Another novice question, so please be patient. I am putting together my list of needed tools and I have included a soldering iron. Last night I was talking to my dad and he said, "Don't get a soldering iron, get a soldering gun." His reason is that there is no warm up time for a gun, and unless you are doing a number of connections at one time, a soldering gun is much more efficient. Now everything I have read in the MMR wiring books references using a soldering iron. What do you recommend, and why? (If I to with a soldering iron, I will need to justify the decision with my dad.)
Richard
Both? Realy, you kind of need both. You can't use a soldering gun for small electronics, you'll melt things. But a small soldering iron doesn't have enough power to heat up larger size wires such as what you'd use for your main power runs.
Right tool for the job - just having a soldering gun would be like having just one flathead screwdriver, the biggest one - good luck using it with the tiny screws on scale equipment. And just the soldering iron is like the opposite, having just one tiny jewler's screwdriver - works great tearing down that N scale loco but not so good for benchwork screws.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Soldering guns have higher ratings of heat output than soldering irons. They're not instant on, it's just this high wattage heats them up fast when the trigger is pulled.
Soldering irons, once heated, are ready to use, there's no trigger, which I like. There are big ones, but in most model railroading, i.e. smaller than O scale, they can be found in the 15W to 50W range.
Soldering stations are nice, but unless you plan to do a lot of soldering, you'll find their expense unnecessary by just getting two irons, a 15 to 20W and a 40 to 50W. I find the ergonomics of the soldering guns to be pretty lame and the power to be way overkill of most of what we do.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Richard,
For a majority of your soldering needs, I would lean towards a 50W soldering station; one that you can adjust the tip temperature with (vs. merely on/off). You can crank it up for track work or dial it down for decoder installations. You'll need a screwdriver or broad tip for track work and a smaller tip for finer work.
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 have both.
I think you would find that using a soldering gun to solder fine decoder wires would be unwieldy and overkill. If you're doing a lot of soldering, you may get tired of holding a heavy gun. Of course if you're doing a lot of soldering, the quick heat time of a gun doesn't matter. I would get a soldering iron with a conical tip.
I do use my soldering gun with variously shaped 12 gauge copper wire to shape foam.
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
Soldering guns are NOT recommended for fine electronic work. The magnetic field they generate just might fry some of the more sensitive components inside a microchip.
Small, low-wattage soldering irons are NOT recommended for soldering raw rail into hand-made specialwork. For that, you need lots of heat, right now. The big blunt bit of a hefty soldering gun is much better than the needle tip of a small iron for that purpose, and for soldering drops to rail and to bus wires. (Trust me, you will be soldering drops once advanced beyond the plug-in sectional track or Atlas pre-wired rail joiner phase.)
Sooner or later you will find a need for both a soldering gun (which, incidentally, does NOT heat instantly) and a fine-tipped soldering iron (or, preferably, a temperature-controlled soldering station.) Soldering jobs come in different sizes, and one tool can't do them all.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with a LOT of soldered joints)
You will need both.
I started soldering in 1953 with a Weller gun which is long gone. I had to replace the plug once.
Below is one I have used for some years. A Weller 100/140 watt gun with plated tips. Never, ever file a plated tip. They are designed to eliminate needing filing. Some cannot seem to admit that plated tips do not need filing. Old habits die hard for some.
Soldering feeders to buss wires will be where you use the gun.
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Below is what I use for soldering feeders to the code 100 HO track using the wedge tip. For decoder wires and PC board work, I use the small conical tip. Both tips are plated and need NO filing. The Radio Shack tip cleaner helps keep the tips from crusting over a little longer.
I have used a pencil type iron in the past but the station is more versatile and controllable. There are some who do quite well with 40 watt soldering pencil but they have experience. Starting out, you might prefer a station.
If new to soldering, develop a technique that gives you good solder joints. Practice on scrap material and have clean, oil free metal. Many have thought this was easy but it took practice to get good joints.
[URL=http://s98.photobucket.com/user/richg1998/media/Solderingsupplies-1.jpg.html][/URL
I only use solder with Rosin flux and Rosin flux paste. I use an acid brush, they are cheap, and alcohol to clean the joint after.
Never use hardware store solder with Sal Ammoniac flux or Sal Ammoniac flux. After twenty years our club started having feeder issues with the feeders and track joints were soldered with Sal Ammoniac flux and solder.
Sal Ammoniac does help soldering but it will bite you some years down the line. If you insist on using it, clean all joints with alcohol affter.
Rich
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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.
Guns do not heat up instantly. That is a common misconception. You should not be in a hurry when soldering. That can lead to cold solder joints. Don't ask me how I know that.
A soldering station is nice, but the LION cannot afford one of those just yet. But I can buy all of the tips i need for my 25W soldering iron. Go figure.
LION tends to leave the iron on while he is working in the room, probably not a recommended practice, but LIONS do not have the patience to wait for things to heat up. Soldering guns went out of vogue with the dodo bird, LION has never found a use for one since vacuum tubes went away.
LION does burn up a lot of tips though. Always keep a package or two of tips on hand if you intend to abuse an Iron like a LION does.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Going on 6+ years not on the original tip on my $50 temperature controlled soldering station - and that's the key, temperature controlled. An ordinary iron heats as long as it's plugged in. It will get as hot as the element can manage. Which is WAY hotter than it needs to be for good solder joints. This is what causes faster oxidation and wears out the tips. A temperature controlled station keeps the tip at a good soldering temperature, not 2-3x hotter. Plus you can turn it all the way down and shrink heat shrink tube without melting it and making a gooey mess on the tip. Silly me, when i bought it I got 2 extra tips of the size I figured I'd use most (the really small one - for decoder wires and circuit boards) plus one other larger size I was planning to use to solder track. The two spares plus the extra are still in the box.
My unit is a Xytronics, same model as mine now has a digital readout for setting the temp and still costs about the same $50. The Weller units for around that price are not true temperature controlled irons, they have a regulator to reduce the maximum power but they do not have a feedback circuit that turns it on and off once it reaches a set temperature.
I've been around this stuff long enough to remember when Weller ALWAYS meant "good" Heck the plant was right up the road from my house. Once Cooper Industries bought them out, they started slapping the Weller brand on anything and everything. The Weller gun I have is light, flimsy, and cheap compared to the Weller gun my dad had. And it has a limited duty cycle, you need to let it cool down periodically. You can definitely get some very nice (and not inexpensive) equipment with the Weller name, but Cooper diluted it by applying it to their cheap stuff that I wouldn't even consider 'homeowner' quality. Shame, really. Carl Weller was a local guy, he invented the soldering gun - the type with the two posts - and once he achieved success, he gave back many times over to the local community. While he was still alive, everything was made in the USA - like I said, almost literally in my back yard actually.
Forgot to mention, for DCC wire which is #30 and PC board work, I use the small conical tip at 50 percent heat.
For #22 track feeders to the rails, about 70 to 75 percent heat with the wedge tip.
By the way, if you ever see the bttery powered Cold Heat soldering iron, pass on it. Some here have asked about it in the past. Worthless.
Hi,
I did not read the previous replies so this may be reduntant...........
In my experience, soldering guns work best for major wiring project like buss wire and such - especially under the layout. Soldering irons work best for attaching wires to tracks or accessories, typically smaller size wires.
Soldering stations are best for table top, intricate work such as with locos and delicate stuff like that.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
If you can only have one, go with an adjustable iron. Most of the work you do will be too small for a gun. In fact, I don't think I've taken my soldering gun out of the drawer in 5 years or more.
The next time I make a pilgrimage to the not-quite-local electronics place, I'm going to get a small-tipped iron to add to my arsenal. It's easier when doing circuit board work.
As for warmup time, if you're going to be a model railroader, you need to learn patience anyway.
And whatever choice you make, when you're done with the job, turn it off and unplug it.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
richg1998 Guns do not heat up instantly. That is a common misconception. You should not be in a hurry when soldering. That can lead to cold solder joints. Don't ask me how I know that. Rich
Rich,
I'll go along,with that,misconception,,,the only thing that comes on instantly,is the light. I have the same gun,that you showed,for many years,,never had a plug,problem though..Intricate work,I use a Weller,25watt pencil tip,,used many times, especially when adding electronic components,to PC,boards.. I LEAVE,that on all the time,when doing that kind of work, but I have a stand that it is inserted in,a 1lb weight,with a coiled spring attached to it at a angle,,the whole tip and shaft,go in the spring until it seats on the shaft, no bad experiences,at all...
Cheers,
Frank
Model railroading gets expensive quickly. I was able to manage everything with 1 40W soldering iron. From decoder installations to buss wires to feeders on tracks. Mini SPDT switches and circuit boards for the electronics. The iron is mobile (not station) and light (not gun).
I don't do hand laying of track. I also first twist-tie the feeders to the bus so soldering under the layout is easier.
Just wanted to mention ... $25 has gone a long way here.
NP.
rrinker. . .My unit is a Xytronics, same model as mine now has a digital readout for setting the temp and still costs about the same $50. . .
Randy: Is this the unit you were referring to?
http://www.amazon.com/Xytronic-Industries-SOLDERING-STATION-HOLDER/dp/B00B887AF6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1367939443&sr=8-5&keywords=Xytronics+soldering+station
No, this is the updated digital version of what I have:
http://www.howardelectronics.com/xytronic/lf369D.html
I will also add that that 'scouring pad' looking cleaner ont he stand is worth the cost of thee whole thing alone - it is infinitely superior to the wet sponge method of wiping the tip clean. It's NOT steel wool or a scouring pad - it's copper - you CAN get the same sort of thing int he store, it's meant for cleaning copper cook pots, since the steel type would scratch and damage a copper pot. It works great, just jab the top of the iron in a few times and it's shiny and clean. Keep the tip clean and tinned - You can get a little jar of tip tinner at Radio Shack which works great (basically it's sal ammoniac - burns off the impuraties and leaves the tip all shiny and clean). Seems like a lot of money for a tiny little container, but I'm still using the same one after 6+ years, and unless I'm makin gmultipel connections right ina row, I clean the tip each time I pick up the iron. So if I solder a wire, then put the iron in the stand and run anotehr wire and get it ready t solder, when I pick up the iron again I will almost always clean it. This is the key to not melting plastic or damaging components - a clean tip transfers heat much faster so you son;t have to hold the iron on the joint very long nor press down hard. A clean iron heats the joint up very quickly. Don't melt the solder on the tip, the joint itself should melt the solder.
Soldering station.
Temp control and flexibility.
DC
http://uphonation.com
rrinkerI will also add that that 'scouring pad' looking cleaner ont he stand is worth the cost of thee whole thing alone - it is infinitely superior to the wet sponge method of wiping the tip clean. It's NOT steel wool or a scouring pad - it's copper - you CAN get the same sort of thing int he store, it's meant for cleaning copper cook pots, since the steel type would scratch and damage a copper pot. It works great, just jab the top of the iron in a few times and it's shiny and clean. Keep the tip clean and tinned - You can get a little jar of tip tinner at Radio Shack
Randy,
Radio Shack is now carrying the copper "scrubbie" type tip cleaner, $9.95 IIRC. It has a nice heavy base that won't slide around. Very happy with mine.
I use both the soldering Iron/station and a gun but in addition to that I have a resistance soldering unit that is used in repairing brass locos and can be used for soldering feeder wires. Uses for the Iron/station is decoder installation. Gun for misc stuff and the resistance for the brass locos.
Just my opinion
Sam