Soldering Iron Recommendations

[tunghaichuan***]

That Hakko must be another big Japanese conglomerate. They make a bunch of optics for a lot of big names in the industry as well. They seem to market very few under their own name, though. I do know them to produce quality stuff. I'll have to check out one of their soldering irons.

One reason that I recommend the Hakko 936 is that it is inexpensive, sturdy, and works well. There certainly are others worth considering, especially Weller's temperature controlled station. It tends to be a bit more expensive than the Hakko, but I've seen tips for Weller irons at my local electronics store. I don't have any direct experience with the Weller.

The Hakko does offer tremendous bang for the buck, especially when you can get one on sale.

tung

[just strum]

To those making recommendations - does this also apply to doing work on guitars - pups, pots, and switches?

[tunghaichuan***]

To those making recommendations - does this also apply to doing work on guitars - pups, pots, and switches?

For this type of work, I use the 900M-T-2LD tip. It doesn't have as much mass as the other one, so it won't overheat your joints as fast. Still, with good soldering technique, you should be able to use either tip.

Here is another recommendation: get a pair of locking hemostats. They're like $2-$3 at army navy surplus stores. Clamp these on to whatever you're soldering to act as a heat sink.

tung

[duhvoodooman***]

Here is another recommendation: get a pair of locking hemostats. They're like $2-$3 at army navy surplus stores. Clamp these on to whatever you're soldering to act as a heat sink.

Small alligator clips work pretty well, too.

[tunghaichuan***]

Small alligator clips work pretty well, too.

Good point, and alligator clips are less likely to damage fragile components like hemostats can.

tung