FYI to those newbie DIYers like me that just learned (from AK members) how to recap some vintage speakers.

I purchased a cheap battery powered soldering iron online and it was a piece of crap - did not get hot enough, small, and hard to work with.

Last weekend I picked up a Craftsman Soldering Gun (100 watt light duty) from Sears on sale for $15.99. (note, I don't see this model on their web site, may only be in stores).

The Craftsman was a much better soldering gun at an affordable price.

Note: see feedback below that a 100w soldering gun is too powerful for any circuit board work.

Just an FYI.

Cheers, Snade

100W? That's a lot of kick for electronics work. I use a pair of 15W and 30W irons normally. Also have a a couple larger guns and a plumber's iron when needed.

I've heard of people doing surface mount work with a 100w soldering gun. Talk about talent.

I've heard of people doing surface mount work with a 100w soldering gun. Talk about talent.
That's really quite impressive - I have a soldering gun which is only used for for car stuff and chunky joints, like in speakers. You just can't beat the power of a big gun.

The only soldering iron I have ever bought is a 25w Antec, which is a pretty solid little thing with tips available everywhere. I've used it for surface mount work and everything. I would like something a little less powerful for delicate stuff though.

My 30 watt Weller is a lethal weapon in the wrong hands!!!



.....................like mine!!





Steve

FYI to those newbie DIYers like me that just learned (from AK members) how to recap some vintage speakers.

I purchased a cheap battery powered soldering iron online and it was a piece of crap - did not get hot enough, small, and hard to work with.

Last weekend I picked up a Craftsman Soldering Gun (100 watt light duty) from Sears on sale for $15.99. (note, I don't see this model on their web site, may only be in stores).

The Craftsman was a much better soldering gun at an affordable price.

Just an FYI.

Cheers, Snade

I have a gun like that, but as the lady said "you're not getting THAT thing near MY printed circuit board!!!!" :D

Seriously, there's not many faster ways to burn a trace off the board.

But they ARE useful in some situations. You might want to get some hemostats to act as heatsinks to keep components cool, clip them on between the joint and the component.

These guns get REALLY hot. If you get serious about pc board work, get a temperature controlled iron, like a weller WP-25 or WP-30.. it's 120vac and no other box/stand/controller, the tip controls the heat. about 30 bucks.

A temp controlled soldering station will set you back 50 minimum.

My ten year old 30 watt Ungar has served me well, one chisel and one pencil tip seems to cover all the bases, and ten years has taught me a stand is a very good idea.:yes:

Wipe the tip often, keep it tinned and file when neccessary to keep a good pit free surface.

Only use the gun for connections requiring 100w of power, e.g. soldering banana plugs onto #12 speaker wires, unsoldering things that are soldered to the metal chassis, etc. Keep the gun away from IC's, transistors and smaller rectifier diodes.

Fred

Guns work well for soldering wire onto speaker binding posts too.

There are a number of good soldering stations for sale on that auction site. Please, don't make the same mistake I did and suffer through a lot of time with a cheap iron.
I found that I could by a new Hakko from a local AV distributor for little more than a used station and shipping from that auction place. They also carry replacement parts, tips, and other soldering accessories. Nice to discover a place I can drive to for those kind of needs.

I finally broke down and purchased a Hakko 936 ESD safe station from Fry's for $89.00.

Using a wedge tip, this sucker works like a dream, heats up fast and lets me adjust the heat to meet the requirements.

Don't know how easy it is to get, but Weller used to make a dual heat gun. First pull on the trigger gave gentle heat; next pull gave full power. Very useful.

i have a old weller8200 n 100/140 and its a beast

i have a old weller8200 n 100/140 and its a beast

That's the one :thmbsp: Not sure if it's still made but it was very useful. Only weak point was the switch, and this was repairable.................

I have several nice cordless. One is Butane, the other is rechargable, both work well for MOST stuff. Got 'em both at Micro-Mark.

If I really need to beat someting to death, I grab my wifes iron from her stained glass work.

What, no one's hardcore and uses a solid iron heated with a torch?

What, no one's hardcore and uses a solid iron heated with a torch?

I have been known to take a 100 watt iron then when it's good and hot, blip the end for 20 seconds with a gas torch. This is when I need to locally heat a bit of hardened steel so I can put a curve in it. Not exactly what the iron's built for (cheap Silverline off Ebay) but it's amazing how much of this it will take before the element gives up:D

Bought my original Weller in1972, bought 3 more on eBay and built up 2 of the WPTCN 40 watt soldering stations, nothing can beat them, that and a selection of temperature controlled tips that can do everything from soldering to a chassis to surface mount.

Don't know how easy it is to get, but Weller used to make a dual heat gun. First pull on the trigger gave gentle heat; next pull gave full power. Very useful.

Still have that Weller gun since my high school year. Still works. 1/2 pull, 150 watt, full pull 100 watt. Used to use it on circuit board. Pretty toasty on pads for it damages them quite often.

Still have that Weller gun since my high school year. Still works. 1/2 pull, 150 watt, full pull 100 watt. Used to use it on circuit board. Pretty toasty on pads for it damages them quite often.

Mine was written off a long time ago. Weller guns worked very well, but their weak point was the cases. A far as I know, they never used soft or impact resistant plastic. Once dropped on a concrete floor, that was it really. I bought a used heavy duty Weller on Ebay for £2 ($4). It had obviously been well used but hadn't been dropped and works well. Nice engineering, shame about the brittle plastic:stupid:

weller is the best ! is there anything else ?

I picked up a 250 watt gun at a thrift shop for a couple of $$. Talk about hot... it'll glow red in a few seconds. I've used it on 0000 AWG battery cables, but not a lot else.