreight.com/helpin...ce=direct&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=0911b