Soldering Iron Work

BaggedLancer

Alright, so I am going to be doing some soldering work this weekend while running all my wires in the wall and putting on my gold plated terminals....


When it comes to soldering have any of you tried a butane soldering iron? If so, what do you think? Snap On offers the Blue Point 75 watt for pretty cheap and I figured I'd give it a try.

The cheap irons just don't seem to heat up enough to do anything with.

This is the kit I am going to buy:
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=all&item_ID=53136&group_ID=12179&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

Definately NOT at that price though.

From what I read to seem to heat up quick and cool quick.....exactly what I am looking for. They also come with attachments to do heat shrink wrap and plastic cutting.

disneyjoe7

A good iron is golden, but I feel you're going to pay more for it if it's a portable then not. Something to consider if you don't use an iron much.

BaggedLancer

disneyjoe7 wrote: »

A good iron is golden, but I feel you're going to pay more for it if it's a portable then not. Something to consider if you don't use an iron much.

I use my electrical one quite a bit but it is getting to the point where its too damn slow, even after putting in a new tip.

Not to mention when in the house you can't put the electrical ones down anywhere while your working. Those little stands don't work for crap. :mad:

PoweredByDodge

http://www.okinternational.com/product_soldering/mx500Rework

--- a very good starter iron.

however, if you're just soldering wires that are all larger than 20 awg, and you don't give a damn if its 'perfect' looking (just 'perfectly connected') then believe it or not the 10 dollar radio shack piece of junk iron is going to give you the same results as anything else will, as long as you keep a clean tip (not necessarily new, you can grind the old ones or just shave them with a file) on it.

i've used enough butane irons that i could have bout a good benchtop iron with the money i spent on piece of junk butanes. some of the larger ones by auto tools supplies like Mack, Blackhawk, and Craftsman are decent enough for the work that you do on a car or anything where you're not working with **** smaller than say 16 awg. but they're too damn heavy and bulky to do anything precise. and the smaller butanes never hold enough fluid to get you very far.

BaggedLancer

The butane one I picked from Snap On is a GREAT iron. It holds plenty of fluid and was soldering my 12 awg with no problem at all. Nice clean joints every time. Mine comes with all sorts of tips and everything. Great little kit.

Which butane ones have you tried that you are so against them? Now that I used this one I'd never go back to electric.

honda cber

i have both a pencil-type (25w i think?), and a gun (150w), both weller... the big gun is great for things like soldering ground lugs to the chassis of a tube amp, but is WAY too hot, and a little cumbersome even, for precise work, like soldering components onto PCB. for your project i would use the gun, quality solder FOR ELECTRONICS, and acid-free flux. the flux really makes a difference, but dont forget to clean off the excess when you are done.

a

avguytx

I've got 2) Master Appliance UT-100si's that I think I bought back in my hardcore car audio days. They were the shiznit for doing car alarms with but, as with any Butane soldering iron, you have to watch how you lay it down and what direction the exhaust section is facing; it can melt some wiring fast! I used to rotate every other year sending them back to Master Appliance in Racine, WI to get rebuilt since I used them day in and day out. It may be time now to replace them or just get one rebuilt as I don't use them nearly like I used to. I just checked their website and it's still $45. But, a valuable tool to have around...especially for rebuilding crossovers!

PoweredByDodge

... went through a Blackhawk, a couple POI's, and a mini Radio Shack butane. All in all I think I spent something like 500 on them all together. All of them (except the radio shack) were of the very bulky construction that avguytx spoke of. they do serve their purpose (an outdoor or mobile environment.... working on large equipment, or anywhere that you need to treat your iron like a tool (bang it around, etc)), but i'm just no big fan. couple hundred you can get a really nice starter iron and be good to go for years.

treitz3

Rat Shack has a model with a digital readout that let's you know what temperature the tip is at. In my experience, this readout is not correct as I have to go more than a couple of hundred degrees above what it says to achieve the perfect solder. If memory serves, I blew 90 bucks on the iron. It came with a fine tip which can be golden in tight spots. If you don't use it in a commercial application, it should last you a lifetime.

Other items to consider would be a solder sucker, solder wick, tinner, third hand tool, magnifying glass and soldering iron holder that has mass to avoid any "mishaps".

Butane soldering irons present to much of an opportunity for shrink wrap and wire coatings within the immediate area to shrink beyond intended use, presenting a possible hazard and catastrophic electrical "accidents" not intended. IMO, avoid at all costs.

Deadof_knight

Radio shack has a butane model for 20 bucks they work great when the tip is new but nuy a couple more when you purchase your iron Ive tried the tip cleaners but for 20 bucks for a whole new I think Ive got three ... altough it more because I getthem on the job ...when I need them

dorokusai

You don't need a 100 - 150w soldering iron for electronics, that's ridiculous. Butane is equally silly for soldering electronics.

I use a Weller WTCPTD 60w iron and have never had a problem, even with Cardas products. The only thing you need is fluxed solder or wipe-on flux. All that other stuff is for amateurs. When you have too much solder, heat it up and bang it on the worktable....that's how men do it.

polkatese

dorokusai wrote: »

When you have too much solder, heat it up and bang it on the worktable....that's how men do it.

I can just see you doing this, with your cap on, cussing, and all.

Jstas

dorokusai wrote: »

You don't need a 100 - 150w soldering iron for electronics, that's ridiculous. Butane is equally silly for soldering electronics.

I use a Weller WTCPTD 60w iron and have never had a problem, even with Cardas products. The only thing you need is fluxed solder or wipe-on flux. All that other stuff is for amateurs. When you have too much solder, heat it up and bang it on the worktable....that's how men do it.

That's pretty much how I do it too.

My father started out as an electronics tech and he has irons that are older than I am and I prefer those old dinosaurs to anything new. But, you can't get them anymore so Weller equipment it is. their bench stuff is awesome and they have so many different tips that there isn't anything you can't do with a Weller. But I do have some heavy wattage irons because the smaller, 60 watt irons area great for sweating a board or doing a typical splice or repair but they are no good when trying to terminate 8 gauge wire or bigger. Just not enough juice and heat.

Soldering isn't like welding where you strike an arc and BAM! your shooting molten metal into a gap. Soldering is a thing is patience and skill and I hate hearing people compare the two. You don't need big heat. Bit heat gets you in to trouble fast and you can't control it as well. Besides, it sucks when you have a small, cheap repair to do on a nice piece of gear and you end up frying a PCB and destroying said gear because one of the runs went up like a fuse in a cartoon 'cause the iron got too hot.