Favorite soldering gun for guitar guts?

David Mason · Post by **David Mason** » 17 May 2006 3:18 am

I have a Weller 23-watt pencil-type that works OK to fix cords and such, but is there an advantage to a higher power gun to do electronics work? I know about not frying capacitors with too much heat, but does a higher power gun get you on and off the parts quicker?

Jim Sliff · Post by **Jim Sliff** » 17 May 2006 4:46 am

DO NOT USE A GUN, EVER!

A soldering gun can 1) cause instant overheating, and 2) create magntic problems. They should NEVER be used on a guitar or amp.

A 40-watt iron is moe than enough for most work. For grounds on pots andamp chassis, an 80-watt iron is handy to have. That's it - and a 40 should have a heat control and be dialed way down to work on printed circuit boards.

Blake Hawkins · Post by **Blake Hawkins** » 17 May 2006 5:08 am

What Jim said.

I have used the Weller 23 watt iron for many years. It does most things you need to do,
just keep the tip clean.

Blake

John Daugherty · Post by **John Daugherty** » 17 May 2006 5:21 am

David, I carry a butane soldering pencil and other tools in my steel seat.
The butane irons are great. They don't require a power cord. This gives the advantage of quick access and no electromagnetic field. They have a flame adjustment for temperature control. The flame is not exposed. It is inside the metal soldering tip.

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Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 17 May 2006 5:31 am

The soldering unit I have used for years looks like a pistol, complete with trigger and everything. You squeeze the trigger and the gun comes on along with a little light. When you release the trigger it's off. Works great.

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 17 May 2006 5:31 am

<S>200 Watt Weller Soldering gun, can of Acid Core Flux, and some of that big fat solder on rolls should do ya fine!</S>

But seriously, you can buy a nice little temperature controlled soldering station for less than $100 from MCM. They work great.[This message was edited by Joey Ace on 17 May 2006 at 06:35 AM.]

Joey Ace · Post by **Joey Ace** » 17 May 2006 5:36 am

I edited Ray's post, because a newbie might take it seriously. Acid Core solder will ruin electronics.

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 17 May 2006 7:01 am

Good one Joey, can't be too careful

Actually a nice assortment of .035, .050, and some silver based solder is good to have in the kit too. [This message was edited by Ray Minich on 17 May 2006 at 08:03 AM.]

Russ Wever · Post by **Russ Wever** » 17 May 2006 8:17 am

What's the general concensus on Elenco 'budget' soldering stations?

For one who solders rather infrequently, are they substantial, or is Weller the 'one-and-only' way to go?

~Russ

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 17 May 2006 8:38 am

A Weller 25 w. "pencil" iron & some rosin core thin solder. That's all ya need. You can keep it in yer pak-a-seat.

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Bill Hatcher · Post by **Bill Hatcher** » 17 May 2006 9:35 am

There will be times where you will need a lot of heat--soldering ground to a amp chassis or the top of a pot. The venerable Weller gun is just fine for this. For transistor amps low wattage pencil. For tube amps, you will need more.

Never use more heat than you absolutely need.
Never use the gun around guitar pickups.

Bo Borland · Post by **Bo Borland** » 17 May 2006 9:48 am

Does anyone have any experience with the new battery powered, "cold " soldering gizmos out now? They have a gap in the tip & it only heats when the solder bridges the gap..

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 17 May 2006 10:55 am

Bo---from what I undrstand the cold solder gizmo works as advertised regarding being miraculously safe with a cool tip & all but also, from what I understand, in theory and in practice it is a recipe for 'cold' joints which will result in bad or intermittent connections. The concept defies the idea of soldering which is that you heat the wires that are to be joined and then flow solder onto the hot wire. When I was a kid I bought a Radio Shack product that was basically paper thin little ribbons of solder that you wrapped around the wire joint and then melted with a Bic lighter. It melted nicely. But it sure didn't make an electrically conductive bond. What a scam that was.

I have been using this unit (or something similar for a while and feel it is a very worthy bargain:
http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7307

If you can pad out your order to $50 they give you a choice of cool freebies too.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 17 May 2006 1:33 pm

...is there an advantage to a higher power gun to do electronics work? I know about not frying capacitors with too much heat, but does a higher power gun get you on and off the parts quicker?

Soldering takes a little finesse, but it's a skill that's easily learned. I use a dual-heat (100w-200w) soldering gun for cables, speakers, and working on tube amps. They're great for the "heavy stuff", and they eliminate the problem of having to worry about a continuously-hot soldering iron. For PC boards, you definitely want a pencil iron, under 25 watts (15 watts is even better). The temperature-regulated irons are great, but a good Weller soldering station will run you over $100. If you intend to do a lot of work on new amps, though, it's a good investment. Any small pencil iron will do if you know how to use it.

Here's some tips I've picked up in my 50+ years of soldering...

When soldering heat sensitive components, always us a heat sink. A small alligator clip or two, placed close to the body of the component works as good, or maybe even better, than the commercial heat-sink clips. (They tend to slip off the leads more easily.)

When removing bad components, it's sometimes best to cut the component leads off close to the body of the component. That way, the component isn't acting as a heat sink, and taking heat away from the joint you're trying to desolder, which minimizes the time on the joint. Also, when you're working on tube sockets, remove the tube! That prevents the pins from acting as heat sinks, and it also prevents you from accidentally applying too much heat and solder, and soldering the tube in the socket.

I like bladed iron tips (rather than the conical tips). They actually look like a small worn screwdriver blade, and they are easily curved at the tip. This usually allows you to get maximum heat transfer to the joint, using the flat side of the tip. Maximum contact=maximum (fastest) heating.

Get a good pair of 3" or 4" shock-proof side cutters. The "shock-proof" designation has nothing to do with electricity, but rather, it refers to them being able to cut leads without causing mechanical shock to the component. (They do this by the cutting surface being beveled on only one side.)

When soldering, I always heat the joint for a couple of seconds, and then apply the solder between the tip and the joint. The melting solder will improve the heat transfer, and help you to get on and off the joint faster. Remember not to move the wires/components until the solder has hardened. Keep the iron on the joint only long enough to get a good flow. Good solder joints are smooth and shiney, bad joints are rough and dull.

If you do use a soldering gun, keep it away from pickup magnets. The A-C field the transformer creates will demagnetize pickup magnets (and cassette tapes)!

Get 2 or three sizes of "solder wick" for unsoldering. This is a rosined copper braid which is applied between the iron and the joint to be unsoldered, and it just seems to work better on PC boards than a "solder-sucker" (those little squeeze bulb things).

No matter what you use to solder, keep the tip clean. A small dampened sponge works good for this, and it's included in the better soldering stations. Also, if you're using a pencil-type iron, get a good soldering stand. It should be weighted, and the entire tip should be protected. (Those little wire-thing stands are a joke)

Use a good grade of solder. Cheap solder is...well, cheap, and it doesn't have a lot of flux, which can lead to poorer joints.

If you're soldering old plugs, or new or new PC boards, it helps to clean the area to be soldered with a pencil eraser (this is a technique I learned at N.A.S.A..)

Get some old junk stuff, and practice soldering on that. Often, shops will give old junk gear away, and you can have fun trying to solder and unsolder on something that you won't mind ruining!

John Daugherty · Post by **John Daugherty** » 18 May 2006 10:51 am

Russ, I use a solder station every day. I have been using generic brands for years and they have held up very well. I don't see a point in paying for a name. I paid about $65.
Honestly, the little butane irons are great for their portability. The Weller Portasol can be purchased for ~ $35. I found a cheaper brand which I am trying now. I haven't used it enough to give a recommendation. As you know, I do a lot of soldering outside on big-truck rigs. That's where the butane iron earns its keep.

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