How to Solder With a Weller Gun

A Weller solder gun is almost synonymous with soldering. Weller has been around for generations and its heavy-duty solder gun has not changed that much over the years. Home hobbyists and professionals alike can utilize the features of the Weller gun. The small, but effective, light for revealing those hard-to-reach places and the fast heat-up time of the tip make the gun useful for many applications. Quick home repairs to intricate stain-glass soldering are just a couple of the uses for this versatile solder gun.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Weller solder gun Some scrap bare metal wire Wire-type solder (comes in a small roll or a plastic tube)

1. Unpack the solder gun from the protective case and plug the unit into a 120-volt AC power outlet. The solder gun will not heat up or become energized until the red trigger is pressed.

2. Twist together the two ends of the bare metal scrap wire. You can use these wires to practice your solder technique.

3. 
   Holding The Gun

   Pull a length of solder from the reel or enclosed plastic case and press the trigger of the gun. Note the light will come on and the tip should begin to heat immediately. Touch the solder wire to the end of the heat tip and allow the solder to color or melt onto the tip. The bright color, silver, is called tinning the tip. This should be done each time you first use the gun. Tinning the tip helps to conduct the heat to the pieces you are soldering together.

4. While still depressing the trigger, touch the tip of the solder gun to the wire twist you want to solder. Slowly begin to wipe the wire solder onto the heated pair of wires. Never feed the solder to the heat tip as this is used only to heat the wires. The solder should melt into the wire twist. Allow the solder to flow and fill into the joint between the wire twist.

5. Remove the heat tip from the twisted wire pair after the joint has been filled with solder. Release the trigger and allow the gun to cool. Be sure to lay the gun down so the heat tip will not touch against anything that can burn. It may take a minute or so to cool the heat tip.

Tips & Warnings

• Always allow the Weller solder gun to fully cool before placing it back into it's case.
• Never solder in a closed room. Always allow for plenty of ventilation as some solders still contain lead as a primary metal.