Solon soldering iron

My usual soldering iron failed over the weekend so I dug out a Henly Solon 25W iron which I bought as used/new some years ago. Sadly this also failed after about 10 minutes work on electronic components. When I stripped it down the heating element seemed to have suffered a partial disintegration. Working on the principle that I have never had anything but a positive response from the members of this site, I thought it worth asking whether Solon spares are available at possibly some remote outpost ?

Mick

Hi Mick I would have thought that a soldering iron of that age would have used a simple nichrome wire element and there are a few seller's on the net. You would just have to measure the wire gauge and order to suit.

David

£7.99 for a 25watt Henly. on ebay !

Ridiculous nostalgia really, I suppose, but this iron has not been used and is identical to one I had when I was about twelve years old. There are probably better items on the market but nostalgia strikes again. Maybe I will have a look at a different nichrome wire element as David suggests. Thanks for the help.

Mick

Can you still buy "Savbit" copper bearing solder to stop the bit disolving?

P.S: To answer my own question, CPC list it and it is still a tin/lead alloy.

Russell

Edited By Russell Eberhardt on 11/02/2020 09:14:04

I don't know how many Solon irons I got through. Horrible tat - had some at home, used others in development labs on holiday jobs. When I started working after graduating I discovered Weller irons, what a revelation. Frankly I'd just buy a proper modern iron.

One advantage of the larger Solon irons was the heat capacity of the massive bits - and if the 65W job I used to use was not hot enough it nicely fitted through the grill of the 2 bar electric fire to get a bit of extra warmth!

I still use the 65W Solon that dad bought before WW2 when he was doing radio repairs. I think it is all origional, tip and element. For larger work I have a 175W Weller. When I got the Weller the tip was badly eroded A new tip was going to be $NZ80, so I wen't and saw my metal supply man and bought a piece of 20 mm copper, I think it was 100 mm long. I have a pair of old copper soldering bits, about 2lb each, which each heat quickly on a gas ring.

Ian S C

<Ahem!>

I refer the honourable gentlemen to the Henley Solon Owners Club, started in the pages of Club News. There are a multitude (3) of enthusiasts/obsessives, membership is free, and you get nothing for it. (Unless, of course, you have spare parts to help the afflicted above)

One interesting failure mode I experienced more than once. Handle was in two parts with a horizontal split line, moulded from some sort of Bakelite material. The part of the handle nearest the element tended to get quite hot and the plastic degrade, to the point that one day when you were pressing the bit against a terminal part of one half of the moulding would fracture along a moulding feature and the entire hot element part become detached, apart from the live wires. Exciting!

I think that the old Solon elements were insulated with asbestos, so you might want to take care with the debris of a disintegrated one.

I just bought a soldering station from Lidl. I think it was £6.99 Controller + holder. Even has some reels of solder with it.

Steve.

Hi, I didn't find any asbestos in this old 250W Solon iron. The element is wound on Mica sheet and Mica sheets separate the two elements from each other with two narrower thin iron plates in the middle and Mica sheets insulated the elements on the outside, the whole assemble then fitted into the slot of the copper bit.

The outside Mica sheets just fell to bits during disassemble. Wont bother to try and fix this one, but might mount the copper bit onto a piece of steel and heat it in a flame, maybe one day.

Regards Nick.

I have one and the flex is plastic with a whopping double pole switch. The nichrome wire between the element and the brass power connector went, I tried spicing new nichrome on but the element disintegrated. Trying to figure out how to make a new winding, mica etc. The wattage is 65W - not sure what AWG nichrome it had, its very thin...

just found 100W element on Aliexpress https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32854858113.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.main.7.6d201052PKtnRs&algo_pvid=bbdd802f-7bd7-46ba-b479-3fc6cec9dfce&algo_exp_id=bbdd802f-7bd7-46ba-b479-3fc6cec9dfce-3&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2265665332547%22%7D&pdp_npi=3%40dis%21GBP%2110.45%219.09%21%21%21%21%21%402145274c16790423388026523d06ee%2165665332547%21sea%21UK%21166397849&curPageLogUid=REzrioKYVCYq

Edited By James Tregaskis on 17/03/2023 08:43:12

Recently, "Scarborough Mates" have been given a box of used but in working order Henly Solon soldering irons, I think they are 65 Watt. If a reader would like one, please contact me via a PM and then I can link you to the correct member. John

I got army surplus vintage 50 AWG, that will be close to original nichrome wire. The Aliexpress element only for curling tongs (250 deg C) so change of plan...

I'm not keen on reviving ancient electrical equipment. The past was not good at electrical insulation and heat-proofing materials. Many improvements made over the years.

I wonder if the practical experience of mechanical engineers distorts their judgement. A well-maintained lightly loaded Myford lathe could be mechanically as good as new. Not so its electrics! 1948 insulation, switches, and capacitors etc do not age well. Fortunately, not difficult to replace and improve on the original electrics of a Myford, though bigger 3-phase machines with no wiring diagrams can be a challenge! You can even CNC them.

Frankly, I wouldn't fix an old electric soldering iron. It's hardly mechanical at all, and other rules apply. If one part has failed, chances are the rest of the poor thing is on the way out. Might even be a shock hazard. Think how long manufacturers expect a tool to last in service when new. Probably between 3 and 7 years in a busy workshop, perhaps less. An electric iron was unlikely to have been guaranteed for more than a year.

As always, if the hobby is restoring old gear, then go for it. Just be aware that restoring isn't the same as bodging clapped out junk in hope of saving a few precious pennies.

Dave

I agree with Dave.
It is a waste of time and potentially unsafe to re-wind the element in a old soldering iron. Buy a modern one.

A workshop at an old employer of mine nearly burnt down due to a large Solon iron left on overnight. It got so hot the radiated heat burnt through the bench. Following morning the hole in the bench was still smouldering and the iron was hanging in mid air. If the lead had let it reach the floor the whole place would have burnt down.

Soldering irons won't have asbestos in the element, Asbestos is a thermal insulator. It's not great electrically because it absorbs moisture. A heating element needs good thermal conductivity and good electrical insulation which is the opposite.

Robert.