Need Soldering Iron Advice

"Busslayer" (Busslayer) 07/14/2016 at 11:39 • Filed to: None

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I have a handful of automotive wiring jobs I need to take care of and figured I should probably solder some of the connections. I’ve used them a few times over the years but I don’t own one and don’t really know much about them. I did a quick Google to check prices and am finding a pretty big range. I see a $5 one at Walmart and others that are $100+. So what should I look for in a soldering iron? I was thinking of spending in the $25 or less range.

Here is a dog because soldering iron pictures are kind of boring.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Busslayer 07/14/2016 at 11:41

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$25 or less will work fine if you’re prepared to be patient.

I would advise spending more. I would have.

tpw_rules > Busslayer 07/14/2016 at 11:44

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If you solder a lot, a good iron is worth it. I have a Hakko FX-888D and it’s a joy to use several hours at a time (the handle doesn’t get hot etc). It’s powerful so it heats up from room temperature in under 15 seconds and it has a lot of thermal mass so you don’t get temperature variation on large things. It also has precise temperature control which I never use but people say is important. It’s probably $100 but you won’t be able to find a bad review of it.

If you really just need a few things done and don’t care, a $5 walmart job will do okay.

P.S. OMG DOG! <3 <3

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Busslayer 07/14/2016 at 11:45

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I would advise getting a soldering *gun* instead. Using an iron can be tricky, and even a lower end Weller gun is very convenient for getting things to temp fast and not burning insulation while things heat up. The precision allowed with a good iron in terms of exact temp is almost never necessary for anything automotive, and the long warm up cycle for anything but a really good iron will turn you off doing it again.

Berang > Busslayer 07/14/2016 at 11:46

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I bought a butane soldering iron a few years ago, and I like the extra versatility of also being able to use it as a mini torch - which means you can use it to solder more than just wires.

Busslayer > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 07/14/2016 at 11:46

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Are they just slow to heat up or do they not heat up hot enough at all? My neighbor soldered something for me a few weeks ago and his iron took 15-20 minutes to heat up. Even at that point it was having a hard time melting any quantity of metal. I figured that was because he is a tightwad and his iron looked like something from a toy set from the 1970s.

vicali > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/14/2016 at 11:52

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Yep, iron for board work, gun for wiring.

I used my Dads’ weller for 20 years growing up - then I found my own at a garage sale for $5..

Phillipsaur > Busslayer 07/14/2016 at 11:56

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I've been meaning to get this to set up a station, but if you have the money or you solder a lot get the hakko

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0029N70WM/…

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > Busslayer 07/14/2016 at 11:56

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Slow to heat up to a barely adequate temperature and fast to cool down. Often the circuitry/contacts in the cheaper versions aren’t that great, the switch in mine really needs firm pressure 24/7, and if you slip off the switch it’s cold again in a heartbeat.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > vicali 07/14/2016 at 11:56

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The only trick with the standard everybody-has-one Weller is that they get iffy on the connections from the heating element to the gun, so they’ll just sit there going DURRRRRRRRR until you press the tip *just* right, and then OMMMMINOUS HUMMMM they roast whatever you were pressing against into cinders. Obviously replacing the tip from time to time and rechecking the connections helps with this.

Busslayer > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/14/2016 at 11:59

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http://www.homedepot.com/p/Weller-100-W…

kinja keeps messing with me. $32 for the above. I'd do that if it would last for a handful of jobs.

lone_liberal > Busslayer 07/14/2016 at 12:00

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I use a Weller like the picture that cost maybe $20. It heats up in 5 minutes or less and does a pretty good job. When I was an electronics tech I used all sorts of fancy soldering irons but for use on a car I can’t see where it would be worth it. Get some flux and good solder and be sure to use an appropriate tip for what you’re doing and it should be fine.

vicali > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/14/2016 at 12:01

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Yeah, you gotta keep them tight..

I’m typically upside down, reaching through a fender hole, soldering off-road light connections while it’s snowing out - so the soldering gun is way down the list of things I’m cursing at..

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Busslayer 07/14/2016 at 12:02

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I have used one of these for years and it is probably the best bang for the buck soldering iron out there. A proper station is a godsend when you need to put the iron down and the adjustable temperature is useful.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000AS…

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Busslayer 07/14/2016 at 12:03

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Pretty much that. Gun, spare normal and melting-things tips, instructions. That basic gun has been pretty much unchanged for decades.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Busslayer 07/14/2016 at 12:06

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You’ve edited, but trust me - the Weller is about the best thing for auto work. It’s in some ways easier to “aim” than an iron, and the quick heat-up means that you aren’t in your work area for very long. The tip cools off a little faster than most irons, so burns are less likely for a given amount of heat. My warning on a Weller gun applies after you’ve been using one for a very long time.

Busslayer > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 07/14/2016 at 12:06

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That sounds like what my neighbors was doing. After what seems like an eternity, it suddenly started melting the wire, then quit half-way through leaving a big chuck of raw unmelted solder.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Busslayer 07/14/2016 at 12:13

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Get a weller with a digital readout and call it a day. Should be good for years and years if you take care of the tip. I prefer the hakko brass tip cleaners to a wet sponge.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/14/2016 at 12:15

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I’ve found that those hakko brass tip cleaners make a huge difference with regards to how long your tip lasts.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 07/14/2016 at 12:21

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I’m not talking about the plating on the tip, though. I’m talking about how, with a Weller soldering gun, the replaceable heating electrode gets bad connections where it attaches to the gun, which causes it to not heat properly.

gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee > Busslayer 07/14/2016 at 12:26

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Unless you’re doing actual electronics stuff (soldering things onto boards), I’ve found a small butane torch much preferable to an iron for just splicing wires. Slide heat shrink tube over wire, twist the wires together, torch in left hand, solder in right, heat the wire until the solder melts on contact, and just paint the solder over the connection, slide the heatshrink down over the splice, and dance over it with the torch a bit. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. Just don’t set the insulation on fire.

Jakub Fidler > Busslayer 07/14/2016 at 12:32

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This is the iron I’ve used for multiple car start installs, dual battery wiring, speaker splicing as well as countless other 12v projects over the past years. Cheaper ones kept ruining the tips, but this guy just keeps trucking after cleaning the tip in some steel wool. Takes about 3 mins to heat up, and works great with electronic solder. Only catch is there’s no temp control, but I find it’s perfect for soldering wires. I just apply it longer when I need more heat, and less when I need less! For $14 it’s tough to beat.

https://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Cera…

E92M3 > Busslayer 07/14/2016 at 14:06

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I recommend a Weller gun as well. The cheap irons just don’t stay hot enough. Also here’s a top tip on how to use a spray can cap to hold 2 wires you’re going to solder.