Soldering Iron

[Denno]

Hey all,

I would like to know what would be the best soldering iron I could get for a hobbyist solderer? I am looking at using it for things in my car, but I am unsure as to the wattage I should go for, and then which brand is the most reliable? I have tried a 40W soldering iron from supercheap auto, however the tip doesn't seem to get very hot, it doesn't instantly melt the solder, which makes it very difficult to do effective soldering. I also don't want to have to spend hundreds of dollars, so a relatively cheap and effective iron would be great.

Appreciation for any help

[vlv8vic]

this isn't much help but i just use a cheapy. i think it was about $15 a few years ago from one of the cheap shops. Takes a while to get warm but i've used it for heaps of things (even some dodgy plastic welding...)

[Ozzie]

Cheap soldering irons are fine depending on how thick the wire is that you want to solder.
If its for things like speaker wire a 25w will be plenty... Some do take a while to heat up you just need to make sure direct wind is not hitting the iron.
If its slightly thicker wire like say 12v wire, then you will need more power to the iron like a 40w
Most important thing is buy some liquid flux to save any troubles. Most soldering wire has flux in it but its still a good idea to dip the spot you want to solder into liquid flux first

[Denno]

oh ok. I don't know what's wrong with mine. I leave it for a lil while after turning it on, to ensure it is heated up enough, then I dap it on the sponge to hear if it is heated, then i'll try and melt solder with it, however, I've got to apply a lil bit of pressure, and hold it there for a few seconds before the solder melts... I don't know if it's bad maintanance of my tip, bcuz it's more an orangy/rust coloured look now, rather than smooth stainless steel look, which I know is bad, but I don't know how to recover it. I have bought a couple of wire brushes - a brass one and a steel one - and scrubbed and srubbed and srubbed, and it doesn't make much difference at all.. Very irritating.

[TVR-190]

i paid 30 for mine from jaycar 2 years ago, still going strong

[Ozzie]

If theres a screw holdin the tip in, try losening it to see if you can push the tip back a bit... maybe its a lil too long

[Denno]

Yeah I am pretty sre mine cost around 30 bucks too.. Do your tips still have the stainless steel look to them?

[Ozzie]

oh ok. I don't know what's wrong with mine. I leave it for a lil while after turning it on, to ensure it is heated up enough, then I dap it on the sponge to hear if it is heated, then i'll try and melt solder with it, however, I've got to apply a lil bit of pressure, and hold it there for a few seconds before the solder melts... I don't know if it's bad maintanance of my tip, bcuz it's more an orangy/rust coloured look now, rather than smooth stainless steel look, which I know is bad, but I don't know how to recover it. I have bought a couple of wire brushes - a brass one and a steel one - and scrubbed and srubbed and srubbed, and it doesn't make much difference at all.. Very irritating.

lol it may be made of copper too... most are
aslong as theres not much dirt n crap on the tip it should be heating...
best bet though is to make the tip shorter

[Denno]

how do i make the tip shorter? By pushing it down like you said? I have it pushed down as far as it can go :S

[vlv8vic]

mines all black and nasty too. still goes ok. Takes 15 - 20 mins to be fully warm i reckon

[Jo3_Blo]

Yeah, you gotta make sure the contact area is clean.

Use sandpaper or whatever. Just to grind off any rubbish or stuff preventing it from making proper contact.

[TheyDontWantMusic]

most of the irons from Jaycar are pretty reasonable.

Jaycar Electronics

this would probably be ideal for everything you wanna do.

[Ozzie]

how do i make the tip shorter? By pushing it down like you said? I have it pushed down as far as it can go :S

If its pushed in all the way it should be heating.

Can you give me a gough estimate on how long the tip is?

also is it getting hot from where the tip is screwed in?

[Denno]

oh i see.. Maybe mine isn't that bad after all.. So after 15-20 mins, solder will melt instantly on contact with the tip?

[Ozzie]

it shouldnt take that long but it does take a good 10-15 mins for it to heat up properly,
when you solder do a little at a time to let the soldering iron keep heating

[Denno]

My tip is ~7.5cm long, but it extends from the barrel of the soldering iron ~2.5cm.

Jo3_Blo - Where should I use the sandpaper? On the area I intent to solder, or on the iron tip itself.. I have read on the net that sandpaper shouldn't be used because it can scuff off some protective coating thats on the tip from manufature.

TheyDontWantMusic - thanks for the suggestion .

[Calaber]

There are a few points to consider with a soldering iron. If it has a removable tip, there is a chance that the part of the tip that is enclosed within the handle has corrosion on it, which prevents rapid warm up and adequate heat because of the resistance created by the corrosion. Remove the tip and clean it thoroughly, and try to clean the contacts inside the handle. The irons with really small and narrow tips are a pain because they are too fiddly to use and do not generate sufficient heat to melt larger gauge solder,so make sure the tip is at least 6-8 mm wide.

A good iron will be ready to use in much less time than 10 minutes. Mine usually is ready to go with about 3 or 4 mins heating time.

[Ozzie]

The tip should be roughly about 7cm from the end of the barrel where the screw holds it.
You might have it in tooooo far and its heating from the middle of the tip not from one end like it should. Release the screw n pull the tip out, leaving about 1cm for the barrel screw to grip.
There may be a problem if it goes in that far

[Denno]

How could there be a problem if it were in too far? From all photo's and things i've seen, people have their tips pretty much all the way in? I would have thought this would mean that more of the tip can be heated at one time, as more of it is inside the barrel being heated. However, I will try with the tip extended around 7cm from the barrel.

VYII BERLINA -which soldering iron do you use? A relatively cheapy or a pricey one? And how do you go abot caring/maintaning for it? Just a general overview if you can please.

Thanks

[TheyDontWantMusic]

the tip should be as far in as it can go.

[Calaber]

How could there be a problem if it were in too far? From all photo's and things i've seen, people have their tips pretty much all the way in? I would have thought this would mean that more of the tip can be heated at one time, as more of it is inside the barrel being heated. However, I will try with the tip extended around 7cm from the barrel.

VYII BERLINA -which soldering iron do you use? A relatively cheapy or a pricey one? And how do you go abot caring/maintaning for it? Just a general overview if you can please.

Thanks

Hi Denno

It's a Weller brand, purchased from local hardware some years ago, and was only about $14-15. Came in a bubble pack. Weller is a common brand with many different sizes. I can't recall the power rating as the packaging was dumped after opening, but you will find them in any stores such as Bunnings very easily. Probably within the tool section. Just don't buy one that's too small or too large. The very small ones are hobby irons and as I said, fiddly when working with wiring. They also don't develop the heat that the larger tips will. The very large irons are too clumsy for electrical work in cars as they tend to get in the way when you are trying to splice wiring under dashes, etc.

It also came with a replaceable tip, which was held in with one grub screw. Just remove the tip every few months and make sure the contact points are clean. Keep solder build up off the tip (wipe with a damp cloth when starting up, after tip has reached operating temp.) Check condition of lead and plug. That's all you can do, the handles and internal contacts are sealed. They are a non-serviceable item apart from the tip, but tend to last for years. Keep stored in a dry place.

[Denno]

thanks mate . that's much appreciated. I'm pretty sure the one I got from supercheap auto really isn't that good.. I remember using ones at uni, they were so easy. Touch the tip with solder, instantly melted, made soldering really easy, didn't have to hold all the component in place for asecond or two, which meant you inevitably moved something in the slightest, grrr irritating. But I will definitely go into bunnings and have a look at the weller's .

Cheers.

[greenacc]

Agree with VY Berlina, Weller soldering irons are the best IMO. 15-20 minutes is way too slow, you could drive to bunnings and get a weller in less time.

[VRV6BT1]

Goto hot dollar or super dolar or sumpin, they like 8 schmacker.
They have 15 watt and 25 watt.
Cheap as chips and reliable.

[Jo3_Blo]

thanks mate . that's much appreciated. I'm pretty sure the one I got from supercheap auto really isn't that good.. I remember using ones at uni, they were so easy. Touch the tip with solder, instantly melted, made soldering really easy, didn't have to hold all the component in place for asecond or two, which meant you inevitably moved something in the slightest, grrr irritating. But I will definitely go into bunnings and have a look at the weller's .

Cheers.

Lol man, I know the feeling.

At school, they just melt the stuff instantly. Mine however (its only 14 wats I think, and probs really really old) just takes forever, and makes the job really difficult.

Like I was trying to use it the other day do reconnect the battery lead terminal thingos on my car, and the iron just wouldn't melt the stuff. In the end my dad got an old gas cylinder thing out with a nozzle, lit it up and worked a treat lol, took 20 seconds. haha.

Might invest in a new one. maybe a higher wattage one.

See, theirs ones with skinny tips, which I beleive are lower wattage and more designed for wiring etc, and then theres the ones with a more chunkier tip, which are useful for small joins like sheet metal and stuff.