I have a Weller 60 watt. Of course that's a joke pen iron. It got me to purchase the Weller 140/100 watt gun version. I use rosin, I preheat...Well this gun falls short soldering 8ga stranded wire and just now let me down trying to connect a 4mm male to a 6.5mm female bullet connector. I actually put the gun down and got out my Bic lighter. The lighter made quick work of the connection.
So what is the best soldering gun out there for making up to 8 Gauge connections?
Got to admit, the blue flame of a Bic cigarette lighter did pretty darn good.
I like the Portasol butane irons for larger wires. I also have an old crusty trusty weller pistol grip iron for the big stuff like soldering caps to a motor can where you need to be in and out quick with lots of heat. For delicate stuff I use a cheap weller station.
Your solution is probably just one heavy duty iron or pistol grip for big stuff, and keep the small one for finer work
It's time to stand up to the bully. Support the companies that support the industry, not the ones that tear it down. Say no to Traxxas Factory Works website
I've used a duratech 80W iron for years, cheap and reliable too. The tip style is crucial to your solder job at hand. A pencil point is useless if your trying to solder bigger wire, the tip just can't transfer enough heat. I always use the broad or chisel tip.
I've soldered 4awg amp power wire with an 80watt iron.
At my work they send you to class to become NASA certified to solder connections for space flight and we only use soldering irons. At home I have an adjustable weller that I use for smaller gauge wires but for the 8 and 10 gauge wire I use a fixed 40 watt iron that is more than hot enough to make great solder connections. The key to soldering is use only as much solder as you need to. Apply flux and tin the wire. Pull the excess solder off the wire with some copper wick. Put the wire to the connection, heat, then add a small amount of solder to flow onto the connection. When you got a big goob of solder, your iron cannot keep it all molten. Anything more than 40 watts and you'll end up scorching the insulation.
Well, my iron has finally died. So, I'm wondering what one you guys suggest. I'd like it to have enough oomph to assemble battery packs and and connectors.
Does anyone have any experience with the Hakko clone soldering irons? I need a new small soldering iron and would love to buy an older Hakko but they don't seem to be available here. I always wanted one when I was younger.
And the reviews of the...
Last post
Hey Dave,
Looks like the hot air rework adds another dimension to electronics repair. The consensus seems to be they are reliable which is a good thing.
Marc, I enjoyed reading your opinions and experiences with that iron. I was thinking of...
Am I missing something or is this thing a piece of crap? :evil: Like a sucker I bought one several years ago thinking it would be good for r/c. I quickly found that the cold part of the Coldheat name was more accurate. I kept it thinking it would be...
Last post
I use a butane soldering iron. It took me a long time to acctually get one, as all the butane tools I've had in the past sucked pretty hard. Now that I have, I don't see myself going back any time soon. I use a blue point which is the same as the...
I'm building a project that's going off the beaten path and am a little stuck: the stock XX U-J's don't reach far enough to stay in the drive cups
What I need to find is a rear axle carrier that will accept the standard XX bearings and axle but...
Last post
Got my customworks parts today. But decided to not use them after all; as I'm pretty pleased with the new solution I found in the meanwhile.
Inspired by the idea of going 'slider' I went through my stash and came up with this: composed U-J with...
loved iron man when i was a kid. still have a ton of iron man comics but havent opened the box they are in for over 10 years... prolly should check em out.
cant possibly describe how much i enjoyed the first movie, even if it didnt have as much...
Last post
glad i saw it at an imax. pretty good, but not as good as the first.
best scene was first appearance of whiplash at the race.
I was looking into a stress reliever to have at work and I decided to make some surface plates by lapping. I was going to go for a 3 plate method by using iron, or mild steel, plates
What compound should I start with for lapping cast iron? Would...
Last post
Check McMaster carr for lapping compounds. The clover stuff is reasonably priced. The choices they offer gives you an idea of the surface finish you might be looking for.
Scored a couple big bear projects lately and after thinking about it for a while I decided to create a chassis for one of em. Nothing crazy, with the very limited suspension I didn’t even bother accommodating oil shocks. Battery can fit sideways or...
Last post
I haven’t really shown pics of it because there are a few copycats around lol
Well, I hadnt soldered anything in a very long time. Well I went to do what I would think was very simple to do which was to solder a plug end to my esc. my LHS recommended a 30 watt soldering iron and silver solder. They said silver would provide a...
Last post
I had posted this over in the vintage electronics section as a reply, but it may get more visits here...more of the same really, but just my view point.
And this hits home too! lol I hope this helps and FWIW I still cannot weld very well :cry: I'v...