What kind of soldering irons does everybody use?

[HACHI-RYOKU]

I m getting tired of my butane powered soldering irons. Was wondering what people were using. I was thinking about picking up a plug-in. I ll still keep the butanes in my travel kit for accidents.

[Kerosene]

Only the best for me – $14 Bunnings el-cheapo.

I was thinking about getting a good’ one. But it just didn’t happen.

I’ve got a butane one somewhere. But I generally use it for plastic mutilation instead of soldering.

[elusiver]

i don’t have a micro yet.. but i do solder…got 2 soldering irons.. a standard weller for my normal jobs.. for finer jobs i’ve got a goot 13w soldering pencil.. awesome soldering iron with a .2mm tip.. great for finnicky jobs.. from what i’ve seen on the net.. prolly a good iron for stacking fets… when soldering.. my theory is to have everything at hand.. half assing jobs when you don’t have the right tools when soldering makes life hard. desoldering braid and a solder sucker are life savers.

el 🙂

[aussiexmodder]

I use a dick smith 30watt soldering iron for ally needs. It was only bout $20

[Admin]

I have a weller ec 1002 it has adjustable temp to do big wires on my 1/10 scale or turn it down and get the small boardwork on my xmod it also has different tips you can get for it I have a very small tip a med tip and a semi large tip.

[ph2t]

aussiexmodder wrote:

I use a dick smith 30watt soldering iron for ally needs. It was only bout $20

same here :), god knows how many nellys it has made, lol….

But I’m looking at something like this now:

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&item=230007425688&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Not too shabby for $150…..

I guess in the end, whatever sodering iron you use, the MOST important part is to maintain the tip of the soldering iron. Always keep it clean, NEVER use it to melt plastic (that screws the tip up longterm), and re-tin it often. Then it almost doesn’t matter if it cost you $15 or $150…..

ph2t.,

[klims]

there is one that altronics sell that looks pretty good. its not on their web site, but it has an extraction fan as part of the unit for about $150. extractions fans are a must. i have been using one at work then i came back to my chepo home one and i couldnt stand it. those fumes can get pretty toxic!

[Admin]

Ungar #7750, with the 50 watt heating element. It has replaceable elements and tips…nice and hot so that you can get in, melt your solder and get out without heating the whole shebang too much and ruining some parts.

Always good to use a bit of Sal Ammoniac (ammonium chloride) on your tip to keep it working well for longer. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9007203/ammonium-chloride

I always try to solder outside and/or use a fan to draw the fumes away from me and others in the area.

[Author]

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