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resistance soldering irons

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  • Member since
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resistance soldering irons
Posted by ndbprr on Saturday, April 8, 2023 1:43 PM

Cheapest one I can find is Micromark for $199.00.  They run to over $1000,  why so expensive?

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Posted by Darth Santa Fe on Saturday, April 8, 2023 4:15 PM

My guess would be more precise engineering and a more complex control system.  A regular soldering iron is nothing but a heating element with a current controller, so it can be made very cheaply.

_________________________________________________________________

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Posted by Overmod on Saturday, April 8, 2023 4:43 PM

ndbprr
Cheapest one I can find is Micromark for $199.00.  They run to over $1000,  why so expensive?

Read through this and get back to me if you still have technical questions:

https://steamtraininfo.com/resistance-soldering/resistance-soldering-unit

  • Member since
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  • From: saskabush
  • 127 posts
Posted by wvgca on Saturday, April 8, 2023 4:56 PM

they are worth every penny ... don't be so cheap ....

a good brand is american beauty ...

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Posted by ndbprr on Saturday, April 8, 2023 7:30 PM

great info.  thanks

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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, April 9, 2023 5:14 AM

I have never used one. I seem to read about them being used for scratchbuilding brass locomotives.

What else are they good for?

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, April 9, 2023 5:57 AM

SeeYou190

I have never used one. I seem to read about them being used for scratchbuilding brass locomotives.

What else are they good for?

-Kevin 

Good question.

As Edwin Starr put it in a song, absolutely nothing!

Rich

Alton Junction

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  • From: Frankfort, Indiana
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Posted by Morpar on Sunday, April 9, 2023 7:02 AM

richhotrain

 

 
SeeYou190

I have never used one. I seem to read about them being used for scratchbuilding brass locomotives.

What else are they good for?

-Kevin 

 

 

Good question.

 

As Edwin Starr put it in a song, absolutely nothing!

Rich

 

I have to disagree here. I bought the one from MicroMark and once I got the hang of it I love it. I wouldn't use it for electronics as I have heard (but don't recall where) the resistance method can damage them. But for everything else it is fantastic. I am in the process of laying track and I use the resistance soldering rig for soldering rail joiners in the curves and adding my power feeder wires to the track. All with no melted plastic ties.

Good Luck, Morpar

  • Member since
    April 2021
  • From: saskabush
  • 127 posts
Posted by wvgca on Sunday, April 9, 2023 6:35 PM

SeeYou190

I have never used one. I seem to read about them being used for scratchbuilding brass locomotives.

What else are they good for?

-Kevin

 

 
they can be used for many other things, including track, feeders, plastic loco assembly, putting -some- structures togther ...
they shouldn't be used for electronic assembly as they can put low voltage and high current to the item being soldered ..
  • Member since
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  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, April 9, 2023 10:57 PM

I upgraded to this high quality Weller soldering station a couple of years ago.

-Photograph by Kevin Parson

It has made soldering feeders (which was never very hard) extremely fast and easy.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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