Has anyone noticed the later Weller soldering guns come with cheap, stiff cords. I bought one because of the name brand and was severly disappointed. I am going to cut the cord off my old one and apply it to the new one.
Grizlump (grouchy German)
Read one of Randy (rrinker)'s previous comments on pg. 1...
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
richhotrainEd, you raise a good point about "on layout" soldering.
I have several different pencil-type holders. You can buy them separately.
My "go-to" Weller WP-35 in the background, which I added the extra-long cord to (wrapped under the 100/140 gun) is in a separately purchased stand/holder.
Weller_holder by Edmund, on Flickr
https://www.amazon.com/Weller-WP35-35-Watt-Professional-Soldering/dp/B000B5YIYS/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=soldering+iron+35+watt&qid=1613411988&sr=8-2
It used to have a porcelain thimble on it but I made that Bakelite one which fits the iron better.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=soldering+iron+holder&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
That WP-35 is a workhorse and I found 35 watts to be plenty for HO track soldering or wire up to #12 or so. One of those other pencil irons is a 60 watt for the times I need the heat.
IMHO, soldering irons are like hammers. Certain ones are suited for specific tasks. A four-ounce ball peen won't drive real track spikes and a ten-pound track maul wouldn't be too keen for driving brads into furniture trim.
Good Luck, Ed
Yes, before the soldering station I had a selection of irons - a 15 watt one for electronics/decoder wires, a 30 watt one for larger electronics, a 45 watt one for track, and an 80 watt one that pretty much never got used, plus a 150 watt gun.
All but the heavy duty gun replaced by one station that I can adjust the heat for the appropriate situation.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Lakeshore Sub Rich, I'm with Randy on the benefit of having the holder in the layout. You're still contrained by the cord for the iron itself but having the holder close by, allows me to walk away for a minute if there is something I need or take a rest room break without worrying about how or where I set the iron down. Scott
Rich,
I'm with Randy on the benefit of having the holder in the layout. You're still contrained by the cord for the iron itself but having the holder close by, allows me to walk away for a minute if there is something I need or take a rest room break without worrying about how or where I set the iron down.
Scott
Though even if I am right there, if it will be a while between joints, I turn the knob on mine down to minimum. I USUALLY just turn it off if I leave the room for something - maybe I'm paranoid. It reheats fast enough that it's no big deal. Down in the basement layout area, all the outlets are controlled by wall switches with pilot lights - I shut it all down when I leave eht room. Any tools that might still be plugged in are autoamtically off then.
People worry about soldering under the layout - leaving the hot iron on the floor seems like not a great idea to me. OK, my floro is also bare cement and therefore very unlikely to be any sort of fire risk - but I do work barefoot sometimes, Or even soft rubber soles like sneakers aren't going to hold off a hot soldering iron for long. Talk about ouch... Or even kicking the cord and flinging the hot iron against a leg, or into that pile of sawdust and scrap you so neatly swept up to keep the work area clean... again, maybe I'm paranoid and I'm sure there are plenty of things I do that I probably shouldn't (like work with 2x4s and pieces of plywood barefoot) but mostly I want to reduce the chances of a fire. A busted toe because idiot me dropped the end of a 2x4 on my foot while barefoot (and again, sneakers aren't going to help a whole lot - and I'm NOT going to wear my steel toe work boots every time I work on my train layout) is an inconvenience - setting my house on fire is a major problem, even if everyone including the pups gets out safely.
rrinker Lakeshore Sub Rich, I'm with Randy on the benefit of having the holder in the layout. You're still contrained by the cord for the iron itself but having the holder close by, allows me to walk away for a minute if there is something I need or take a rest room break without worrying about how or where I set the iron down. Scott Though even if I am right there, if it will be a while between joints, I turn the knob on mine down to minimum. I USUALLY just turn it off if I leave the room for something - maybe I'm paranoid. It reheats fast enough that it's no big deal. Down in the basement layout area, all the outlets are controlled by wall switches with pilot lights - I shut it all down when I leave eht room. Any tools that might still be plugged in are autoamtically off then. People worry about soldering under the layout - leaving the hot iron on the floor seems like not a great idea to me. OK, my floro is also bare cement and therefore very unlikely to be any sort of fire risk - but I do work barefoot sometimes, Or even soft rubber soles like sneakers aren't going to hold off a hot soldering iron for long. Talk about ouch... Or even kicking the cord and flinging the hot iron against a leg, or into that pile of sawdust and scrap you so neatly swept up to keep the work area clean... again, maybe I'm paranoid and I'm sure there are plenty of things I do that I probably shouldn't (like work with 2x4s and pieces of plywood barefoot) but mostly I want to reduce the chances of a fire. A busted toe because idiot me dropped the end of a 2x4 on my foot while barefoot (and again, sneakers aren't going to help a whole lot - and I'm NOT going to wear my steel toe work boots every time I work on my train layout) is an inconvenience - setting my house on fire is a major problem, even if everyone including the pups gets out safely. --Randy
Alton Junction
Well if you never step on it....
gregcdon't you need a holder for a hot soldering iron whereever you use it?
For a while I used a piece of firebrick with a little hollowing-out as a 'stand' that would hold a pencil iron on its side with the tip down. I think there are others here who have used tiles, mesh heat-spreading plates from Bunsen-burner use, etc. for similar purposes.
Something else I used: at one point you could buy 'drink holders' for your chair that were molded in one-piece rubber, with a 'socket' for can or bottle and two little weighted 'ears' that went down either side of your La-Z-Boy armrest or whatever. I was even lazier and used these in the bed, flat, as bottle holders ... then discovered that you could hold lamps and similar things stably upright by putting two of these on opposite sides of the lamp upright to give most of the effect of a weighted base without actually needing weight and bulk in the base. This approach, or making strips of weighted-blanket-type material, might be adapted to work with regular iron stands...
I used to just set my iron on the desk and set my wire cutters or similar on the cord to keep the tip from touching the table. When done using it, unplug and drap over something to suspend the handle in the air not touching anything.
Maybe fifteen or more years ago when converting our club from DC to DCC I made a cart with incline back and a couple blocks of wood to put my 90 watt solder gun into. Makes sence. I was under the layout doing the wiring change.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
I feel much safer with a weighted holder that no one will mistake for anything else at this point.If I walk away, it is just to make a potty stop or grab something I forgot, but Randy's point is well taken.
Lakeshore Sub I feel much safer with a weighted holder that no one will mistake for anything else at this point.If I walk away, it is just to make a potty stop or grab something I forgot, but Randy's point is well taken.
The holder that came with my Xytronics station is quite heavy. It would take deliberate effort to knock it over, just casually hitting the handle of the iron won;t knock it out. In pictures the bases often look lightweight, but most of them are a cast metal of some sort, quite solid. Usually with rubber feet on the bottom so they don't slide around on the bench, too.
The best thing since cliced bread is the brass or copper wool cleaning pad Xytronic and now it looks like Hakkp come with. Much more effective tip wiper than a damp sponge. When I got my Xytronic back when, it was one of the only ones I saw for $100 or less that came with that, most equivalent units were in the $120 range and they only had sponges.
rrinker The holder that came with my Xytronics station is quite heavy. It would take deliberate effort to knock it over, just casually hitting the handle of the iron won't knock it out. In pictures the bases often look lightweight, but most of them are a cast metal of some sort, quite solid. Usually with rubber feet on the bottom so they don't slide around on the bench, too.
The holder that came with my Xytronics station is quite heavy. It would take deliberate effort to knock it over, just casually hitting the handle of the iron won't knock it out. In pictures the bases often look lightweight, but most of them are a cast metal of some sort, quite solid. Usually with rubber feet on the bottom so they don't slide around on the bench, too.
rrinker The best thing since cliced bread is the brass or copper wool cleaning pad Xytronic and now it looks like Hakkp come with. Much more effective tip wiper than a damp sponge.
The best thing since cliced bread is the brass or copper wool cleaning pad Xytronic and now it looks like Hakkp come with. Much more effective tip wiper than a damp sponge.