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