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.
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.
Steve Thompson
Sun Valley, Idaho
Guitars: Fender 60th Anniversary Std. Strat, Squier CVC Tele Hagstrom Viking Semi-hollow, Joshua beach guitar, Martin SPD-16TR Dreadnought
Amphs: Peavey Classic 30, '61 Fender Concert
Effects and such: Boss: DS-1, CE-5, NS-2 and RC20XL looper, Digitech Bad Monkey, Korg AX1G Multi-effects, Berhinger: TU100 tuner, PB100 Clean Boost, Line 6 Toneport UX2, Electro Harmonix Little Big Muff Pi, DuhVoodooMan's Rabid Rodent Rat Clone, Zonkin Yellow Screamer Mk. II, MXR Carbon Copy Delay
love is the answer, at least for most of the questions in my heart. . .
- j. johnson
Great thread. I was just thinking "what iron should I get to improve my soldering skills?" I appreciate those suggestions Voodoo.
"No Tele For you." - The Tele Nazi
Ha! Tele-ish now inbound.
No need to appologize, I started out on one of those Rat Shack irons, tooOriginally Posted by sunvalleylaw
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
- Dave Lizewski, Kick-A$$I was just a regular guy. My only super power was being invisible to girls.
Resources for learning how to solder:
http://www.astro.umd.edu/~harris/doc...rSoldering.pdf
http://www.aaroncake.net/electronics/solder.htm
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/7308016.pdf
http://www.robotstore.com/download/How_to_solder_1.pdf
http://www.epemag.wimborne.co.uk/solderfaq.htm
Video tutorials:
http://tangentsoft.net/elec/movies/
Excellent, worth watching. Geared mainly to PCBs, but useful information.
tung
- Dave Lizewski, Kick-A$$I was just a regular guy. My only super power was being invisible to girls.
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...
Yep, my experience, too. I've had two of these and they do a nice job on small stuff, like effect pedal work:Originally Posted by Bloozcat
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....
DVM's Ever-Expanding Gear List:
Guitars - W-A-A-A-Y-Y too many to list. Check 'em all out HERE
Amps & Cabs - "Kap'n Kerrang-aroo" BYOC 18W TMB kit amp head; Mojave Coyote head; Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Lacquered Tweed Ltd. Ed.; Allen Sweet Spot kit amp; BYOC Tweed Royal kit amp; Epiphone Valve Jr. combo + mods; Drive 2x12 cab / Celestion G12M Greenback + G12H30; AB Custom Audio 1x12 cab / Celestion Alnico Blue
Pedals/Effects - ZILLIONS, including DVM's Home-built Pedals - See some HERE and HERE, TOO!
DVM's Gear Photos
Visit MY WEBSITE!
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.Originally Posted by Bloozcat
The Hakko does offer tremendous bang for the buck, especially when you can get one on sale.
tung
- Dave Lizewski, Kick-A$$I was just a regular guy. My only super power was being invisible to girls.