Good soldering gun?

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fishx65

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Nov 17, 2005
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Mod Rookie getting ready to try some mods. Whats a good soldering gun for me to pick up locally? Sears, Walmart, Harbor Freight...... Are there different types of solder? If so, which type to use? Will be mostly switching Luxeons to Cree and Seoul. Any good pointers would be great!!!

Thanks, FishX65
 
I am no expert, but my understanding is that any soldering 'gun' will be too big and have too many watts to be of much use in soldering the tiny LED's and circuit boards used in flashlights.

Instead, you should look for a soldering 'pencil' or, if you want to spend more money, a soldering 'station', like the Weller WES51 (see www.coopertools.com). I think that 15 or 20 watts is plenty.

Regarding solder, again you want very thin solder wire, rosin core, low melting. The stuff I have is 0.032" in diameter, and is 63% tin/27% led, melting point 351 deg F.

Please don't consider my advice to be truth. I'm just trying to help.

Frank
 
15 or 20 watts is far too small except for a garbage iron. I use a 60 watt thermostatically controlled iron. I've been extremely happy with Weller (Cooper Tools) products. If you get the type that is set with thermostat tips, you can stay in the $75 range with a W60P3. The grounded plug is important because it bleads off any accumulated static charge preventing ESD problems with your work. It will last a hobbiest a lifetime. I've left mine plugged in accidently for a week straight (yah, I know...) and it didn't burn out. Still working great.

The thing with buying tools is that a good tool will be enjoyable to use while crummy tools will just cause frustration.

As for solder, find a nice no-clean flux'ed silver bearing solder. Silver bearing solder is a bit sticker and prevents problems when soldering SMT components (if you ever end up doing that). The silver prevents the silver in the SMT end caps from leaching out into the solder and killing the joint. The no-clean flux means just that -- you don't have to clean the flux off. Over a period of 5-10 years, regular rosin core solder will cause your joints to corrode and go bad.
 
I've gone through 4 Radioshack[Rat-sh*t if you ask me] Irons; it's worth the cost to go plunge in and buy a quality Weller iron instead of 4 crappy irons and then a good one.
 
I use one of these:

http://www.emsco-usa.com/hakko/fp102.htm

Not cheap but it works great and there's no need to worry about different tips for different temperatures. For some of the work I've done (handmade HO model railroad swiches/turnouts for example), it's handy having different temperature settings so you can do a first round of soldering with a high-heat solder (like silver-bearing for the frog) and then subsequent rounds with lower-heat stuff, without screwing up the first round (melting the frog while soldering the other rails).

Randy
 
ckthorp: Concerning the W60P3, for both soldering and possibly desoldering LEDs from a chip without hurting them (if possible) what kind of tip would you recommend? 600, 700, or 800 degrees?
 
Thanks for the suggestions so far but can I get away with just using a cheapo? I know this is a dumb question but whats the best cheapo?
 
fishx65 said:
Thanks for the suggestions so far but can I get away with just using a cheapo? I know this is a dumb question but whats the best cheapo?
Click to expand...

The best cheapo is the expensivest cheapest one:lolsign:

I use an soldering iron from "Ersa" Model: 30S, not too expensive and it works very well:)

Best regards

____
Tom
 
Daekar said:
ckthorp: Concerning the W60P3, for both soldering and possibly desoldering LEDs from a chip without hurting them (if possible) what kind of tip would you recommend? 600, 700, or 800 degrees?
Click to expand...
Sorry for the delay. I recommend either a 600 or a 700. 650 is recommended for no-clean, 700 for rosin flux. 600 will work just fine, as will 700. The difference is pretty minor. It also partially depends on how well heatsunk the LED pads are. Higher temps will help desolder more heatsunk pads quicker. The thing that kills semiconductors (LEDs included) is heat*duration. Low heat for long durations and high heat for short durations are both bad. If you're desoldering to do a seoul upgrade, or some such, you don't really care about the part your removing so much. If I were to do an LED replacement, I'd do the following:

Solderwick all of the old LED's connections.
Heat (with the soldering iron) and bend the leads of the old LED one at a time to remove them.
Remove the old LED.
Clean the slug mounting point and resolderwick the pads
Place thermal compound, thermal epoxy, etc and stick the LED down.
Solder the leads quickly using silver bearing no-clean flux solder.
Curse because I put the LED in backwards
Repeat all steps but with the LED in correctly. :)

This might be helpful: http://radiojove.gsfc.nasa.gov/telescope/soldering.htm

This is a bit dated, but it shows lots of examples of good and bad solder joints:
http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~phylabs/bsc/PDFFiles/Soldered.pdf
 
I've used Weller soldering stations and stand alone irons for years. Hakko was never available locally in the pre internet days. I currently use the weller with digital conthol and the small irons that can use large or tiny surface mount tips. I have had to replace a SMD IC and it looked like it was wave soldered when done.

The Weller is still on tip#1 despite 2 years and countless days on without use.
 
I have bought a few cheapo ones and regretted every one. Then I bought a not very expensive one and have been uber happy since then.

Most cheapo ones have no way of regulating temperature which causes major issues and have a voltage on the tip which can kill sensetive components (leds for eg)

I now use a solderpro 50 and will never use another iron again.

It is gas powered so no voltage on tip and no 'trickery running through it.
The gas valve is adjustable so you can get the temp just right and there is no irritating cable to get in your way.

Short of getting a really good temp controlled earth tipped iron the solder pro will work fine.

not sure where you are but they are on offer at maplins at the moment if in the UK.
The solderpro 50 is more than hot enough for any electronics task so don't get a hotter one.

For soldering electronics when the gas tap is just 'on' will be the right temp.
 
Solderpro 50 sounds like what I'm looking for! Now I just gotta find one around here. Michigan
 
+1 on the Hakko. I'm using the 936 model shown here: http://www.emsco-usa.com/hakko/936.htm I love it. I've been through the pencil types and all the associated frustrations over the years, and can definitely say a station such as this will be a great investment. I don't know how I got along without it. I scoffed at the idea when someone suggested it to me a couple of years ago, now I understand.
 
FlashCrazy said:
+1 on the Hakko. I'm using the 936 model shown here: http://www.emsco-usa.com/hakko/936.htm I love it. I've been through the pencil types and all the associated frustrations over the years, and can definitely say a station such as this will be a great investment. I don't know how I got along without it. I scoffed at the idea when someone suggested it to me a couple of years ago, now I understand.
Click to expand...

I asked almost the same question a while back after putting up with my RatShack "El Crappo" cheap soldering iron sticks. I got this same exact Hakko 936 model, and it is a wonderfully performing/temp-adjustable instrument that will last the rest of my life. I can't believe how much difference this makes, and what I had been putting up with previously.
 
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