Soldering Iron?


N

N-gauged

Off The Rails
I am planning on building an n-scale layout and I want to solder the track together
but I don't know anything about soldering or soldering equipment.

I looked on eBay for soldering irons and there are several different kinds on there.
Can anyone tell me what they would recommend for soldering n-scale nickel-silver track together with?

I notice that they come in different watts.
20, 30, 40 and 60 are some of the pen style solderers.
What is too much watts and too little watts?
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Soldering iron

I have an iron like the one on EBay. It works just fine, but you need to practice if you have no experience with soldering
Your local hardware store has those same irons for about a buck more, the advantage is that you get to touch and feel and you can pick up some flux core solder while there.
Good luck.
Mac
 
The one that you are looking at is a piece of junk that is commonly available in Dollar Stores.

At the club (we run HO) we use 100/140 dual heat soldering guns to heat up the track quickly and apply the solder before the heat gets to the ties. (We also use a heat sink)

For general wiring and DCC installation, I'd recommend a 20-40 watt pencil iron for precision. For track wiring, the pencil iron would take too long to heat up the track and melt the ties instead.
 
Ianacole, that one is nice but I'm on a much smaller budget than that.

I have an old soldering gun but the tip on it is so big that it wont fit next to the small track without touching the ties.

I'm gonna be soldering n-scale so it will need to have a small tip.
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I don't want to spend a whole lot on one but I also don't want a useless piece of crap either.

That second one you showed me Ianacole says it's adjustable from 100* to 800*.
What temp would I need for soldering n-scale track?
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ianacole said:
I would recommend something more along these lines:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Weller-WESD51-digital-soldering-station-/180653630032?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a0fcba250

Anything that allows you to control the temperature.
Click to expand...

That's a good one. We have those in the shop.

You want to be able to change tips (for different jobs) and control temperature. If you get a station with a place to put the hot iron, then you lower your risk of melting things you don't want to.
 
chineese "iron" of ebay was done after one soldering session - metal holder discolored, wrapped under the heat and handle just felt apart.

if you don't want useless piece of crap get a nice soldering station as shown above. . i absolutely love my weller station even though its a non digital one. after getting it I never plugged my old radio-shack soldering iron again (althoguh that one does hold together)
 
N-gauged said:
Ianacole, that one is nice but I'm on a much smaller budget than that.

I have an old soldering gun but the tip on it is so big that it wont fit next to the small track without touching the ties.

I'm gonna be soldering n-scale so it will need to have a small tip.
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Click to expand...

I agree with Ian here. You can buy a cheap one now but believe me you will be buying another one before you know it. The biggest issue is the availability of tips. And the cheap irons may be hard to find. The tips do wear out over time and who know where the cheap manufacturer will be in a couple months. Weller is a reputable brand with a strong background in the industry and will be there when you need the parts. If you can't wait then buy the cheapo for now but do yourself a favor and save up for a Weller at some point.

I do not hand lay track (I buy Code 83 Atlas for now) but you can bet they know what they are talking about over here at Fast Tracks; they have built their company around track and soldering.

http://www.handlaidtrack.com/Weller-35w-120v-Professional-Soldering-Iron-with-3-p/wp35.htm

Search around the site a bit too there are some great videos on soldering technique and the use of flux.
 
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If you're buying a Weller iron/gun, try to get one from the older productions, or if all else fails, get a used one. The current production Weller irons/guns are trash.

Good irons will not have a stainless steel tip (which most of the el cheapo irons do, and won't tin since solder will not stick to the stainless steel). Good irons have tips that burn off over time and need to be replaced.

There's a really nice pencil iron made by a company called Velleman. They're Belgian and the irons are around $6. They work very well and I haven't broken mine yet (the tip burnt down and I couldn't find replacement tips that cost less than half the cost of buying a new iron)
 
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Soldering Iron

My little "cheapo" is in fact a Weller. I have had it for about three years and applied solder, best guess, about 50 times. Never had a problem, in fact I used it today, installing a decoder ( the hard way ) I had to quit half way through. the eyes are getting old but the iron is still good, I will finish it in the morning.
 
NWCanuck said:
Have you had issues with a current Weller version?:confused:
Click to expand...

The quality control on the more recent ones are basically nonexistant. I haven't had to replace mine yet (mine is an older one that was given to me) but two other people at my club bought the newer versions, and both had to get them replaced due to the heating coil not heating up, or a broken wire inside the gun, or something else.
 
maczimb said:
My little "cheapo" is in fact a Weller. I have had it for about three years and applied solder, best guess, about 50 times. Never had a problem, in fact I used it today, installing a decoder ( the hard way ) I had to quit half way through. the eyes are getting old but the iron is still good, I will finish it in the morning.
Click to expand...

It's not this little guy is it?

View attachment 25935

I have the same iron and it has been great for the basics. The only issue I have had with it was available tips. I needed a sharp cone tip for surface mount LEDs and was unable to find any for this screw in style tip iron. Other than that, it has never let me down.
 
diburning said:
The quality control on the more recent ones are basically nonexistant.
Click to expand...

Quality control? What is quality anymore, everything is made in China!:D

diburning said:
I haven't had to replace mine yet (mine is an older one that was given to me) but two other people at my club bought the newer versions, and both had to get them replaced due to the heating coil not heating up, or a broken wire inside the gun, or something else.
Click to expand...


Well at least it is good to hear that they had them replaced and did not have to return them all together. Maybe just a bad batch?
 
Soldering Iron

George.
You certainly opened up a can of worms! cheapo vs expencivo
I love it, so many different opinions? I guess that's what this sight is all about.
Did you get the controller yet??
Mac
 
Here's some things to look for in a quality soldering iron/station.

1. Automatic temperature control. Keeps the tip temperature constant. Note: Doesn't always mean adjustable tip temperature.

2. Iron plated tips. Non-plated tips get eaten away and require frequent heavy duty cleaning, filing, and changing. Plated tips merely require wiping on a damp sponge once in awhile during use.

3. Readily available broad selection of easy to change tip shapes. Allows you to select the most appropriate tip for the job.

4. Very flexible, light, burn-proof iron cord. Only the better irons/stations have this. A stiff, draggy cord is a royal pain.

5. Iron holder/stand that keeps the hot iron handy but safe. It should not grip the iron, but merely receive it in such a way that it can't go anywhere until the operator withdraws it from the stand. Doing so should not require any force.

6. Accessory or built in sponge holder.

7, ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) safe design.

It's hard to go wrong with a Weller soldering station. Here's a link to their products. You are better of with an industrial soldering station than a consumer soldering station.
 
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