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Thread: Best soldering gun

  1. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by Silver Serpent View Post
    Might want to read through the thread you just posted in. Several suggestions for 60/40 solder.

    Or there's this other thread that was posted earlier today: http://forums.thecustomsabershop.com...ed-solder-wire
    Oh, thanks. I was trying to figure out if there was one solder wire that was recommended around here - guess not! Thanks again, off to Amazon!

  2. #22

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    +1 for the Hakko FX888D, it's an excellent iron.

    With regards solder, I'd recommend a 63/37 solder (I used Kester 44 flux-cored). It differs from "ordinary" 60/40 solder in that it has a defined melting point - 183C - rather than a range. You should get much better solder joints with it.
    "And into the heart of the storm, with a cry that pierced all other sounds, tearing the clouds asunder, the Nazg?l came, shooting like flaming bolts, as caught in the fiery ruin of hill and sky they crackled, withered, and went out."

  3. #23

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    After everyone's comments here I decided to upgrade to pick up the Aoyue 469. It's easily the best $30 I've spent on this hobby so far, "upgrading" a more expensive Weller I've been borrowing.
    Last edited by jbkuma; 08-14-2016 at 08:39 PM.

  4. #24

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    I too use Weller's at work and for the amount of soldering I do; they work great. For my saber building hobby, I just picked up a Zeny. Their were lots of positive reviews and the price was under $50 for iron, 5 tips (2 conicle, bladed, solder cup and chisel) holder, tip cleaning sponge, solder wick and solder sucker. Also picked up a pair of help hands with Magnifying glass, a roll of 60/40 rosin core .045 diameter solder, Hakko copper mesh tip cleaner (I use both sponge and copper for tip cleaning), and tip tinner; all for less than $80 with shipping. Hopefully I get a good machine that will last me a few years of saber building.

  5. #25

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    I listened to alot of people and got the FX888d, a year and half later it is dead. Used maybe 20 times and it looks brand new. It beeps once when plugged in and beeps when unplugged. Other than that, no display, no heat. Tried factory reset, and does not do anything. Internal fuse is ok too. back to the walmart soldering iron for now.

  6. #26

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    I will repeat what others have said my Aoyue 469 I have been using is the best $30 spent. You need to buy better tips though.

  7. #27

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    I use an X-Tronic dual station. It has tweezers on the left and an iron on the right. Came with brass sponge, magnifier light, replacement heating element, variety of tips. Digital controls can be set in either C or F, 3 presets per iron/tweezers. Was a good deal if I recall around $129 their single stations are in the $50 range. Only issue I had with it was that I had to use the replacement heating element almost immediately because after the first use the iron would not heat up any longer. Two of the wires on the heating element had melted through their cladding and were shorting out together. Once I replaced this I haven't had any issues and have had it over a year.

  8. #28

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    Hakko, X-TRronix and Weller are all good hobbyist level/mid consumer grade soldering stations

    BUT

    As with everything else,

    what is your budget?

    I can tell you get a Met-cal/thermaltronics or JBC Tools soldering station and you can easily spend $1000+ dollars on just the soldering station and 1 tip. Grant it, it will probably be the last soldering station you will ever buy but that is quite a significant chunk of change.

    Hakko or any other "made in china" station will work but be careful with overshoot and also, if it last a while. Congrats.

    Regardless, make sure to have flux. I have seen some horrid soldering due to burning all the flux out of the solder and the solder just does not pool up correctly or even wet where you need to after all the flux is gone.

    ( I flux and use lead free soldering and get mil-spec level solders).
    Last edited by figgie; 09-07-2017 at 07:33 PM.

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