Best soldering gun

[Avidgrant]

Looking for suggestions on the best/ most appropriate soldering gear to get to work with these tiny circuit boards. Any suggestions highly appreciated. Also- while I'm at t. Any suggestions the best solder also appreciated. I know there are quite a few different types and sizes..... Once again- any suggestions appreciated as its been a long time!

[Silver Serpent]

Don't get a soldering gun. You want a soldering iron. Get one that is ESD safe.

I personally use a Weller WES51 soldering station. It's temperature controlled and ESD safe. I've heard good things about the Hakko brand as well (similar features to Weller, lower price).

I use 60/40 leaded solder. It flows much easier than the lead-free stuff. Get a thin gauge solder designed for electrical work. Rosin core is good.

[Avidgrant]

Wow- thanks for the quick response... Yeah sorry my terminology is a little off..... I meant an iron..... Been looking at guns and irons, and all the "guns" have huge tips. I was sort of lumping them all together-under "guns" inappropriately. I'll look for the wes51 station on Amazon- thanks!

[BartElroy]

Hakko FX888D is a really good ESD safe station. Digital controls, changeable tips, everything you need. Love mine.

[rlobrecht]

I wanted something a little more budget and got the Aoyue 469 from Amazon. Several people here recommended it. Its about a third the price of the Weller or Hakko.

[darth_chasm]

I wanted something a little more budget and got the Aoyue 469 from Amazon. Several people here recommended it. Its about a third the price of the Weller or Hakko.

Same here. I got an additional set of tips too and they seem to work a little better than the stock tip. The temp control is a little ambiguous but can be worked with. For $30 its a great tool.

[CET]

This is my simple set up. It's a Weller cordless. I went cordless because I had a plug-in Weller and I accidentally left it on over the weekend. When I got back, it was fried. The battery keeps it from getting damaged if/when I forget to turn it off. I have a big stash of rechargeable AA batteries, and it's nice to not constantly have to deal with a cord always in the way or gently tugging on the back of the iron. It's got a little LED on the front to spotlight what I'm soldering. It's also got 2 settings. I think the lower one is ~750 degrees, and the higher one is ~950 degrees. It's gets up to temp in 20-30 seconds.

I also use a brass mesh instead of a wet sponge. I find it works better, and the sponge cools down the iron a little, which means I then have to wait for it to heat back up again.

I use 60/40 leaded solder. It flows much easier than the lead-free stuff. Get a thin gauge solder designed for electrical work. Rosin core is good.

I also prefer 60/40, though I have to say that I almost neurotically wash my hands after every time I touch the stuff, because part of me is worried that I'll eventually get lead poisoning and go crazy like Isaac Newton. Of course, he was also playing with mercury a lot.