How to Select the Right Soldering Iron

If you've spent hours outdoors in a cold wind trying to solder a good connection or held your breath hoping to secure a fine lead on a circuit board without damaging other components, you know a good soldering tool should have sufficient wattage, sufficient temperature and the proper tip.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Car Stereo Wires
• 10x Magnifying Glasses
• Isopropyl Alcohols
• Magnifying Lamps
• Sponges
• Wire Brushes
• Acetone
• Acetone
• Vise-Grips
• Bent-nose Pliers
• Copper Wire
• Handheld Vises
• Needle-nose Pliers
• Pollen/dust Masks
• Solder
• Soldering Guns/irons
• Soldering Iron
• Speaker Wire
• Tweezer-nose Pliers
• Vises
• Wire Crimpers
• Wire Cutters
• Wire Cutters
• Wire Nippers
• Needle-nose Pliers
• Wire Cutters
• Wire Cutters
• Sponges
• Wire cutters
• Wire cutters

1. Assess your planned work. Most soldering irons can use assorted tips, but you can also find irons of different wattages and with temperature controls.

2. Set a budget. If you need specialty equipment, expect to spend a hundred dollars or more on a soldering station.

3. Choose a simple soldering pencil or soldering gun that uses a direct electrical connection for common, do-it-yourself jobs around the house.

4. Opt for a solder station and cordless rechargeable unit for fine, precise work. A fine wire tip works nicely for circuit boards.

5. Choose a higher wattage soldering unit - typically one with more than a 25-watt rating - for heavy-duty work. A high-wattage iron can sustain soldering temperatures longer and bring larger works to soldering temperatures more quickly, especially when soldering thick wires.

6. Move up to a soldering unit with a temperature control if your work schedule requires continuous use. This type automatically keeps the tip at an appropriate temperature, drawing more current as heat is sapped into the work and the area surrounding the work.

7. Upgrade to a soldering station if you need to use a soldering tool regularly. Stations normally have a unit for the work bench, digital readouts, and a hand-held cordless iron with a variable setting.

Tips & Warnings

• Soldering is not welding. Solder joints are electrical rather than mechanical connections.
• Soldering static-sensitive integrated circuits and other solid state electronic devices is best done with an iron manufactured to be "ESD-safe" (electrostatic discharge safe). Check literature accompanying the unit or ask the vendor.
• Some large jobs, especially in cool environments, may require a soldering tool that uses a butane-flame tip.
• Choose a soldering iron with a comfortable, well-insulated grip.
• Hexacon Electric developed the first iron-plated soldering tip, the first industrial soldering pencil and the first soldering station. Other manufacturers include Orient-America, Weller, Ungar, ISO-TIP, HAKKO, Metcal and Edsyn.
• Soldering is an excellent skill to teach a child, but the irons and the work reach extreme temperatures. Supervise children carefully as they learn to solder.
• Solder only when you have proper ventilation or are wearing a filter mask.
• Practice, practice, practice. Soldering is a skill. As with most other skills, you'll find your solder joints will improve as you gain experience.