Soldering Iron Recommendations

[just strum]

Hmm... Neither one of those links worked for me.

try this

http://www.mpja.com/productsdirect.a...item4=15141+TL

http://www.kimcodistributing.com/sto...FQRkswodjXUC9w

[tunghaichuan***]

try this

http://www.mpja.com/productsdirect.a...item4=15141+TL

http://www.kimcodistributing.com/sto...FQRkswodjXUC9w

I have the Hakko station, so I'm biased towards that one. The other station is half the price of the Hakko. The ZD Electronic Tools station may last as long, or it may not. It is hard to say; I have no experience with it.

I've had my Hakko station for at least 10 years, and the two replacement tips I got for it are still going strong. It may be overkill for what you want to do, so take that into account.

tung

[F_BSurfer]

Pass on the the ZD you will spend a lot of time trying to keep your tip ready to solder and they don't last long... tips are cheap pot metal

[just strum]

I found this

http://store.cs-sales.net/welowcosoirs.html

they are selling it for $8 to $20 less than some of the other sites. Read some reviews and people say they've been using theirs for 10+ years.

Any suggestions on tips?

[tunghaichuan***]

I found this

http://store.cs-sales.net/welowcosoirs.html

they are selling it for $8 to $20 less than some of the other sites. Read some reviews and people say they've been using theirs for 10+ years.

Any suggestions on tips?

That station looks like a winner for light duty hobby work. :

For tips, I'd get:

http://store.cs-sales.net/wesctip2wiw.html

http://store.cs-sales.net/wesctip3wiw.html

I like the screw driver tips (also called "chisel tips") better than the conical types.

Those two should get you through most guitar soldering projects. If you think you want to start amp projects, I'd get a bit bigger tip as well:

http://store.cs-sales.net/wesctip4wiw.html

tung

[mrmudcat]

nice suggestions

[just strum]

a few more questions and any additional suggestions/recommendations welcome:

Solder: what size do you find is best to use for working on pups and pots?. Watching video and reading some articles it seems to run from 025 to 050, I was going to get something like 032.

Solder: 63/37 rosin is what I was planning on getting, but having problems locating the right solder - where do you buy yours and is this ok? The place where I am buying the station only has lead free.

http://wassco.com/Departments/Solder...re-Solder.aspx

Tweezers: I see them from a few dollars to $75, will something like this take care of the work I am doing?

http://wassco.com/Products/Tweezer--...-03-98100.aspx

Helping hands:

http://store.cs-sales.net/hh55.html

I've settled on this station (I think)

http://store.cs-sales.net/welowcosoirs.html

[tunghaichuan***]

Solder: what size do you find is best to use for working on pups and pots?. Watching video and reading some articles it seems to run from 025 to 050, I was going to get something like 032.

I use .031" for PCB and FX soldering, .062" for amps, pots, and guitar wiring. .050" would probably be okay. You don't want to glob on the solder, just enough to cover the joint.

Solder: 63/37 rosin is what I was planning on getting, but having problems locating the right solder - where do you buy yours and is this ok? The place where I am buying the station only has lead free.

http://wassco.com/Departments/Solder...re-Solder.aspx

You don't want solid core solder, you want rosin core. If you use solid core, you'll have to use flux in addition to the solder.

I'm not sure if this has lead in it or not:

http://wassco.com/Products/Kester-So...-01-02015.aspx

I use the leaded version. I bought a huge roll at a hamfest about 10 years ago and still have about half of it. Kester 44 used to have lead in it, but I'm not sure about now.

Tweezers: I see them from a few dollars to $75, will something like this take care of the work I am doing?

http://wassco.com/Products/Tweezer--...-03-98100.aspx

I dunno, I don't use tweezers, so I can't help you here.

Helping hands:

http://store.cs-sales.net/hh55.html

Those are very useful for holding two parts so you can keep them stable while the solder solidifies.

I've settled on this station (I think)

http://store.cs-sales.net/welowcosoirs.html

Looks like a winner.

You also might want to look into wire cutters and wire strippers.

tung