Soldering Irons

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J

JJones

New Member
What size and type of soldering irons do you guys use? im looking to pick up a new one when i start building my 12x8 L shaped layout due to the fact that im going to be going DCC and have to convert everything. i have a 100w that i use to solder my track sections together but thats way too big to use on a loco and the small one i have is on its last leg. looking for something nice to use and warms up quick but wont break the bank to purchase. thanks in advance!
 
Any pencil or gun type between 25 and about 40 watts is plenty. The 25's take longer to heat, and they cool that much faster when applying their tips against metals, but they are workable. Wellers are popular. You can get them at Radio Shack ($ unless discounted), or Wal Mart, hardware and craft stores.

For scale rails and their toys, you would want the finest mm or somewhat thicker spooled and non-acid flux kind you can get. I do use acid flux, against all the eye-rolling and advice out there, and so does Tim Warris of Fast Tracks handlaid turnout fame. Just use baking soda and water to scrub away any acid flux paste you use after the job has cooled.
 
I have a Wellers soldering gun that I use and I did a few Athearn bbs with it. It worked great, no melted components or anything, nice joints. I would recommend an iron though. I do have one of those too.
 


I used to use a pencil iron, but they're really inconvenient when trying to melt solder quickly without overheating the work. I use a Weller soldering gun now for pretty much everything. I do keep a pencil iron as a backup in case I need to work on tiny joints.
 
For soldering at the bench, I use a little 25 watt pencil iron. Under or on the layout, its a small butane powered iron from Radio Shack for 1 reason,.
"Look Ma, no cords!":D:D:D
 
Thanks for all the info guys! i will for sure be sticking with a pencil iron for working on the Locos...the 100w gun i have is just way too big and too hot for the tiny stuff in the Locos for me to be comfortable. does anyone know if anyone makes a butane pencil iron? i have a small butane torch style that i bought for doing heat shrink wires on my boat but i cant seem to find the soldering tip that goes on it anywhere.
 
Try one of these from Radio Shack. Comes with 2 tips. A small blowtorch tip and a soldering tip. 22 bucks and change.

I've got one for under the layout, soldering at train shows,car repairs,etc..
pRS1C-2160666w345.jpg
 
I have one that is a bernzomatic, can't remember exactly how much I paid but I'm pretty sure the iron was around 15 and the butane around 5 from my local hardware. Works... eh, not great but then I dont really use it for much so...
 


diburning said:
Do the butane irons work better than the electric ones?
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Not really. However they do get hotter , mine can get up to 2200 degrees farenheit. They do have a "throttle" of sorts, so that temp can be controlled.
The main advantage is the lack of a cord, which can be a literal "drag" with a gun or an iron.:cool:
 
The other problem is that once the butane starts to run low sometimes the heat is varied. I have had a lot of problems like this with my butane iron, hence the fact that I don't use it very much. Plus it seems like the butane never flows right for me and the tip never gets hot enough. Idk maybe that is just my experience.
 
psychobeagle12 said:
The other problem is that once the butane starts to run low sometimes the heat is varied. I have had a lot of problems like this with my butane iron, hence the fact that I don't use it very much. Plus it seems like the butane never flows right for me and the tip never gets hot enough. Idk maybe that is just my experience.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, never had that problem yet. when the sightglass looks low, I just refill it.:D
 
I found a Wellers Butane pencil iron on Amazon last night that had great reviews...thinking about picking it up. i just like the cordless feature. i have 2 small dogs and it seems like every time im working on something around the table they want to run around it and cords hanging off seem to be easy targets for them to try to jump over and knock off the table...or move it from where its at on the table to up against my hand/arm which is not comfortable at all lol
 
If I was looking at new soldering equipment it would definitely be Weller's. IMO they are THE name in soldering equipment. My dad owns a Weller's gun, I own his FIRST Weller's gun which is probably at least as old as I am, and I also own a Weller's pencil iron. I think you would be making a wise choice going w/ them. The other good thing about butane irons is that many of them include those heatshrink melting thingys that really work well for making heat shrink insulation. I would say that the important part is to get what YOU think you like and what you think is best for your layout. I know I am always more happy when I get what I need, not what I can get cheap :D.
 
I bought a Weller WTCPT soldering station more than 30 years ago. It is one of the best tool purchase I've ever made.

You change tips to change temperatures, and it takes just a few seconds to change tips. My unit has soldered well in excess of 10,000 solder joints. I bought 3 different tips at the start, and I am still using the same three tips more than three decades later.

- Jeff

08e39b816ba8543e81cb9c1c49a80a3f.jpg
 
Soldering Station

Hakko 936 Soldering Station, variable heat and all kinds of tips. Industrial grade, the only way to travel.
Thanks
Wayne
 
I installed a sound decoder with my Weller soldering gun the other day.

I know it sounds like a sin, but the gun makes it easier. All I have to do is put the wire into the hole, secure it to the pad, paste it in place with some paste flux, then heat up my gun. I melt some solder onto the gun and paste it onto the flux. The flux attracts the solder on the tip. It does NOT result in a cold joint. If you paste it in the right direction, it creates a pad of solder so neat that you'd swear that it was done by a machine in a factory if you didn't do it yourself.
 


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