Soldering Iron Recommendations

[Ch0jin]

I spent many years as a bench tech working on electronic goods so (for once) I have an informed opinion to share!!! Woo!!!

Sadly though, It's the same as everyone elses :

Nothing new from me, but for what it's worth, everyone in our old workshop used temp controlled Weller irons. Many of us had different preferences to favourite tips and solder even doing the same kind of work. My main rig was a dual iron Weller setup with a very thin iron for SMD/LSI work that was temp critical like the CMOS chips the old CCD camcorders used to use, and a 'normal' sized iron for 90% of my day to day needs. I also used a Hakko de-soldering station (like a soldering iron with a hollow tip and a vacuum pump). I used flux/resin cored solder exclusively. Some guys swore by the super thin stuff for fine work (working under a magnifier) but I hated it because there was bugger all flux in the core and I preferred to use thicker solder and rely on technique to avoid applying too much. Eventually as I found myself doing more and more SMD work I switched to solder paste and a specially made heat gun type of iron made specifically for this purpose.

So long story short.

- Back in the day Weller was most definitely the weapon of choice for pro's. Hakko was also regarded, but we never seemed to actually buy them.
- Thick solder is easier to use IMO as it contains more flux so is likely better for beginners. As I said though, amongst Pro's I worked with, thick/thin was a personal preference.
- Tips wise. Make them last longer by keeping your sponge wet and the crap off your tip. Probably not an issue for the casual user, but we had a beer penalty system in place for any of use who left irons turned on when we were not using them as tips burn out fast. Especially small ones. Sometimes I'd just wind the temp all the way down in between jobs though instead of turning it off.
- Temp controlled stations. I used them almost exclusively, but I definitely could have got away without one for most work. I also had a big old higher wattage iron in the drawer that I pulled out if I needed serious heat. If I were to buy another iron I doubt I'd spring for a temp controlled station just to work on amps and pedals.
- Direct powered Vs "Station" style. Whilst my current iron is a direct powered (power cable goes into the handle) Weller. I don't recommend them for anything other than very occasional work. The big fat thick power cable just gets in the way and has a habit of knocking stuff over, and off the bench. The irons that have the soft flexible cable from the base station to the iron are MUCH nicer to use and I lament the loss of mine every time I use my current one.
- Do use needle nose pliers, alligator clips or proper heat sink style clips whenever possible to stop whatever you are soldering getting too hot. When I soldered CMOS devices or Germanium Diodes/transistors I often use my fingers, not as a heat sink (although it works) but as a heat gauge. Too hot to hold means too hot for the device.
- If you buy a hand held solder sucker (a good thing to have by the way) here's a tip that may not be all that practical these days, but just in case. They all come with a slightly heat resistant plastic tip. If you use them often, the tip will melt and get clogged with solder and stuff and you'll eventually replace it. I repaired a heck of a lot of things with CRT's in them in the day and every time I replaced a HT transformer I'd cut the HT lead (the thick one with the big rubber cap) in half because the rubber (OK not rubber but some kind of silicon I guess) cap that was on the other end of the lead (where the lead goes into the transformer) is a perfect fit for the tip of a solder sucker, is highly heat resistant, and very soft and flexible so you can get some good suction happening. Because it's so soft after you've removed the solder, you can generally just twist the rubber tip between your fingers to clean out the solder thats been collected. I do not suggest trying to source your own by performing surgery on TV's left out for the rubbish man as CRT tubes contain voltages that can kill. Even if they don't kill you they hurt like a mofo if they get you, I know first hand. If know any TV repair dudes just ask them if they can score some for you.

OK thats enough for now, work beckons.

[Duff]

My hand held, cord goes from wall right into the pencil type soldering iron, is 25 watts, just checked and this is enough, with patience, to melt all the solder I've encountered, but sometimes with difficulty. My weller is very old, like 30 years and has regular phone cord cable, very flexible. Regular cable like a radio.

I bought a cheap Radio Shack piece of junk 40 watt one that lasted about 3 months before it burnt out. The 40 one would desolder things very quickly. I plan on getting a good quality 40 watt one.

Also, if you learn to do basic soldering, you will be able to fix all sorts of things around the house that break down. Usually all you need to do is resolder a shorted out wire, unplugged of course, or solder a wire back together that a dog chewed in half. I have saved a lot of money soldering wires back on terminals, back together, etc. And used quite a bit of electrical tape. And by the way, 3M electrical tape costs more but is far better to use than the cheap walmart or other cheap brands. This is something that you should pay a little more for and I've found 3M to make some good grades, they are even rated for the average temperature or temp extremes of the part you are going to use them at. Different types for very cold or hot places.

Hope this is encouraging. A quality iron is something you want. I wish I knew the brand names of some decent ones. Maybe Craftsman. Don't get the GUN type, they get in the way and melt other wire insulation.

As stated by ChOjin, maybe the quality of Weller has gone way down. My old one is a champ.

Duffy

[Ch0jin]

... And used quite a bit of electrical tape. And by the way, 3M electrical tape costs more but is far better to use than the cheap walmart or other cheap brands.

That is very true, however heat shrink is a MUCH better option. Electrical tape is for binding cables, not insulating them in my humble opinion

Don't get the GUN type, they get in the way and melt other wire insulation.

100% Spot on. I've never even seen one in a commercial workshop.

As stated by ChOjin, maybe the quality of Weller has gone way down. My old one is a champ.

Duffy

Umm, I didn't state that Weller quality has gone way down. Far as I know it's as good as ever, but I've been out of the repair game for at least 10 years so anything could have happened in that time.

[Duff]

Thanks ChOjin,

I'll probably buy a fourty or so watt Weller then. I like having a more powerful iron around for that new solder, know what I mean?

Have you encountered it, the lead free solder, in any of your guitars or amps?

It seems like I have but I'm no expert. Some of it takes forever to melt and some melts quickly.

Duffy

I'm playing myself to sleep right now with that avatar LP Epi with "hot rodded" Seymour Duncan pups on it thru my Delta Blues with the RP 350 in line on the SOLDLY model and drive on the amp a little tremolo and reverb, nice sound. What is SOLDLY model, Soldano or Soldano with delay? Need to check that manual.

[Ch0jin]

Have you encountered it, the lead free solder, in any of your guitars or amps?

No I don't think so. Then again all the stuff I work on is either old (pre ROHS), or made by me using "old" solder from the rolls and rolls of it I seem to have lying around still

I'm playing myself to sleep right now with that avatar LP Epi with "hot rodded" Seymour Duncan pups on it thru my Delta Blues with the RP 350 in line on the SOLDLY model and drive on the amp a little tremolo and reverb, nice sound. What is SOLDLY model, Soldano or Soldano with delay? Need to check that manual.

Wow, playing yourself to sleep with a Soldano patch? My POD has a Soldano SLO patch and it's a high gain harmonic rich monster!! Not exactly bed time music, in fact I find it hard to play more than a handful of notes through that patch before I'm doing pinch harmonics and other metal mania

[Duff]

This patch is really nice sounding at lowish volume, really rich and lots of other effects included in the factory patch to make it complex and actually very rewarding for me.

I play some really mellow things thru it to, like "Imagine", "Helpless", and songs I compose myself like one I especially like the emulates a freight train rolling accross the Great Plains at night far far away, speeding up and slowing down, and blowing the air horn for crossings. This can go from slow engine idling at the station stop, to accellerating, to flying off into the far distance. If you ever lived in the Great Plains, you can here those big old trains go on for miles at night and the space and time thing distorts the song so a little tremolo on my Delta Blues gives it that distorted space and time effect, playing gently into the fading distance. I like that railroad rythym.

I guess in some way I'm like the guy in Chuck Berry's, "Johhny B. Good", but not a star. Just a fantasy star.

Sometimes the reality of things is the opposite of what you think it is, kind of like playing that model late a night to help me relax. It's not like I'm shredding. I'm not a shredder. I'm a rock a roller and bluesman. Probably an intermediate level player but I practice every day and use all my guitars and most of my amps regularly.

Just bought my old Marshall Valvestate VS30R back today from the kid I sold it to for the same price, 75 dollars, super mint condition, probably nicer than some floor models and this amp is probably at least 20 years old dude.

You might be able to help me ChOjin. It sounds pretty awesome with the Celestion G10C speaker in it but the speaker is old and you don't get a lot of note distinction in chords, etc. I want to put an new quality speaker in it and am thinking of a Eminence Ragin' Cajun or something not as expensive as a Celestion, but with incredible sound for a Marshall totally solid state amp. No preamp tube in this model.

I want to wind up with a nice smooth sweet tone with plenty of sparkling cleans on the clean channel and a nice smooth, not raggeddy distortion on the drive channel. Like get something with a big magnet because I believe more mass produces a better sound, like in heavier amps sounding better. I'm probably wrong but there is something psychological there or maybe even metaphysical, to my ear.

So, I want to put in a nice 10 inch speaker that is very very sensitive, and not harsh at all, but sweet, chimey, and capable of sustain and a smooth distortion on the drive channel. Like to have a lot of clean headroom on the clean channel. I like Eminence speakers for the less expensive ones but am open to other ideas.

Is that "Swamp Thing" sensitive. The "Ragin' Cajun" is very sensitive and made my Fender Super Champ XD a LOT louder just going from like 95dB to like 101dB sensitivity of the speaker.'

I'm sure you know what I'm getting at dude. You are a professional and I respect that. I'm getting to be a fairly good nonpro tech though, I must say.

I am really happy that that old Marshall came back to me. I started recently, after I bought my Marshall MB30 bass practice amp, to regret selling it.

The Celestion speaker sounds muddy. Is this normal after about twenty years? Can I make it sound better? Should I check it out inside and look for puffed up capacitors or any other obvious problems? I can even resolder slight cracks in the PCB traces successfully and know how to look for cracked solder joints.

It sounds reasonably good though, I just think the speaker is worn out, not blown, just worn out and I want a crisper sound with more controlled sounds and a smooth drive sound that responds to the gain knob. This one doesn't seem to be too sensitive to turning the drive knob. Not much total range of drive apparent. Even the reverb seems to be of limitted intensity gain from zero to max. Everything works mechanically perfect and it looks brand new.

Duffy
Winfield, Pa.

Thanks in advance man. You are a very knowledgeable person, if not tuned in on all the latest and greatest technologies. There is something to be said for "tried and true". Engineers that don't know how to turn a screwdriver scare me. On the other hand some of the best mechanics I've known are engineers, they know the theory behind what they are doing and enjoy working with their hands, plotting, planning, and excuting their ideas in really interesting ways.

[ShortBuSX]

This patch is really nice sounding at lowish volume, really rich and lots of other effects included in the factory patch to make it complex and actually very rewarding for me.

I play some really mellow things thru it to, like "Imagine", "Helpless", and songs I compose myself like one I especially like the emulates a freight train rolling accross the Great Plains at night far far away, speeding up and slowing down, and blowing the air horn for crossings. This can go from slow engine idling at the station stop, to accellerating, to flying off into the far distance. If you ever lived in the Great Plains, you can here those big old trains go on for miles at night and the space and time thing distorts the song so a little tremolo on my Delta Blues gives it that distorted space and time effect, playing gently into the fading distance. I like that railroad rythym.

I guess in some way I'm like the guy in Chuck Berry's, "Johhny B. Good", but not a star. Just a fantasy star.

Sometimes the reality of things is the opposite of what you think it is, kind of like playing that model late a night to help me relax. It's not like I'm shredding. I'm not a shredder. I'm a rock a roller and bluesman. Probably an intermediate level player but I practice every day and use all my guitars and most of my amps regularly.

Just bought my old Marshall Valvestate VS30R back today from the kid I sold it to for the same price, 75 dollars, super mint condition, probably nicer than some floor models and this amp is probably at least 20 years old dude.

You might be able to help me ChOjin. It sounds pretty awesome with the Celestion G10C speaker in it but the speaker is old and you don't get a lot of note distinction in chords, etc. I want to put an new quality speaker in it and am thinking of a Eminence Ragin' Cajun or something not as expensive as a Celestion, but with incredible sound for a Marshall totally solid state amp. No preamp tube in this model.

I want to wind up with a nice smooth sweet tone with plenty of sparkling cleans on the clean channel and a nice smooth, not raggeddy distortion on the drive channel. Like get something with a big magnet because I believe more mass produces a better sound, like in heavier amps sounding better. I'm probably wrong but there is something psychological there or maybe even metaphysical, to my ear.

So, I want to put in a nice 10 inch speaker that is very very sensitive, and not harsh at all, but sweet, chimey, and capable of sustain and a smooth distortion on the drive channel. Like to have a lot of clean headroom on the clean channel. I like Eminence speakers for the less expensive ones but am open to other ideas.

Is that "Swamp Thing" sensitive. The "Ragin' Cajun" is very sensitive and made my Fender Super Champ XD a LOT louder just going from like 95dB to like 101dB sensitivity of the speaker.'

I'm sure you know what I'm getting at dude. You are a professional and I respect that. I'm getting to be a fairly good nonpro tech though, I must say.

I am really happy that that old Marshall came back to me. I started recently, after I bought my Marshall MB30 bass practice amp, to regret selling it.

The Celestion speaker sounds muddy. Is this normal after about twenty years? Can I make it sound better? Should I check it out inside and look for puffed up capacitors or any other obvious problems? I can even resolder slight cracks in the PCB traces successfully and know how to look for cracked solder joints.

It sounds reasonably good though, I just think the speaker is worn out, not blown, just worn out and I want a crisper sound with more controlled sounds and a smooth drive sound that responds to the gain knob. This one doesn't seem to be too sensitive to turning the drive knob. Not much total range of drive apparent. Even the reverb seems to be of limitted intensity gain from zero to max. Everything works mechanically perfect and it looks brand new.

Duffy
Winfield, Pa.

Thanks in advance man. You are a very knowledgeable person, if not tuned in on all the latest and greatest technologies. There is something to be said for "tried and true". Engineers that don't know how to turn a screwdriver scare me. On the other hand some of the best mechanics I've known are engineers, they know the theory behind what they are doing and enjoy working with their hands, plotting, planning, and excuting their ideas in really interesting ways.

Huh???