# Solder iron recommendations



## Douglasr (Mar 22, 2018)

My soldering iron has died and I am seeking recommendations for its replacement. I do light to medium jobs, the toughest being soldering tabs on rechargeable battery rebuilds. Anybody have any current favorites? Thanks


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## Ulma Doctor (Mar 22, 2018)

Hi Douglasr,
Weller irons is pretty much what i have in my toolbox and in my service truck,
but i have a SPC Technologies digital bench soldering station that i do most of my soldering with at the shop


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## British Steel (Mar 22, 2018)

I'll second the Weller irons, particularly the older TCP (Temperature Controlled Pencil) - simple and reliable, you can select the temperature range you want (by fitting different tips, different Curie points to operate / not operate the magnetic switch) and there are lots of tips/temperatures to choose from. I have 4 of 'em, even one dedicated to plastics welding 
I've been using them for nearly 50 years and have never had one fail, other than one that got crushed...

Dave H. (the other one)


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## mikey (Mar 22, 2018)

Another vote for Weller soldering stations.


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## tq60 (Mar 22, 2018)

Rechargeable batteries need spot welding but can be soldered.

If soldered you heed real hot and real clean iron to allow fast heat transfer and solder flow to get it soldered before the battery gets hot.

Anything Weller is good stuff.

For actual soldering on the batteries themselves a helper of good fix turning to hold the matériel with pre-tinning of the conductors and batteries with a Weller 250 watt GUN.

Having the tip clean and get it hot which only takes seconds then touch battery with iron and solder for maybe a quarter second to tin it.

Place and hold tinned conductor on battery and repeat with the iron to solder it.

A large iron also works but too hard to keep tip correctly clean and it takes too long to get hot.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk


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## gr8legs (Mar 23, 2018)

Ah, this discussion brings back fond memories of the Allied Radio catalog and Weller 8200 soldering guns of my mis-spent childhood, and the smell of rosin core flux wafting hither and yon. <sigh> And I was amazed when the radio shop guys I haunted in my youth showed me how to make my own tips out of 12-gauge copper house wire. A miracle!

You can't go wrong with Weller - I still have two W-TCP units (and what is I think my original 8200 somewhere) but replacing the tips or replacing the whole shebang got way too spendy for my pocketbook. Sadly, the Asian units are quite good and at about $25 per complete station they last a year or so and can be thrown away without much remorse.

Check eBay and search for '936B' and 'soldering' and a bunch of pretty decent clones of the Hakko solder station will turn up. Thermostatically controlled and adjustable, fast heating and mucho cheap-o. 

The tips are cheap also - but with the new-fangled lead-free solder they need to be a bit hotter and oxidize faster so don't last as long as you'd like. If you can stay with 63/37 solder you'll be much happier. 

Regarding NiCad batteries - there's a rather corrosive but miraculous flux (used to be marketed under the name 'Sal-Met') that will almost solder anything to anything with tin-lead solder. I've used it with great success on battery terminals. just clean the bejeesus out of it after soldering to neutralize the flux. The 'Sal-Met' flavor of flux now seems to be marketed by Esab as All-State #509: Soldering Flux for Aluminum and Dissimilar Metals.

Just my $.02

Stu


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## Rick S (Mar 23, 2018)

My go to soldering iron is a butane powered unit by Porta Sol. The convenience of not having a cord is a handy when doing trailer wiring and repairs out of the shop. I have used it for everything from antique radio repair  to plastic welding. It has multiple tips and an adjustable heat range
They are available on Amazon and I'm sure other vendors.   Portasol 010589330 Super Pro 125-Watt Heat Tool Kit with 7 Tips


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## British Steel (Mar 23, 2018)

gr8legs said:


> Regarding NiCad batteries - there's a rather corrosive but miraculous flux (used to be marketed under the name 'Sal-Met') that will almost solder anything to anything with tin-lead solder. I've used it with great success on battery terminals. just clean the bejeesus out of it after soldering to neutralize the flux. The 'Sal-Met' flavor of flux now seems to be marketed by Esab as All-State #509: Soldering Flux for Aluminum and Dissimilar Metals.
> 
> Just my $.02
> 
> Stu



For those of us in the UK, "Baker's Fluid" liquid flux will do much the same - but it's corrosive (Zinc Chloride based) so needs clean-up afterwards and shouldn't be used on stranded copper connections (it gets in betweenthe strands and corrodes the wires away...)
It's about the best there is (afaik) for Tinman's work, soldering up tanks etc.

Dave H. (the other one)


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## coherent (Mar 23, 2018)

I like the 40 watt basic weller iron that's available at any box hardware store. A nice feature is the led lights. I believe that they even have a 80w version. I have a more expensive weller station with variable temp and a low watt hakko for tiny stuff but the basic 40w iron is what I tend to use for 99% of my needs.


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## markba633csi (Mar 23, 2018)

Weller WTCP for small wires and for big wires a propane torch with the big copper chisel tip attachment


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## Mitch Alsup (Mar 23, 2018)

I have used an 80W Weller for over 25 years.


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## David S (Mar 23, 2018)

My main soldering station is the Weller TCP as well.

David


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## MrWhoopee (Mar 23, 2018)

I'm still  using my original Weller 250 watt gun after 50 years. Wouldn't have anything else.


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## DoogieB (Mar 23, 2018)

For the bench, a Weller WES51 has served me well for many years.

After using a temperature-regulated iron, I don't think I could ever go back to using a "dumb" iron.  They warm-up much faster and also supply the *correct *amount of heat when you need it.  I've done a lot of RC stuff in the past with those thick battery wires and it's so much easy to solder when the iron actively maintains it's temperature instead of cooling down when you touch the wire/connector.


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## Boswell (Mar 23, 2018)

The Weller WESD51 is my go to iron on my electronics bench. I have an Weller W-TCP for the shop and also a small hand held propane torch for larger items. Weller is hard to beat but I will say that I have heard good things about Hakko brand of irons. I might even try one if my Weller ever breaks but given that they are 20+ years old, it might not be in this lifetime.


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## petertha (Mar 23, 2018)

I've done a schload of soldering for RC applications. From micro wiring to 8 AWG leads, connectors, plugs.... For small wiring you cant beat the typical digital temperature controlled 40-60watt range soldering stations. When the iron tip is momentarily cooled as it sees the part or introduction of solder, it self compensates with increased heat input so that the tip temperature is modulated.

But when you get into bigger wire gages, solder tabs, things of that nature - new soldering considerations enter the picture. You cant just compare 40 watts iron A to 40 watts iron B. Now the tip mass is acting as a heat reservoir. A teeny tip does not have the mass or the contact area to spread heat quick enough. Or if it does, it takes so long that heat is now flowing down to other areas where you don't necessarily want it to. High heat + short duration is better. I've used a Weller 40 watt 1/4" tip el-cheapo Home Depot special for years. Its perfectly capable of all the wiring/connectors you will see up to say 8 gauge. Before lipo batteries were the rage, we commonly made our own stick packs from NiCD or NiMH cells joined end to end using a 'hammerhead' tip machined from .5" dia copper. 

I've included 2 pics, both 40 watt irons. You want the one with fatter (1/4" tip). And this illustrates why wattage alone is not the only parameter. I had a heat regulated version of this, 60 watt weller. Once your solder technique is good, you don't see as much advantage in these applications. Some guys will opt for an 80 watt big brother (3/8") tip.


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## kd4gij (Mar 23, 2018)

I have 2 grounded tip irons I picked up at a flee market that the name was wore off.  One chisel tip the other fine point. Best irons I have used.


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## Blackjackjacques (Mar 23, 2018)

I have several Wellers, but I have come to like the Hakko's better -- Hakko makes a better product.  They seem to be a bit cheaper and offer better thermal regulation. 

https://www.amazon.com/T18-D08-D12-...pID=41ARiuqvVDL&preST=_SX342_QL70_&dpSrc=srch


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## ColoradoSolar (Mar 23, 2018)

I have a couple of Hakko units for small electronics and my wife has a larger one she uses for stained glass.


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## pstemari (Mar 23, 2018)

Weller Wes51 is what I use, with no complaints.

It's not a Metcal, but the tips are $5 at Fry's and it's fine for what I do, pcbs and wiring.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


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## amuller (Mar 23, 2018)

gr8legs said:


> Ah, this discussion brings back fond memories of the Allied Radio catalog and Weller 8200 soldering guns of my mis-spent childhood, and the smell of rosin core flux wafting hither and yon. <sigh> And I was amazed when the radio shop guys I haunted in my youth showed me how to make my own tips out of 12-gauge copper house wire. A miracle!
> 
> You can't go wrong with Weller - I still have two W-TCP units (and what is I think my original 8200 somewhere) but replacing the tips or replacing the whole shebang got way too spendy for my pocketbook. Sadly, the Asian units are quite good and at about $25 per complete station they last a year or so and can be thrown away without much remorse.
> 
> ...


Ah yes, Allied Radio.  I was always impressed by how quickly the kits showed up.


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## dulltool17 (Mar 23, 2018)

Hard to find any "weller" than Weller....large selection and good value throughout.


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## chips&more (Mar 23, 2018)

A temperature regulated Weller.


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## JPMacG (Mar 23, 2018)

I have soldered wires onto dozens, maybe hundreds of AA NiMH and NiCd batteries using nothing more than a 33W old school non-temperature controlled Ungar pencil.   Clean the battery terminals first with skotch bright and wipe off with a paper towel wet with alcohol.  A small amount of liquid flux on the battery terminals may help.  Then I clean the soldering iron tip, let if heat up fully, and get the tip wet with a small blob of solder to aid heat transfer.  Tin the battery, tin the wire, then make the connection.  Clean off the flux with an acid brush and alcohol.

I have access to Metcal and conventional temperature controlled stations at work.  They are nice, but I feel their advantage is over rated.


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## kd4gij (Mar 23, 2018)

Here is the one I want


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## JPMacG (Mar 23, 2018)

And unless you are building things for sale in Europe, use leaded 63/37 solder like Kester 44.


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## MikeInOr (Mar 23, 2018)

I bought a used Hexacon precision temperature controlled soldering station from the Tektronix surplus store 30 years ago... I have always regretted it... I should have bought 4 more of them!  No clue what I would use 5 soldering stations for but it was a great deal and the one I bought has worked perfectly for 30 years now.  I bought a variety of Hexacon tips off ebay and use the soldering station for everything from surface mount to 10 gauge stranded.  I have an even older Weller and it does a great job but the Hexacon is the one that is always on my bench ready to use.


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## randyjaco (Mar 24, 2018)

Rick S said:


> My go to soldering iron is a butane powered unit by Porta Sol. The convenience of not having a cord is a handy when doing trailer wiring and repairs out of the shop. I have used it for everything from antique radio repair  to plastic welding. It has multiple tips and an adjustable heat range
> They are available on Amazon and I'm sure other vendors.   Portasol 010589330 Super Pro 125-Watt Heat Tool Kit with 7 Tips
> View attachment 263131


Yeah I got one of those 20 years ago to use on my boat. The boat is now gone but I still use that Portasol. It sure has its uses. A very versatile tool. 
Randy


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## cathead (Mar 24, 2018)

amuller said:


> Ah yes, Allied Radio.  I was always impressed by how quickly the kits showed up.



If you remember Allied  Radio,  Burstein Applebee might be back there in the cobwebs too...?


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## Wxm88 (Mar 24, 2018)

I upgraded to Hikko FX 888, really like it. I comes up fast. Still have the Welles, doubt I would go back.


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## amuller (Mar 26, 2018)

cathead said:


> If you remember Allied  Radio,  Burstein Applebee might be back there in the cobwebs too...?


Must admit I do not remember them. 

 I never had that much luck with soldering guns until at some point I realized there had to be really low resistance connections where the tip ends connected.  I still don't find that they heat consistently.  Maybe some conductive goop would help?


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## rwm (Mar 26, 2018)

kd4gij said:


> Here is the one I want
> 
> View attachment 263152



I think that will end up being banned soon....

I recently bought a small Hakko and I am very pleased with the quality and performance.
R


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## cathead (Mar 26, 2018)

amuller said:


> Must admit I do not remember them.
> 
> I never had that much luck with soldering guns until at some point I realized there had to be really low resistance connections where the tip ends connected.  I still don't find that they heat consistently.  Maybe some conductive goop would help?



I'm not a fan of soldering guns myself.  I prefer an iron of some sort.  Usually I use an Ungar iron hooked into
a Variac for temperature control.  I have several with different wattages and tips depending on the job.  For bigger jobs
I will use a 100 watt Black Beauty and for larger jobs,  I drag out the Hexacon.  


Burstein Applebee had an electronics catalog I drooled over as a kid.  Also I built a lot of Heathiits and an Eico kit or two as well.


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## amuller (Mar 26, 2018)

Don't know why but pretty much all the kits I built were the Allied ones "Knight-Kit."  I think maybe they were a little plainer and cheaper than the Heathkits?  It would be sorta fun to have a couple of them around but they are long gone.


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## ericc (Mar 26, 2018)

MikeInOr said:


> I bought a used Hexacon precision temperature controlled soldering station from the Tektronix surplus store 30 years ago... I have always regretted it... I should have bought 4 more of them!  No clue what I would use 5 soldering stations for but it was a great deal and the one I bought has worked perfectly for 30 years now.  I bought a variety of Hexacon tips off ebay and use the soldering station for everything from surface mount to 10 gauge stranded.  I have an even older Weller and it does a great job but the Hexacon is the one that is always on my bench ready to use.



Hi Mike.  Do you know a good place to get Hexacon tips?  I have a couple of Hexacon irons.  They are fine, but once the tip loses its plating, it degrades rapidly.  They seem to be discontinued in the smaller sizes.


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## tq60 (Mar 27, 2018)

amuller said:


> cathead said:
> 
> 
> > If you remember Allied Radio, Burstein Applebee might be back there in the cobwebs too...?
> ...


Just insure the copper is clean.

A dab of grease does not hurt.

Insure they are always tight.

Almost forgot about BA...

remember their catalogs of lots of odds and ends...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk


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## MikeInOr (Mar 28, 2018)

ericc said:


> Hi Mike.  Do you know a good place to get Hexacon tips?  I have a couple of Hexacon irons.  They are fine, but once the tip loses its plating, it degrades rapidly.  They seem to be discontinued in the smaller sizes.



I picked up a bunch of tips off ebay for really cheap back when I bought my iron.  I haven't needed to replace any yet so I haven't looked lately.  I have a couple of needle point tips that are excellent for surface mount work... but I wouldn't part with them.


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## markba633csi (Mar 28, 2018)

IIRC in the very beginning of the film "In Cold Blood" where Robert Blake gets off the bus there's a Burnstein-Applebee sign in the distance
Mark


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