Soldering Iron Recommendations

[tunghaichuan***]

Ya, I did not know what I was doing when I got mine. It is a very inexpensive, dual wattage one. Even by RS website standards, it is cheap.

No need to appologize, I started out on one of those Rat Shack irons, too

One thing that a temperature controlled station does is allow you to make nice, consistent joints.

If you don't want to spend the cash on a temperature controlled station, sometimes you can find a nice non-temperature controlled iron (like a high quality version of the Rat Shack iron) made by Hexacon, Weller, Unger, or American Beauty. The tips tend to last longer than RS irons, but not as long as the temp controlled irons.

tung

[tunghaichuan***]

Resources for learning how to solder:

http://www.astro.umd.edu/~harris/doc...rSoldering.pdf

http://www.aaroncake.net/electronics/solder.htm

http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/7308016.pdf

http://www.robotstore.com/download/How_to_solder_1.pdf

http://www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk/solderfaq.htm

Video tutorials:

http://tangentsoft.net/elec/movies/

Excellent, worth watching. Geared mainly to PCBs, but useful information.

tung

[Bloozcat]

The 25w Weber irons from Home Depot have the same problem...they burn tips out pretty fast. I have one and I've just compensated by having spare tips in stock.

But, as with everything else I seem to do, it's probably just a matter of time until I upgrade to a better unit...

[duhvoodooman***]

The 25w Weber irons from Home Depot have the same problem...they burn tips out pretty fast. I have one and I've just compensated by having spare tips in stock.

Yep, my experience, too. I've had two of these and they do a nice job on small stuff, like effect pedal work:

Weller Marksman 25W Iron

But they go through tips like crazy. The chisel-style tips in particular seem to wear out fast--somewhere between one and two pedal projects, and they need to be replaced. So, like Bloozcat, I keep a stock of spares.

The power cord connection down in the handle seems to be a weak design, though. My first one failed because the power started flickering on and off, and now this 2nd one is starting to do the same thing. Time to go for a Hakko, methinks....

[Bloozcat]

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.

[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?