Soldering Irons...

The search box sites many threads discussing irons. Many members use this one. Hakko FX888D  I havent bitten the bullet on a station yet but I dont do circuit board work at this time. Mostly just the clunky jobs where heat doesnt hurt. TW

I have an old 40W iron that does the job.  Will buy a station when it quits.

I use a resistance unit for custom brass work.  Love it.  Best purchase I've made in tools.

Enjoy your projects.

I have the Hakko FX888D, and I can recommend it without reservation.  It's a superior soldering station and is widely used in industry, probably for good reason.  With precise temperature control, digital readout of actual tip temperature, and the ability to calibrate the temperature,  it's a great tool. 

I also recommend the calibrator, the Chinese clone works fine and is dirt cheap at $15.49, eBay: 122249553782  Believe it or not, the little genuine Hakko branded FG-100 is twice the price of the soldering station!   I've compared the genuine calibrator to the eBay clone, and I see no difference in construction or operation.  I can think of no reason that the calibrator should cost anything like $200, it's a pretty simple Type K Thermocouple based instrument.

John,

I have the Hakko FX888D, and I can recommend it without reservation.

I also have the Hakko and will also recommend it without any reservation. It's a great iron and has stood up well over the couple of years that it's been on my bench. I bought mine on Amazon and, although it's $12 more now than when I bought it 2 years ago, it's still a lot of soldering iron for $132.

Dennis-LaRock posted:

 The heavy *gun* type Weller is clumsy and going the way of the Dodo

Dennis, if you have the 240/325 Watt Weller Soldering Gun you will want to keep it for soldering any wires to track.

I'm still using Dad's gun for track.   See bottom half of Soldering page.

Santa brought me the Hakko Soldering Station and I'm looking forward to using it for smaller jobs and circuity boards.

x3 on the Hakko FX888D.  Nothing comes close to it for the money.  Amazon usually has great deals on it.

Another vote for the Hakko FX888D. I also got one a couple of years ago at Amazon and it is very similar to the one in Barry's link above with an assortment of tips (may be the same one?). The tips are around $8-$10 each of purchased separately. I don't think you can beat it for the price, it's a very nice soldering station.

Also the Weller gun is good for larger layout wiring and soldering to track as Susan says above, if you choose to do that. I didn't have a gun, still don't, but I got rid of all my old pencil irons.

I have a Weller variable temp solder station that I use at home. You can get different sized and types of tips for them for cheap and the tips are very good. They tin easy, clean easy and don't corrode like cheap irons will. You can get them at Micro Mark for a little over 50 bucks. I also have a Weller 28 volt iron I use at work. I have had it for over 20 years and only changed the tip once and the heating element once. I recommend you use a wire mesh tip cleaner. I have a Hakko. You can get them on eBay for about ten bucks.

Susan Deats posted:

Dennis-LaRock posted:

 The heavy *gun* type Weller is clumsy and going the way of the Dodo

Dennis, if you have the 240/325 Watt Weller Soldering Gun you will want to keep it for soldering any wires to track.

I'm still using Dad's gun for track.   See bottom half of Soldering page.

Santa brought me the Hakko Soldering Station and I'm looking forward to using it for smaller jobs and circuity boards.

It's the Weller 8250A (250 watt) and it is what I used to solder the pins/busbars (Super-O) in building the test station... I think my parents bought it around '53 ...so, it ain't going anywhere (it's still a Dodo... but, I love it).  It's just not a PCB iron.

I grew up in Vermont and among the duties my Dad had me on (aside from the sawmills and logging) was solder the standing seam copper roof on their house. *BIG* irons, thick 1" beads, nothing works like an iron.  He *never* hired anyone to do anything *ever* if we could do it ourselves (I've many brothers).

OK!!!!  You are all AWESOME!!!!  Hakko is the name I consistently see while surfing iron reviews.  The Hakko FX888D is the replacement for the 936???  I saw a few *New* 936(s) available... and, I like the whole analog look... but if the FX888D (and, the 15 buck calibrator) is far superior... I will go with that.

Are the cleaning pads made of copper???  I know some of the wicks are made of copper.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rtr12 posted:

Another vote for the Hakko FX888D. I also got one a couple of years ago at Amazon and it is very similar to the one in Barry's link above with an assortment of tips (may be the same one?). The tips are around $8-$10 each of purchased separately. I don't think you can beat it for the price, it's a very nice soldering station.

Also the Weller gun is good for larger layout wiring and soldering to track as Susan says above, if you choose to do that. I didn't have a gun, still don't, but I got rid of all my old pencil irons.

Brother *RTR12* ... I think we are twins!

"The soldering iron"

All the junk sold today can't even come close.

This one is well over 30 years old and still works like new!

SIRT posted:

"The soldering iron"

All the junk sold today can't even come close.

This one is well over 30 years old and still works like new!

Everyone's entitled to their opinion.   I have an identical Weller in my closet, I'd much rather use the Hakko.

The Weller 240/325 soldering gun is big and heavy. I have one, I think I have used it only once or twice.
Over 90 percent of the time, I use a Weller 100/140 soldering gun, which is much lighter. If something happened to mine, I'd want to find another.
I would not use a gun on a PC board. Too big and too hot.

I have an assortment of old school soldering irons by Weller that get very occasional use.

As everyone else has said go with the Hakko, I did and it was best purchase I've made for a solder station!

Doug

FWIW, Jim Barrett wrote an article, Soldering Made Easy, in OGR run 263, May/June 2013 and said"the best tool an O gauge railroader can have for wiring work is the Weller 8200 dual range 100/140 soldering gun."

He also wrote that for wiring to circuit boards requires a completely different tool, i.e., the regulated temperature models, including an inexpensive Weller station with pencil tip.

For track work and soldering on brass models, I use the Weller 100/140 gun.  For wiring anything but #12 wire for the bus, I prefer the iron.  The Hakko I have is a 70W unit.  Plenty of heat for most tasks, but precisely temperature controlled for the most delicate tasks.

I use a Hakko FX-951, along with the calibration tool GRJ posted.  The 951 is a nice station too, it just has a different tip style (tip is also the element on the 951).  For replacement tips and parts, Hakko USA has great service and doesn't gouge you on price.

Upgrading to a station and using smaller kester solder has definitely helped improve my work.  

gunrunnerjohn posted:

I have the Hakko FX888D, and I can recommend it without reservation.  It's a superior soldering station and is widely used in industry, probably for good reason.  With precise temperature control, digital readout of actual tip temperature, and the ability to calibrate the temperature,  it's a great tool. 

I also recommend the calibrator, the Chinese clone works fine and is dirt cheap at $15.49, eBay: 122249553782  Believe it or not, the little genuine Hakko branded FG-100 is twice the price of the soldering station!   I've compared the genuine calibrator to the eBay clone, and I see no difference in construction or operation.  I can think of no reason that the calibrator should cost anything like $200, it's a pretty simple Type K Thermocouple based instrument.

My shop at work is equipped with six of this very model, they are on and used at least eight hours a day, seven days a week, fifty two weeks a year.  Other than an occasional tip change they work flawlessly.   You could never say that about a Weller iron.

Hijacking my own thread... may I digress for a moment ...as *SIRT* does have a point.  There are an awful lot of products out there these days that are not worth a Sh.t.  I went back into business last year after retiring for a decade (13 diesel trucks, two big drills, mini excavators and on and on).  The best truck I own is my personal 1996 F350 7.3L Dually.  All the other trucks are 2009 and newer and they all suck (6 fords, 3 Chevy's and 3 Dodges).   Anyone bought a Homelite, Husqvarna or Stihl chainsaw recently?  *Don't*

Where computers have become far cheaper and faster (I build my own)... they tend to be the exception.  Having a PCB board in everything one touches these days is a tad unsettling and the invasion of plastics where rugged dependable design is preferable or imperative can be infuriating.  I replaced my oven/stove last year because it was going to cost 60% of the price of the original stove to buy the electronic guts to repair it (it was only 10 years old).  It took weeks... but, I finally found one that was *not* digitized!  It was 4 grand... but, Thank you Lord!

Now that I got *that* off my chest (slow down... breath)... I just ordered the HAKKO and Calibrator (the clone).  

THANK YOU!!!!

gunrunnerjohn posted:

SIRT posted:

"The soldering iron"

All the junk sold today can't even come close.

This one is well over 30 years old and still works like new!

Everyone's entitled to their opinion.   I have an identical Weller in my closet, I'd much rather use the Hakko.

Note on today’s devices –

Unfortunately we are a society that’s now allowed to think for ourselves anymore. Technology controlled by software knows better. If I’m at work, I have to wait for a cal. tech to come out and change the temperature on the unit by inserting a pre-programmed card. They made the devices dummy proof. Not to mention the crappy lead-free solder we have to deal with.

Same thing with updates, downloads and production electric screwdrivers torque settings and speed control. We are at the mercy of something or someone else to get a simple job done. 

SIRT posted:

Not to mention the crappy lead-free solder we have to deal with.

If you want more of the crappy lead-free solder, just let me know, I have at least one pound roll of it, and I just ordered a couple pounds of the good tasting 63/37 solder, I'm running out of what I have.

Tasty!

I need some good stuff for home use.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

SIRT posted:

Not to mention the crappy lead-free solder we have to deal with.

If you want more of the crappy lead-free solder, just let me know, I have at least one pound roll of it, and I just ordered a couple pounds of the good tasting 63/37 solder, I'm running out of what I have.

Not to mention the lead free solder has to be heated to a higher temperature which gives off more toxic fumes.  Anyone using lead free solder at home or at work should have a fume recovery system so you don't breath that crap in.

superwarp1 posted:

gunrunnerjohn posted:

SIRT posted:

Not to mention the crappy lead-free solder we have to deal with.

If you want more of the crappy lead-free solder, just let me know, I have at least one pound roll of it, and I just ordered a couple pounds of the good tasting 63/37 solder, I'm running out of what I have.

Not to mention the lead free solder has to be heated to a higher temperature which gives off more toxic fumes.  Anyone using lead free solder at home or at work should have a fume recovery system so you don't breath that crap in.

I've been soldering since 1977 always using a small fan placed the opposite way. At 61, I ain't dead yet, LOL!

Moving those fumes away seems to have worked!

A lot of very interesting info. I have done some pretty precise soldering with an open flame torch with soldering tip and without, and have soldered with oxy-accetylene, soldering guns, pencils and irons. I only used a soldering station once, at one of the MTH repair courses, and it was a whole different way of soldering. I may have to invest in a station. The only two methods I haven't tried yet are fire heated irons, of which I have one somewhere in my collection of old tools, and resistance soldering.

SIRT, I've been exposed to asbestos, (played with it as a kid, and worked with it a bit), lead paint dust, soldering and welding fumes, sawdust, (walnut probably the worst), all types of masonry dust, and probably a half dozen other harmful or toxic fumes, vapors or dust in my 61 years, and as far as I know, I'm in good shape. Or, maybe not!

Don

Another major issue with lead-free solder is the higher temperature and more finicky soldering characteristics heat any parts you're soldering to a PCB hotter and longer.  Both of these things are bad for the health of more delicate electronic parts.

Speaking of Solder... What are y'all using?  60/40, Rosin Core, .8mm - 1mm???  Or something akin?  Fluxes/Pastes or any other amenities which would be handy to have?  Is it *Kester* that makes some pretty fine solder?

I use 63/37 Rosin Core solder, Kester brand is what I typically use.  I'm working my way through a roll of Indium brand 63/37, good stuff as well.  On occasion I need some flux for difficult jobs, I use Deoxit Rosin Soldering Flux.

Thanks John... ordered a lb of Kester 63/37 rosin core and the Deoxit flux.  I should be good to go now.  Test Station, 2amp breakers (bought the ones you suggested and they work great) , multi meters, Hakko, visual aids, fabric lined cradle v & flat, tons of alligator clips, solder and flux.   Bring on the trains!!!

Thanks

gunrunnerjohn posted:

I use 63/37 Rosin Core solder, Kester brand is what I typically use.  I'm working my way through a roll of Indium brand 63/37, good stuff as well.  On occasion I need some flux for difficult jobs, I use Deoxit Rosin Soldering Flux.

Believe it or not the solder at work has a shelf life and when it expires instead of deposing it, it ends up in my basement  it's about the same ratio as what John gets

Ah!!!! New England-er!  Vermont-er here.

You already ordered, but I would be another vote for 63/37. Got mine at Digikey, don't know the brand? I got a couple of sizes that GRJ said he uses, 0.020 and 0.031 and I have an old can of Radio Shack rosin core flux that I sometimes use to dip the iron's tip in and then run it through the cleaning device (curly copper spongy thing, what ever it's called?) on the Hakko station. Maybe I should, but I don't often use the wet sponge.

GRJ, I figured the Deoxit flux would be better than my old RS flux so I was looking around and found this... Deoxit Rosin Flux Soldering Paste With Headphones. I was drawn to it by the title, does it play tunes while you're soldering? 

Dear Gentlemen

I have been following this thread,  as I am still a beginner when it comes to soldering for me at least it is very informative. I see that we have covered the solder station, the calibrator and the type of solder to use. This might be a rookie question but what tips would you suggest for Hakko FX888D. I would like to know what tips work best for what jobs. I still have a soldering iron and I think an upgrade to a Hakko FX888D might coming in the near future.

All the small soldering tools I've been using including the solder/flux is 55-65 years old.  To clean the tips on the little soldering that I have been doing recently I just go to the kitchen sink and take the sponge next to it (and, put a new one out so my wife doesn't give me the dickens) and that has worked fine for me... at least for the rough soldering that I have been engaged in thus far.

nvocc5 posted:

This might be a rookie question but what tips would you suggest for Hakko FX888D. I would like to know what tips work best for what jobs. I still have a soldering iron and I think an upgrade to a Hakko FX888D might coming in the near future.

I got a kit from Amazon very similar to the one Barry linked to above (could be the same one?) that had an assortment of tips included. The two I have used most are the T18-D08 pencil tip and the T18-D16 small chisel tip (my terminology may be off a little here?). There is a large T18-S3 chisel tip that I have also used a time or two for some larger things. There are a LOT of tips available for the Hakko FX888D and sometimes the differences in quite small, even hard to tell from looking at them online.

If GRJ, Stan or one of the other more knowledgeable folks recommends different tips I would follow their advice before mine. I will probably follow it as well. Also, GRJ said he uses 650 deg F and maybe sometimes 700 deg F. I started out using 600 and then after seeing it, followed GRJ's advice using his temps and so far so good.

Dear rtr12

I have seen or looked at so many different Hakko FX888D sell setup, I must admit I am clueless to which tip does what all I know is that the  correct tip for the Hakko FX888D is the style t18 after that I am lost in the electronic forest again.

I did look at Barry suggestion in regards to the Hakko FX888D with the T18-D08/D12/D24/D32/S3, Do I need all these tips? What I am looking for is the basic setup but, any addition information is welcome. I might have to redo a FET on a board or replace a Cap that is bulging on a board and most basic stuff stan2004 specials, GRJ mods or Dale H special but the PLCPROF improvement is way over my head with my limited knowledge of electronics.  The last time I did anything like this was back 1986 in Avionics class in High School.

I understand that I will not be able to solder feeder wire to Atlas track with the Hakko FX888D. In this case you would need a 240/325 Watt Weller Soldering Gun as Susan Deat stated, different thread different subject.

Any advise on soldering tips is welcomed.