Advise on soldering iron

[Input2]

Greetings
I am working on some solid state vintage equipment, the Harmon Kardon PM665 and find the Weller soldering iron to big. I bought the Weller way back in 1964 to solder together a few Heathkits.

Hakko irons seem to be good, what model and the size of tips should I get?

Thankyou in advance


Bob

 

[PedroDaGr8]

Price range would help.

Avoid hakko from anywhere but authorized retailers. A good 95% of the hakko irons and tips on ebay are fake. I have a genuine FX-888D and it is a great iron. I used to have a knockoff 936 station with fake hakko tips. The real iron and Hakko tips make a huge difference. Much faster heat up, better heat transfer and I have abused this tip and it is still going strong. The fake tips lasted died in short order from abuse.

With more price information I can better steer you to good deals.

 

[stratus46]

Price range would help.

Avoid hakko from anywhere but authorized retailers. A good 95% of the hakko irons and tips on ebay are fake. I have a genuine FX-888D and it is a great iron. I used to have a knockoff 936 station with fake hakko tips. The real iron and Hakko tips make a huge difference. Much faster heat up, better heat transfer and I have abused this tip and it is still going strong. The fake tips lasted died in short order from abuse.

With more price information I can better steer you to good deals.

How and why do you abuse your soldering tools?

G²

 

[forr]

Have a look to ERSA Nano or Pico models :
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/equipment-tools/243001-good-solder-station.html

I purchased a Pico after reading the above thread and I am quite happy :
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/equipment-tools/243001-good-solder-station-7.html#post3937850

It is very light and heats up very quickly (12 seconds).
Just missed a light when it is on.

Previously, I had a fake Hakko 936 sold on ebay as being a true one.
Very disappointing. Even if it was a true one, I found the shape of the iron not very handy compared to the Pico, Pace and Weller irons which I have experience with.

 

[Fenris]

ERSA is almost impossible to find in North America (I tried about a year ago). I ended up with a nice Metcal PS-900, but that's really a higher end home iron. Hakko is nice although it looks a little "Fischer Price" for my taste.

 

[SonyFan]

You can find some awesome deals on Radio Shack "Pro Line" irons, I think they are re-brands of the nicer Weller models. I got a 15w one for only $10 small enough to do any job before you hit hot-air size. I also use this iron on many larger joints and for "only" 15w it tears it up. Good iron.

 

[SonyFan]

Hexacon makes just about the nicest iron around if you have the money, FWIW.

 

[454Casull]

I have to ask out of curiosity: when OP says "the Weller iron [is] too big", does Weller only make one single size of iron and grip?

 

[Input2]

I have to ask out of curiosity: when OP says "the Weller iron [is] too big", does Weller only make one single size of iron and grip?

Only one tip that is readily available for the weller soldering gun, I have seen a tip with a blade that is used to melt through nylon rope, mostly used at hardware stores. The standard tip is good for most applications, and is great for working on tube amplifiers were terminal strips and tube socket terminals are mostly used.
I can even use it for circuit boards on solid state vintage equipment, soldering in resistors etc, but it can not be used easily is on circuit boards that have a five wire ribbon strip soldered into the board ,those are very close together, if not careful the solder will bridge onto two or three connections .

The Weller comes in two models and both have a two stage low and high heat option using the trigger. The model I have bought in 1964 was used to assemble Heathkits and it is the Weller model A-2756 , 100 watts low heat and150 watts high.
The other Weller soldering gun is the model WD-250 and will produce 250 watts . Both guns have the same tips only that the 250 watt tip is much higher gauge.

 

[gofar99]

Hi, The Weller WP25 is a nice iron and the tips are easy to get and last a long time. It is not temperature controlled, but then it seems to be fine without the control. A Black Jack soldering station from Circuit Specialists (on the web) is what I usually use. It is temp controlled and runs about $70. Tips last pretty good and you should get a few to last you for years. A Weller WM 120 is nice for very tiny work (12 watts very fine tip) but tip life is rather short without an external control (a Weller WLC 100 works fine on it). Another fine tip one is the ECG J-012. It is also a 12 watt and works on the Weller controller. Without the controller the tip is quite hot and life is rather short. I would avoid any "guns" as they have much to much heat. IMO they are better suited for soldering leaks in buckets. I have seldom found a need for more than 40 watts in electronic work. I keep a Weller Therma-Boost (cheap at about $20) around for the occasional need for a lot of heat. It is a 30/130 watt iron. Not really good for any precision work.

 

[SonyFan]

Only one tip that is readily available for the weller soldering gun, I have seen a tip with a blade that is used to melt through nylon rope, mostly used at hardware stores. The standard tip is good for most applications, and is great for working on tube amplifiers were terminal strips and tube socket terminals are mostly used.
I can even use it for circuit boards on solid state vintage equipment, soldering in resistors etc, but it can not be used easily is on circuit boards that have a five wire ribbon strip soldered into the board ,those are very close together, if not careful the solder will bridge onto two or three connections .

The Weller comes in two models and both have a two stage low and high heat option using the trigger. The model I have bought in 1964 was used to assemble Heathkits and it is the Weller model A-2756 , 100 watts low heat and150 watts high.
The other Weller soldering gun is the model WD-250 and will produce 250 watts . Both guns have the same tips only that the 250 watt tip is much higher gauge.

This was done with a regular Weller pointed tip available anywhere FWIW

Being careful is not a trick, it is the name of the game. Always be careful soldering it saves a lot of frustration. You'll develop a touch for it, to the point that switching to a smaller iron for work like this is an inconvenience and waste of time.

 

[PedroDaGr8]

How and why do you abuse your soldering tools?

G²

Nothing to rough, the big one is getting distracted and forgetting to shut off the iron. With the new Hakko, I now get into the habit of shutting the iron off whenever I am not going to be soldering for a few minutes. The heat-up time is quick enough that I can do that without problem. I was worse with the knock-off because I was just learning how to solder. That being said, the difference in tips and tip lifetime even when treated well is quite striking. I am STILL on the first tip on my FX-888D whereas with the knock-offs tips were much more delicate.

Only one tip that is readily available for the weller soldering gun, I have seen a tip with a blade that is used to melt through nylon rope, mostly used at hardware stores. The standard tip is good for most applications, and is great for working on tube amplifiers were terminal strips and tube socket terminals are mostly used.
I can even use it for circuit boards on solid state vintage equipment, soldering in resistors etc, but it can not be used easily is on circuit boards that have a five wire ribbon strip soldered into the board ,those are very close together, if not careful the solder will bridge onto two or three connections .

The Weller comes in two models and both have a two stage low and high heat option using the trigger. The model I have bought in 1964 was used to assemble Heathkits and it is the Weller model A-2756 , 100 watts low heat and150 watts high.
The other Weller soldering gun is the model WD-250 and will produce 250 watts . Both guns have the same tips only that the 250 watt tip is much higher gauge.

OMG no wonder the Weller is giving your problems.

You are using a freaking soldering gun. Soldering guns are NOT intended for electronics use at all! They are intended for binding large wires together, making stained glass panels, etc. To be honest, ANYTHING will be better than that gun. The Hakko FX-888D that I mentioned is easily purchasable for around $100. I have one with a genuine Hakko tip and I must say it is a PLEASURE to use. You have to be careful though because there are a LOT of fakes. So buying from an authorized retailer is important for this model. The old weller WES51or WESD51 are also reliable. Though since Weller was acquired by Apex Tool Group there have been reports of some reliability issues. This tends to be more on lines released after the acquisition than older lines like the WES51.

If you want to step-up to a higher grade device a used JBC (one of the best there is PERIOD), Metcal, etc. are the way to go. They are pricey but have heat-up times and abilities second to none.

 

[KTW425]

I would recommend a Hakko FX-888D. Hakko is a good durable brand, and many people are still using their old discontinued Hakko stations to this day. The FX-888D is a digital temperature controlled station, so you will always know what temperature it is at. It also features pre-set and sleep modes, which I have found to be very handy. It heats up fast and has great heat recovery. Replacement tips are also very easy to come by, which is also nice. I tried to find where I got mine and failed, but I did find this one:
http://www.gotopac.com/Hakko_FX_888_Soldering_Station_s/3893.htm.

Hope that helps! 🙂