What's the current favorite soldering iron for track work and electronics?What do the experts like? I'm using a cheap chinese knock off from Micromark. But it's kind of unpredictable on temps.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
I use a basic Weller iron for track work, I guess because I always have. For electronic work I use a Xytronic station, as was recommended by Randy Rinker and others years ago. Available at Amazon for about $65
Regards, Chris
Randy told me I would never be disappointed with this one and I haven't been. My biggest mistake was waiting so long to buy one.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
For more than 3 decades I've used a Weller soldering gun not sure the power rating for track work. Heats quickly and never melts ties. I can even solder the feeders to the bus wires without dripping solder down on me.
For decoders and other small stuff, I have a Weller soldering station. The temperature set about 300 degrees F. Rosin core .015 inch solder.
Pete.
I like and have been very happy with my Weller WESD51 60W soldering station. It can to both heavy (track) and light (electronics) work.
wrench567 For decoders and other small stuff, I have a Weller soldering station. The temperature set about 300 degrees F. Rosin core .015 inch solder. Pete.
Hi Pete,
I presume you mean 300oC (572oF)? 300oF won't even melt 60/40 or 63/37 solder. I generally do decoder and lighting installs in the 650o-700oF range.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
I've had my Hakko FX 888D soldering station for 3 years and love it.
Takes 15 seconds to reach 600F. Very reliable and consistant.
Scott Sonntag
Tom.
I meant to type 600 degrees. I don't know how I missed it. The solder is ultra low melt. I picked up a couple of spools when my local Radio Shack closed up.Sorry for the confusion.
I had a Weller pencil iron that I used for about a year and now it won't melt solder. My wife bought me this one off Amazon and it has a temp control. So far it's worked quite well.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
rio,
Is the tip on your Weller getting hot? Does the tip need cleaning or replaced?
A good tip is shiny. I blackened or oxidized tip, or a tip where the plating has worn off, won't heat solder or transfer heat well. Cleaning the tip and leaving a blob of melted solder on the top before shut it off will help with that.
FWIW,
tstage rio, Is the tip on your Weller getting hot? Does the tip need cleaning or replaced? A good tip is shiny. I blackened or oxidized tip, or a tip where the plating has worn off, won't heat solder or transfer heat well. Cleaning the tip and leaving a blob of melted solder on the top before shut it off will help with that. FWIW, Tom
I checked those thing and the things you mentioned are good common sense steps which I tried. Since getting the new iron I haven't gone to trying the Weller pencil iron - the new one has been working well. I soldered bunches of drops.
Tophias For electronic work I use a Xytronic station, as was recommended by Randy Rinker and others years ago. Available at Amazon for about $65
For electrical work, I will strongly recommend the Xytronic soldering station that Chris and Brent have mentioned. I have done a lot of electronics soldering over the past 55 years or so, and I have tried many soldering irons both cheap and not so cheap. The Xytronic station is by far the best iron that I have ever used!!!!! It is head and shoulders above the rest. My previous pencil iron was a Weller unit and, when compared to the Xytronic system, the Weller is a piece of junk. I know that statement will upset some people but I can only judge by what I have experienced personally.
I have had the Xytronic unit for more than three years. It has been used fairly frequently and I'm still using the original tip.
A couple of caveats:
There are Chinese copies with very similar names. Don't get fooled. You can buy the Xytronic station directly from the manufacturer for about the same price as Amazon.
No soldering iron is going to compensate for poor preparation. Soldering is a multi step process, and you skip steps at your peril.
Third, I have a Weller gun which I use for trackwork. The Xytronic unit will do it, but the Weller is much faster which is nice when you don't want to melt ties.
If you want me to post my soldering process, please ask.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Lakeshore Sub I've had my Hakko FX 888D soldering station for 3 years and love it. Takes 15 seconds to reach 600F. Very reliable and consistant. Scott Sonntag
+1
I did much of my soldering work over the years with a variety of irons. Each had their own issues. When I decided to upgrade to sound decoders I got the Hakko so that I had more control.
I also wish I had taken the plunge many years before that. It heats up quickly and has accurate temperature control for a variety of projects.
Rick
hon30critterIf you want me to post my soldering process, please ask. Cheers!! Dave
Dave, good idea, why don't you start a new thread on soldering tips and tricks, successes and failures and we can all contribute?
Hello All,
I agree...
Lakeshore Sub...Hakko FX 888D soldering station...
...For precision work like decoder installations.
I use Kester® #24-6337-0007 solder; Sm63, Pb37 3.3% 0.015" (0.4mm), and SRA Flux #135 is formulated to be electronic component compatible.
I also have a 25W Weller pencil type for soldering track and feeders with Fry Technologies #13460; 60Sm, Pb40 0.05 solder, and SRA Flux.
My final step is to clean the solder joint(s) with 70% Isopropyl Alcohol on a cotton-tipped swab.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
BATMANDave, good idea, why don't you start a new thread on soldering tips and tricks, successes and failures and we can all contribute?
Hi Brent,
Will do!
Plus one for the Hakko FX888D. I love mine.
Lakeshore Sub've had my Hakko FX 888D soldering station for 3 years and love it. Takes 15 seconds to reach 600F. Very reliable and consistant.
Sounds like a good product. However, it might be worth noting that the Amazon price for the Hakko FX 888D soldering station is currently approximately $133.00 USD whereas the Xytronic station is $69.00 USD +-. I have never used the Hakko soldering station so I can't compare the two. All I can say is that the Hakko station would have to be pretty good to outdo the Xytronic unit.
By the way, the Xytronic unit comes up to temperature very quickly too.
I just want to say again that I am not being critical of others' methods or choice of equipment. I think it is safe to say that, if you are posting your methods on this thread, you know how to solder. My comments are for comparison only and they are strictly my opinion.
While I am not an expert, I would also vouch for the Hakko. I bought mine about two years ago, and have no regrets. What I like is the quick heat up. Only thing that is a bit weird is the control to change temperature. Do not own and have never used the Xytronic, so can't compare
Added a picture of it in action working on my loop extension of my layout. Well, I was not actually working on it this second, but it was setup so thought I would add a quick pic.
I also am a fan of the Hakko FX888D. As others have mentioned it heats up in seconds and has been very reliable. It has a silicone jacketed cord to the iron so it resists heat and is extremely flexible. I had mine for about 4 years now, bought it during the lock-down when I started getting back into my electronics hobby, as well as MRR.
Which Weller do you use for the trackwork? Yes, I am just returning to the hobby after a few decades. It would be nice if you could post your soldering process?
zinoWhich Weller do you use for the trackwork?
Hi zino,
Welcome back to the hobby!
I use a Weller gun style two level soldering iron for track work. I'm sorry, but I don't know the wattages for each level of output. I use a much less powerful XYtronic pencil style variable temperature iron for pretty much everything else.
zino It would be nice if you could post your soldering process?
Here goes: (warning, I can get pretty windy sometimes!!)
The first thing to understand is that all the surfaces involved in the soldering process must be clean. That includes the rail, the feeder wire and the tip of the iron. Oxidization is your enemy!
I start by stripping about 5/16" - 3/8" of insulation off of the feeder wire. Solid wire (20 ga. +-) is preferred but if you are using stranded wire, just make sure that the strands are wound tightly together. Next add a tiny amount of rosin flux (not acid flux) to the tip of the wire and then heat up the iron, clean the iron tip (I use a brass sponge), add a tiny amount of solder to the iron tip, and coat the wire (stranded or solid) with a fresh layer of solder.
Next, put a small amount of flux on the rail where you want to attach the feeder wire. Then heat up the iron, clean the tip (again), put a small amount of solder on the tip of the iron and then put that solder on the rail at the attachment point.
Then you need to bend the tip of the wire to sit beside the rail. Some people use a simple 'L' bend and then butt the wire up to the rail. I prefer to put a 'J' bend in the wire so that about 1/8" of the tip of the wire ends up parallel to the rail. This will give you a more robust joint that is less likely to break if the wire is pulled. Then feed the wire into the hole in the roadbed.
Next step is to put a tiny bit of flux on the rail and on the feeder wire tip, and then pull the wire the rest of the way down until it sits next to the rail.
The final steps are to get your iron hot, clean the tip (again), add a small amount of solder to the tip, hold the wire tight up against the rail with a pair of needle nose pliers or a screwdriver, and touch the iron to the joint.
If you have done the preparation properly the solder will flow almost immediately and you will not melt any ties. If you skip any of the cleaning steps then the solder may not flow as readily and you will likely have to hold the iron on the joint longer. That's when ties start to melt. Getting in and out quickly is the key.
Some people are going to say that all those steps are not necessary, especially if you are using a rosin core solder and they may be right. My method works consistently every single time.
Same process for finer joints with a pencil tip iron: Clean the tip between every joint and put fresh solder on every surface before making the joint.
I use basic Weller soldering irons. A 25 watter for PC work, and a 40 watter for track work. The 40 watter is hot enough to heat the rails and melt the solder quickly, but doesn't melt the ties.
Melting the ties is a consideration. I use PECO turnouts and they have a little gap between the tie and the rail for inserting a joiner...no need to remove two ties from the ends. A too hot soldering iron will melt the ties as it solders the joint. The 40 watter seems to work well.
- Douglas
I have a relatively cheap pencil iron I bought from an electronics place for about 30 dollars. That was a while ago, so it's probably more now. The iron is powered through the stand, so I never get them separated. It's not high power, and it does have a temperature control knob.
Basically, I only solder feeders to bus wire and do light decoder work, plus a bit of structure interior illumination.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
In hindsight, and to be fair, I should have mentioned two minor annoyances I have with my Xytronics 389 station. First, the cord connecting the iron to the station does not detach, so storing eveything is a bit clumsy. Second, that cord is not very flexible. Again, minor points, and maybe apply to all manufacturers of soldering stations. If I had to I would still purchase another.
i use an inexpensive ($25) Tekpower 40W adjustable soldering station
when working on the layout i'd probably prefer not to be anchored to a station, but it's awful nice to have some place to stick the iron when not using. The adjustment can help it heat up quicker but then maintain a lower temperature. It has a replaceable pencil tip unlike the similar looking Weller
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
Greg, interesting that the Tekpower is American made, according to the Amazon spec sheet.
TophiasIn hindsight, and to be fair, I should have mentioned two minor annoyances I have with my Xytronics 389 station. First, the cord connecting the iron to the station does not detach, so storing eveything is a bit clumsy. Second, that cord is not very flexible.
Hi Chris,
I agree on both points, the iron could be improved. However, the ease of soldering more than makes up for the deficiencies IMHO.
I don't like to be stuck at a work bench when soldering stuff on the layout. I want mobility. I just bought a Weller 60 watt soldering iron, W60P3, to go along with my Weller 12 watt pencil tip soldering iron, WM120.
Rich
Alton Junction
zinoIt would be nice if you could post your soldering process?
i typically don't use solder paste on smaller parts because i use rosin core solder
but soldering feeders to larger gauge bus wire is more difficult. but using solder paster helps conduct heat faster and speeds up soldering
wrench567 Tom. I meant to type 600 degrees. I don't know how I missed it. The solder is ultra low melt. I picked up a couple of spools when my local Radio Shack closed up.Sorry for the confusion. Pete.