soldering irons

Hi, I am looking at the many small soldering irons that are on the web,and am amazed at the range of wattages, and other refinements available. I am not into electronics. My current task is to attach 1A and posibly 5A cable to switches that have solder tags, not screw fxgs. My Solon iron is to big. So my question is, what wattage to go for, or may be its a case of biggest is best, but with a voltage control device, and does this device reduce the wattage? many of the irons do not give a mfg.source, but I noticed that on some, a tin of solder that was supplied had 'made in China' on it. I seem to remember someone saying that Chines mains voltage devices are a bit iffy. Some advice would be appreciated. Regards, Lynne

The big difference is temperature controlled or not. For a temperature controlled iron 50-60 W is normal. They heat up fast, don't over-heat and adjust the power to the job.

For non temperature controlled 25-35 W would suit small switches.
There are lot of low quality and some downright dangerous irons out there. Look to see what mains plug is fitted. If it is not proper UK "13A" plug with metal earth pin (no plastic sleeve on earth pin) don't buy it. Be wary of plugs with a slim body / inveterd T shape as thes don't have fuses.

A used Weller, Antex or similar known make in good condtion might be a better buy.

Robert G8RPI.

The small ANTEX iron is my favourite, choise of fine point, fat point chisel oblique etc. Tips easily changed. BUT be warned, some have a cheap cable which are like anacondas when cold. The same model but more expensive (and well worth it) have a silicone cable which is highly flexible.

Soldering Iron XS25 from Antex with Silicone Cable

Bob

My temperature controlled Weller is still going strong after 45 years or so. Admittedly on light duties rather than daily driver for the last 30 odd.

Great thing about the Wellers of that, and presumably later, vintage is the automatic temperature control gubbins built into the bit which prevents the bit overheating burning out. The iron plating is said to help too. Simple non controlled irons get way to hot if not regularly making joints. Depending on how well the iron size and power is matched to joint size anything less than a joint every couple of minutes or so is asking for trouble. Prior to being issued with the Weller i was doing well to get a days work out of a conventional copper bit before it needed filing back to shape and re-tinning. The Weller just needed a quick wipe across its sponge occasionally. Wonderful.

The shiny plated bits on modern smaller irons do last rather better than the old plain copper ones but they cannot be re-profiled once the plating has gone. Generally the bits for inexpensive ones cannot be purchased so replacement is impractical.

That said if you don't anticipate your lifetime total of joints to be high and are prepared to get everything ready first, turn the iron on, make todays ration of joints and turn it off again an inexpensive one appropriately rated for the job should last for a satisfactory number of years. Just remember that its a disposable item when the bit deteriorates. Wiping off on a sponge to clean it when hot greatly prolongs life.

Whatever you buy make sure it has a good bench stand to keep the hot end safely away from anything it might damage and the handle orientated for easy pick up and return to the stand. Some stand designs seem to assume you have a half brick handy to screw it to, others point the hot end upwards where it is easy to grab! The one the firm issued me along with the iron when I started on the electronics bench suffered from both faults!

Clive

Edited By Clive Foster on 09/11/2022 16:13:10

Look up the T100 and Pinecil soldering irons. They are modern irons which can be run from 12v-24v making them portable! They heat up in seconds, have temperature control and auto shut off built right into the pen size body.

I recently bought a TS100 and was initially sceptical. But honestly it's one of the best purchases I've made in years!

I've remained true to Antex Irons since I was 14. They're British, with replaceable tips. The versions fitted with Silicone Rubber cables are best, because they're heatproof and more flexible.

Tips last much longer if the iron is holstered in a spiral spring stand with a damp sponge so acid flux muck can be wiped off immediately. Tips are copper plated iron, disposable, and not worth filing.

My irons are all from the 'Precision Range' and I own three, all good at particular jobs:

• A 12W Iron with a fine tip is used for delicate electronics - miniature components
• A 15W Iron with a larger tip is used for ordinary transistor sized electronics
• A 25W Iron with a big tip (small by plumber standards), is for vacuum valve sized electronics

Of these the 15W and 25W irons can both do solder tags, but I prefer the 25W because the extra heat solders faster and reduces the risk of a bad joint. The extra heat is particularly useful when a wire is soldered to a tag already bolted to a chassis, because the chassis conducts heat rapidly away from the joint.

I notice Antex sell an 18W iron, which might be just the right power for Lynne's requirement.

I've owned a 50W temperature controlled iron but didn't get on with it, probably because I didn't need the features, and it took up valuable bench space. For the basic soldering I mostly do, ordinary irons are fine. Advanced soldering and repair work is a different story.

An observation about solder tags. Bought surplus 40 years ago, all mine need a good clean before soldering because they're covered in some sort of light grease. Modern tags might be cleaner!

Dave

+TS100!

Edited By jaCK Hobson on 09/11/2022 18:04:56

Hi, I have always used Antex irons ,still got my first one from 1969. I use a17 W for printed circuit work and a 25 Watt for switches and tags etc .

I recommend the XS 25 with silicone lead ,approx £30 and it’s British made.

Maurice

Plus one for antex and always spares available

My thanks to you all for the very helpful responses to my question. I have gone ahead and ordered an Antex XS25 with silicone cable, and hopefully I will be have it by Friday. Regards, Lynne

You've already made your purchase, but in a previous career we used 45W Weller temperature controlled irons for electronics for many years.

Too low a wattage iron actually puts more heat into surrounding components, because you have to hold the iron on for longer, potentially causing collateral damage. Solder tabs are relatively big, requiring a lot of heat which will travel up the wire potentially damaging the insulation. Something around 45W is just about right to make a joint quickly and minimise damage.

See also; comments on another thread about the longevity of soldered terminal tabs versus crimped ones - important if the connections will be subject to vibration.

PS, Robert A: did you mean to say plastic sleeved Live and Neutral pins on UK 13A plugs? The Earth pin is not sleeved. Or did I read your post wrong?

Edited By John Doe 2 on 10/11/2022 11:28:05

John Doe it depends who manufactures your UK 13A plugs there are numerous cheap versions knocking about that have a totally plastic earth pin, these are definitely illegal, you need to make sure that your 13A plugs are compliant. Dave W

A plastic earth pin on a moulded on plug for a class II (double insulated) appliance with a two core cable is perfectly acceptable. What purpose would a metal pin serve?

Current plugs are required to have sleeves on the live and neutral pins to avoid possible contact with thin metal objects before the contact is broken. People with arthritis or other hand mobility problems have been known to slide an knife between the plug and socket to get it out.

As Clive mentions the iron coating on a bit does extend its life, when I did a lot of bench work and the iron would be on all day it was noticeable when the iron coating was compromised that the copper would erode very quickly. For the work I was doing the pencil point tip for the Weller TCP iron I used would lose its point and become hollow once the iron coating was lost. Still using my Weller with the black base that predated the pale blue update that arrived in the late 70s.

Mike

Yet again we have a claim that something is 'definitely illegal' and the next message says '... perfectly acceptable'. They cannot both be right.

So, please - everyone - if you make a claim about some detail being illegal (or similar) it should be no trouble to add a reference to the relevant law. The web is full of wrong, unsubstantated claims, and the habit has already spred to parliament. You cannot help people by getting these things wrong - you only spread confusion.

Cheers, Tim

BS1363-1 states:

I'm fascinated to see that the ts100 has upgradeable open-source firmware! What experience to people have with the tip life please? I have a Weller look-alike variable temp one I got from Maplin years back, the original tips only came from Maplin and by the time I needed a new one they no longer stocked the item. It does take Weller tips but the temperature control isn't so effective so their life is short. I've been thinking of a new iron for a while.

.

Well done, Sir

MichaelG.

MichaelG.

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 10/11/2022 18:07:10

I said rhere should be no plastic sleeve on the earth pin. Assuming a "simple" iron with a mains element it must be earthed for safety hence the comment to look for a plastic earth pin. To be clear a mains powered consumer item with a flexible power cord / lead sold in the UK MUST have a fitted plug that complies with BS1363 (i.e. approved) UNLESS:

It is for use in a bathroom or similar and fitted with a 2 pin plug to mate with a isolated "shaver supply" outlet conforming to BS3535.

Or has a "europlug" conforming to EN 50075 AND is FITTED with an APPROVED adaptor which requires the use of a tool to remove it.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1994/1768/regulation/9/made

A huge amount of mains powered equipment being sold online and in some markets etc fail to meet these rules just from simple observation of the images. A lot are immediately hazardous.

Robert G8RPI.