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#1
02-08-2010, 12:12 PM
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Soldering Iron suggestions
Unfortunately my old iron is dead so now I am in the market for a new one. Since pretty much everyone here has a soldering iron or station I was wanting to get some opinions on what would be a decent replacement.
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#2
02-08-2010, 12:55 PM
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Well Three things I look for in a soldering iron...
Does it come with a stand? (I know it sounds silly, but if you are going to do a lot of soldering, you don't want to have to worry about it rolling anywhere.) How expensive are tips? (You will go through quite a few of these..) Is it adjustable. (fot soldering on stars, wire, batteries, etc...) That being said, I use this soldering Iron. http://www.mpja.com/productsdirect.a...item5=17204+TL the ZD 99 mini solder station. I love it because... - It is dirt cheap - warms up in about 45 seconds to a minute - nice tip variety (I only use the 1/16" or 1/32") - super fast shipping (and cheap) - Has lasted me for 23 sabers so far hope this helps. You will also want some tip tinner for these...
__________________
~Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.~ Teddy Roosevelt Sabers I've Built...Click to see! Alpha, Avenger, Lightning Strike, SS #1, SS #2, Parvus Laetitia
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#3
02-08-2010, 02:16 PM
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NOOOOOO!!!! You dont want tip tinner! That will corrode the tip of the iron.
__________________
Prepare for major PWNage. If you need any help with anything, whatsoever, click here. This should help you. Definition of n00b- Here. Last edited by $tarkiller; 02-08-2010 at 02:49 PM.
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#4
02-08-2010, 02:41 PM
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Greetings ElbE121,
Well, I'm a Weller man myself. I've always used them, and have found them to hold up well. We use the WES51 and WESD51 soldering stations at work. The tips are quite easy to find, and the temperature control is a nice feature that can help extend the useful life of the tips. You can see these at: http://www.cooperhandtools.com/brand...%20Stations%20 I don't know how much you know about soldering, and I don't think I feel like posting a tutorial just yet, but $tarkiller has a point about tip tinner. It is an acid, and if you know how to care for your soldering iron and its tips (like always tinning your tips), you shouldn't need tip tinner (also called tip cleaner). Also, I would make sure that you don't get anything under 40 Watts. Personally, I use a 60 Watt iron. I also stay away from soldering pencils. Some people prefer them for their smaller size and finer point tips, but you can get 1/64" conical tips for the WES series of irons, and I can do most naked-eye soldering (right down to SOIC surface mount components) with it. I find the pencils too under-powered, especially for soldering anything with a large ground plane, or anything mechanical. Unless you live in Europe, stick with leaded, flux core solder. The RoHS stuff doesn't flow as well, and it is tougher for beginners to get good wetting. Anyway, this is starting to get preachy. Sorry about that.  Good luck.
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#5
02-08-2010, 02:59 PM
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Quote:
before I used it I was replacing tips after every saber...
__________________
~Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.~ Teddy Roosevelt Sabers I've Built...Click to see! Alpha, Avenger, Lightning Strike, SS #1, SS #2, Parvus Laetitia
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#6
02-08-2010, 03:10 PM
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Quote:
No buying new tips all the times, no using tip tinner. Nice and simple solution.
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#7
02-08-2010, 04:43 PM
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Metcal http://www.metcal.com/products/mx5010 There is no equal.
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#8
02-08-2010, 10:56 PM
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Quote:
__________________
Prepare for major PWNage. If you need any help with anything, whatsoever, click here. This should help you. Definition of n00b- Here.
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#9
02-09-2010, 06:25 AM
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The only time I have ever had tips corrode on me is when some of the rackin-frack engineers I work with (who have never had any real fabrication training) leave the irons sitting out without tinning the tips. That's when I need to use tip cleaner, because there is so much corrosion on the tips, they'd need to be rasped with a file to get it all off.
I have my own personal soldering iron, a low-end Weller, that I've had for 12-13 years now, and I still have the original tips. Admittedly, I only use it 2-3 times a year, but still... Like with anything else, good general maintenance goes a long way towards the longevity of the item.
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#10
02-09-2010, 07:57 PM
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Quote:
http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/...vj6L8XU1XNc%3d I make sure the iron is clear of all solder, dip it in the tinner and set it in the stand. it makes a funny smelling smoke when it adheres to the tip, but that's good. It also serves as a great insulator, with the tin on the tip you get Immediate solder flow.
__________________
~Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.~ Teddy Roosevelt Sabers I've Built...Click to see! Alpha, Avenger, Lightning Strike, SS #1, SS #2, Parvus Laetitia
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