Topic: Soldering gun advise...

[Johnie]

My Sears gun has died.  It was one of those pistol type and was to bulky and heavy for those small detail jobs.  What type of small soldering gun do you guys like to use on those small Honda bullet connectors and circuit boards.  I hope there are some small ones that heat up fast and are not bulky to use.  Let me know where you buy those reliable ones.  I heard that Harbor Freight may not be that concerned about quality, but maybe that is a rumor?

[Bob Wessner]

John, I've heard and read some favorable things about this one, but must admit, never used one.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/pcmods/69d3/

[fixahonda]

You can just use a pencil type iron instead of the larger gun type. Just get one around 30 Watts. That is just about perfect for soldering small wires. The 10-15 Watt ones are more for printed circuit work and will take forever to heat up anything less than a tiny gauge wire.

I used to have one from Radio Shack that had a removable heating element. You could buy the handle and then have your low wattage one for light duty and the higher wattage one for wires and such. They also have a bunch of different types of tips to choose from.
It was a bit long which made it a slight pain in the butt for surface mount components, but I have my Weller station for that type of thing anyway.

[lone*X]

Soldering guns are good for heavy duty wiring and some light tin work but a good soldering "iron" is much more appropriate to bike work.  That said I have tried the Cold Heat battery powered soldering iron and it didn't work well at all.  I couldn't get sufficient heat for a good flow through stranded wiring.  Plus you can't use it heat shrink wrap tubing.  Get yourself a good corded Unger soldering iron.  Less convenient but much more effective.

[heffay]

yes i know you don't want the big bulky gun but i got my gun at harbor freight and it works for me... 10 bucks.

[merc2dogs]

 I'll second the pencil irons, have two smaller ones of 20 and-35 watts, one fairly large one that's 60 watt, the gun type, the old heat on a stove type, and a propane iron.  I use the pencil types for most bike and car work. The others are all special purpose and can't be replaced in those uses.
 the gun is just too big and clumsy for most 'in vehicle' projects
 
Ken

[heffay]

and yes... harbor freight is not that concerned w/ quality but the only thing i've broken from there is a T allen wrench because the plastic handles start coming loose from the allen.

from harbor frieght
i have a torque wrench which i've checked against others that i've had for 10 years and is still calibrated
i have a 10inch mitre power saw that is awesome
i have an air nailer that has not caused problems yet

if you're concerned the tool might break... get the replacement warranty... i purchase it for all the expensive stuff.  even if you throw it in the creek or dump it off the back of your truck... you'll get a new one.

harbor freight is about the only place i go for tools anymore... there's the theory that you can by 10 harbor freight tools for the price of a snap on or craftsman and you'll probably never get thru all 10.

yes, i do have some snap on tools and craftsman and popular mechanics (walmart) and ryobi and skil and so many others... tools are tools and if you actually use them... you'll probably wear them out at some point or another anyway.

[Jinxracing]

+1 vote for the pencil-type iron. The only soldering "gun" I've ever owned that actually heated up quickly and worked is my old bakelite Wen. I don't think they're in business any more though. Besides, the guns are a little large for anything on the bike, with the possible exception of the heavy-gauge wires going to starter and battery.

[mystic_1]

Yeah just about any soldering iron, barring the really small ones, should suffice for working on a bike.  Go ahead and buy a cheepie from Radio Hut, just don't go in for the smallest wattage.  Unless you're going to do a lot of soldering, or are going to do precision work such as soldering printed circuits, any run-of-the-mill soldering iron of any quality at all should do it for you.  Personally I have several soldering irons for different applications, but I save the nice ones for when I really need them.

mystic_1

[Johnie]

OK thanks...can you tell me what wattage I should get without over-kill?  Especially for those bullet connectors.  I just want to be sure I make the right purchase.

[fixahonda]

Right around 30 watts is good for soldering those types of connectors. It's pretty quick to heat while not being hot enough to instantly melt the insulation like the gun.
Grab some tip tinner/cleaner while you are out. It gets the crud off of the iron tip while giving it a nice even coat of solder. Also when soldering, when you have excess rosin burned on the tip, a damp sponge is a great way to remove it. Slide it across the surface while rotating it will give you a nice clean tip again.
A tin of tip tinner/cleaner and a damp sponge will improve your soldering experience a great deal.

[Raul CB750K1]

I have three or four pencil irons, all of them JBC 30 w.




When I started to study electronics in '85, the JBC were the "cadillacs" of soldering irons. Furthermore, it was the only tool I had never used before, and being able to solder was a great thing for a 15 year old boy. I remember carefully storing it in the original box after each use. Know it rests in its toolbox, and I have other irons in different toolboxes.

Good tools last a long time. I have had to solder with cheap irons and it is real difficult. Tips that won't accept the solder so you can't fully apply heat. If a good one is not that much over a cheap one, go get the better one.