"Cold Heat Iron?"

[Anonymous]

Has anyone out there bought the "cold heat soldering iron" being touted on T.V. recently? I wouldn't expect too much for the price but like the idea of saving some accidental burns here and there. Would appreciate any data on this product from an experienced modeler who is handy with a soldering iron. Thanks.

[Javern]

been a big discussion on this earlier, here is a link to that thread

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=-1&TOPIC_ID=32100&REPLY_ID=320349#320349

[Anonymous]

Thanks Javern, somehow I totally missed the topic. Serves me right for not loging on every day. I hope there was no inconvenience caused. I (you) just saved me some big "inconvenience." Thanks again, best regards.

[cacole]

In a word -- save your money and get a real soldering iron. The cold heat iron is a resistance soldering gimmick that doesn't have enough power (2 AAA batteries?) to solder anything but the smallest of wires.

[rfross]

Just saw a Coleman brand cold soldering iron at my local Madison Heights, MI Costco earlier this morning. $19 something was the price as I recall. It included 4 batteries in the packaging so I'm assuming it requires 4. For $19 or $20 it might not be too bad to experiment with....

[Anonymous]

I Had to solder some wires on my Truck today (rig) that I use for work. My wife bought me the cold heat for x-mas, tried it for the first time today. JUNK..... My son also bought me a soldering iron for x-mas but it works off of butane. I was really impressed with it.

[oldyardgoat]

I got one for Xmas, just tried it out. Power is 4 AA Batts. A bit tight in control panels on wafer toggles-pins are close, some effort to feed enough solder. Probably better in more open areas. At least you are not melting insulation in the rats nest wiring. Don't let the little sparking throw you-its just the circuit being completed between the prods of the point. And don't forget to remove the batts after the project is completed. Like any other new innovation, it requires some experimentation to learn its abilities and limits.

[CJBeard]

My wife ordered me one in November of last year. I finally got it in February. It would not even melt solder. I think the thing is a joke but maybe I just didn't work it right.

[nobullchitbids]

From the plethora of replies, it is obvious re the important thread: Any soldering or welding device has to produce the necessary "volume" of heat to be effective, and no tool can be effective which is too small for the job. Four small batteries have insufficient amperage for most jobs, even when new, but the big question for enterprising model railroaders ought to be: Has anyone tried to use the device as intended except modified to tap a larger battery, e.g. a 6 v. motorcycle battery? I would suspect that, with that much juice behind it, such a tool might perform well -- if the wattage does not destroy the tool.

Any comments on this?