Solder gun/wand
- Thread starter thoneter
- Start date
I got a radio shack gun, it was there biggest a few years ago and it works great, the tip gets red hot, it will solder 10 gauge wire with ease, for small stuff becareful, i don't use it everyday but it's my recommendation.
PatR
Premium Pilot
Ideally, which unfortunately is often expensive, we would have a soldering station that provided adjustable range of wattage from 10 or 15 up to 120 or so, along with a selection of iron tips to handle fine to heavy work. We would also have a “solder sucker” to remove old or excess solder. We would also have an ESD pad to do electrical work on to prevent static discharge from ruining sensitive electrical components.
As that’s not often the case we need at least two irons. One of 20 watts or so with a selection of fine tips and another of much higher wattage for heavy work. Also good to have on hand is a small roll of wicking “tape” used to collect excess and old solder when making repairs. Personally, I have a couple of low wattage fixed temp irons and a Weller soldering gun for large work.
As that’s not often the case we need at least two irons. One of 20 watts or so with a selection of fine tips and another of much higher wattage for heavy work. Also good to have on hand is a small roll of wicking “tape” used to collect excess and old solder when making repairs. Personally, I have a couple of low wattage fixed temp irons and a Weller soldering gun for large work.
I have this one and it works well for most things. The DC power supply is really handy for testing leds, motors etc.
909D+ 4 in 1 Digital Rework Soldering Station DC Power Supply Hot Air Gun B8L8 | eBay
909D+ 4 in 1 Digital Rework Soldering Station DC Power Supply Hot Air Gun B8L8 | eBay
I've used the old Radio Shack soldering irons in the past but the flux always seemed to deteriorate the tips. Not really bad irons for the price, just bad tips. Weller seems to have the best tips. You may pay a little more up front for a Weller but they seem to last forever. I've also had good luck with the Butane powered soldering iron from Benzomatic which was an impulse buy from Lowes but with a built in igniter and stand it's great for field work.
Hand Torches | Torch Kits | Bernzomatic
It really depends on what you are soldering and how much you are resoldering. It you are reballing IC's I'd definitely recommend a hot air temp controlled rework station but if you are just fixing and tinning leads, small work, then I prefer the convenience of the Butane iron. It also doubles as a portable heat gun for heat shrink tubing.
Hand Torches | Torch Kits | Bernzomatic
It really depends on what you are soldering and how much you are resoldering. It you are reballing IC's I'd definitely recommend a hot air temp controlled rework station but if you are just fixing and tinning leads, small work, then I prefer the convenience of the Butane iron. It also doubles as a portable heat gun for heat shrink tubing.
Several in box of few different wattages, 1 butane that I’ve had since ‘80’s when wrenched, great for under dash or field work. Recently found a nice price on adj bench model... gives temp vs watt, but works nicely...
always wanted one with the spring holder vs the little stand.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DGZFSNE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Few other pieces to fill the toy box... just happened to refresh the box last month...
Very reasonable desolder pump and great working wick.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0777LMVTT/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s04?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Had several heat guns over years, main one is large to remove car emblems & sealants... little over kill on electronics. Found this nifty little one with focused tip, works super on heat shrink.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000X4SMRQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Speaking of heat shrink... tried this adhesive style with red & black tubing. The sealant works nice, but I really like the 3:1 shrink vs standard 2:1... gives a nice thick wrap.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0771K1Z7Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
If your eyes & hands are a bit seasoned like mine, I got tired of makeshift methods to hold a wire... finally found one of those arm clip thingy... even with a magnifying glass. Pretty fun... not sure why I didn’t get one years ago...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RB38X8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Just noticed in your post in battery thread... you were asking for a link to the EC3 connectors. I’ll repeat it here for easier reference...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XC7QKF2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Was using these to replace a few charge leads.... some EC & Banana plugs have little difference tollerance... I go with the ones a tad bit on the larger size to give a better fit. If the OEM leads are a bit thin or out of shape, these make good replacements.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XC7QKF2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Was using these to replace a few charge leads.... some EC & Banana plugs have little difference tollerance... I go with the ones a tad bit on the larger size to give a better fit. If the OEM leads are a bit thin or out of shape, these make good replacements.
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Harbor freight has those I think 10 bucksSeveral in box of few different wattages, 1 butane that I’ve had since ‘80’s when wrenched, great for under dash or field work. Recently found a nice price on adj bench model... gives temp vs watt, but works nicely...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DGZFSNE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Few other pieces to fill the toy box... just happened to refresh the box last month...
Very reasonable desolder pump and great working wick.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0777LMVTT/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s04?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Had several heat guns over years, main one is large to remove car emblems & sealants... little over kill on electronics. Found this nifty little one with focused tip, works super on heat shrink.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000X4SMRQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Speaking of heat shrink... tried this adhesive style with red & black tubing. The sealant works nice, but I really like the 3:1 shrink vs standard 2:1... gives a nice thick wrap.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0771K1Z7Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
If your eyes & hands are a bit seasoned like mine, I got tired of makeshift methods to hold a wire... finally found one of those arm clip thingy... even with a magnifying glass. Pretty fun... not sure why I didn’t get one years ago...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RB38X8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
PatR
Premium Pilot
