Need a soldering gun

[Pappy]

[walker]

Do not forget to neutralize joints that have been soldered with acid fluxes.

A very effective method is to dissolve baking soda in water and wash the joints / parts with a toothbrush, and finally with simple dishwashing detergent.

Roland

[waaytoomuchintothis]

You can use clips for a heat sink in strategic spots to protect joints you already made. It doesn't take much, and there are loads of clips out there. My favorite is a little steel clamp I found at Kroger, of all places. I just pull the red plastidip off the tip, and it works great. Manuscript clips work well, and even very small C-clamps. In a pinch, a plain old alligator clip will do a lot to help.

[RichD]

I use a 45 watt Ungar. The best irons have the heating element in the tip, irons that have the tip screw into the heating element don't work as well. For chassis work an iron with a chisel tip works best, for some electrical connections a pencil tip is better, but you can often just use the corner of a chisel tip. Even if you are soldering thick material you don't need a big iron, it is heat transfer that is important. The tip of your iron must be clean and shiny. When you are not actually soldering you should turn the heat down. You can buy a soldering station with a heat control built in, I just use a light dimmer. The parts that you are soldering need to be clean, shine them up with steel wool or fine sandpaper. For electrical work use rosin flux, for chassis work acid flux is the way to go. If you use acid flux be sure to wash your project when you have finished soldering. You can use electrical solder for chassis work, but silver solder is much stronger. It is best to tin the parts before you solder them together. Flow a little solder where the joints will be and wipe off the excess solder with a damp sponge if necessary.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

For silver solder flux, you must wash the finished item thoroughly. Anything that will solder will corrode from silver solder flux.

[Gameover]

I have been using the weller i got used from a very well know builder here on the site. Yes he upgraded. Not because the weller didnt work because it was a trade deal. Comparing and arguing over these two irons is loke arguing and comparing an apple to a banana. They are boyh fruit and equal a serving this the same but different. The iron i have is old and seen alot of use. It has built chassis for me that have been in three proxies and beat up after from my boys and I. Yes there are some features that set them apart bug they all get the job done. Its like buying a new truck. You can buh the base model and still get to where you are going or spend more money on the same truck and still get where you going bug now you have leather and a gps.

So if you are new to the hobby and looking for a great iron to start and build many great chassis with the weller will be great for you i know cause i have it and its built many many chassis with out failure. If you want to spend more money for that gos and leather type iron go ahead but its not needed. Oh may i mention im still using the origional tip......

[waaytoomuchintothis]

I had two Wellers and a WEN over the years, the best one was the earliest Weller, my second gun. I used it for over 20 years, using a small torch as a backup for smooth joints. I swear by my wonderful Hakko these days, but there's nothing wrong with a Weller as a starter.

Gameover, what's a "gos and leather type iron"?

[Gameover]

I dont recall teh brand but its the one id like to own next. Its blue and yellow and it turns itself off when left on..... i need that cause i have a habbit of doing that lol

[waaytoomuchintothis]

That's my Hakko, dude!

[Gameover]

Yep thats it. Nice iron. Like i said you can pay more money for more features but they still do the same in the end :).

I will have one someday. Just hard to pull the trigger when my weller is still doing what its meant to.

[SpeedyNH]

Gameover, I sure do know what you mean about leaving the thing on! that will destroy most of My irons if they sit there ignored for a day (not to mention the potential fire hazard of course).
I make sure that mine on my bench have a nice bright light so I don't miss 'em being on when I leave my loft, even if I have to replace or add one. NRE (work up front) is well worth the effort, because of the number of uses compared to the time it takes to do the mod. if you're at all electrically inclined.
I currently use an MPJA adjustable 58W pencil tip, a big high power Ungar on an American Beauty dimmer stand and a Metcal medium-high temp usually with a short cone tip. I have small skinny tips if I need to do electronic work as well. I really liked my '90's Weller controlled output electronic soldering stations, but they tended to seize up on me even with the paste on the threads and the elements. so I gave up on most of 'em and only have one or two left; I keep one in my field kits because they're self-contained and so handy.
off the cuff, a Weller soldering gun will surely melt almost anything if the nuts are tight. plus it has lights if you're under a track or something. but you gotta keep after 'em and also modulate the temp so you don't melt any nearby plastic. there's also the thing about creating a strong magnetic field with that high current loop antenna if you're near any magnets for example, if you care. I mostly keep one in my car repair kit.
speedy
just an old engineer