Soldering iron or gun

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ONE LIFE LIVE IT. D90

ONE LIFE LIVE IT. D90

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Hi guys

Which is best for general automotive wiring on my defender. Got a small budget and it will be used very infrequently. Generally for adding extra wiring etc. And also repairing the odd circuit board around the home.

Seems a minefield of gun vs iron. Then several power options so I've given in to ask some advice.

Thanks alot
 
Hi

u could always get something like a soldering iron work station and have best of both worlds, have one myself and found it very useful

but there are electrical wizards on here who will be able to advise u better

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It very much depends on what will be the main work you’ll be doing. The above soldering stations are great if you’ve got a work bench that you bring your work to and if I had a work bench then I’d grab one in an instant however when working on a vehicle, I can’t imagine it’s that easy with the big(ish) base unit.

Soldering guns are great, you get instant heat when needed and they cool quickly when put down so they are relatively safe to use however as mentioned above, they are big and not ideal for working in often tight spaces on a vehicle. You’ve basically got a small house brick on top of your hand...

All I have is a cheap antex 25w soldering iron (£20-£25). It’s not much bigger than a large pen, it’s easy to get into tight spaces and it’s fairly robust and if I do break it, well it’s only £20 to replace it, not that I’ve needed to in recent years.

My advice would be get a cheap, basic iron which will do most of what you seem to need. See how much you use it and what for and then if you need to upgrade at a later date then you’ll have a better idea of what you need i.e. more heat/power, more control etc.
 
1. Antex 18watt for the small component soldering.
2. Solon 25watt for the small component soldering out door.
3. Solon 65watt for radiators or similar.
4. Small Butane for the one off out door, when i can put up with it continually blowing out.

I won’t bore u with photos of the above :D

I also have been using the above for decades, my firm has workshop and has a soldering station with fume extraction built in for one off circuit board repair, but it’s not used now, as repair is by replacement.
 
Must admit never had an issue using a soldering iron work station in/ on the car , just ran an extension lead , also like it as I don’t have to worry in trying to find a place to store them whilst still hot

also really prefer using leaded solder

but of course it’s all down to personal choice
 
Thanks guys. Your input has made it hell of a lot easier. But also, my current soldering iron is 25w, and there isnt a chance I can tin the wires with it. So I'm guessing it must be dieing if you guys use the antex 25w.

Very clueless with this game so thankyou
 
I have a cheap sh!te set from Aldi had it about ten years had loads of use out it always does the job I couldn't use
a station as I end up in all sorts of tight spaces.
Cheapo set for me & buy snap on or mac for most of my other gear.
 
If you are mainly thinking of soldering wires together at the car or soldering wires onto terminals I would recommend a soldering gun with a minimum of 100 watts. That is all I have ever used in 50 years. No point using a low wattage soldering pen or iron unless you like waiting around. I can't imagine using a soldering station at the car. You are likely to drag it off wherever you have set it down and have it dangling from one of the cords. I have one but it stays in the shop. The butane torches are sometimes usefull but you tend to burn the insulation before you can get the wire hot enough to take solder. These soldering guns are pretty robust so you might find a used one for cheap and it will still work fine.
 
ONE LIFE LIVE IT. D90 said:
Thanks guys. Your input has made it hell of a lot easier. But also, my current soldering iron is 25w, and there isnt a chance I can tin the wires with it. So I'm guessing it must be dieing if you guys use the antex 25w.

Very clueless with this game so thankyou
Click to expand...
For general automotive wires gauges, 25w should be ample to tin the wires and sweat them together. But it'll take a while to heat up before you can use it. A 40 or 100watt would be more up to the task. I'm using 100w Sealey, which looks to be available for £12-16 online.

SEASD100.jpg


I know there are better setups out there. And if you are doing circuit boards or some serious stuff you might want different kit. But for general soldering of wires and connectors, this has worked great for me for years. I have a generic soldering iron stand, so I don't have to lay it down when using it. And lead solder.

I've found over the years, that technique plays a bigger part than which soldering iron I have. This is a good video on soldering basics:
 
Hi. I've been soldering since I was 11 years-old, repairing old valve radios I found on doorsteps while doing my News-Paper round.
Do not buy anything from China. They're cheap for a good reason. They are crap! The plastic handles melt, for instance.
Beware of anything that's cheap, as they too are probably from the same Asiatic country.
I have owned Weller Soldering guns for years, and recently donated 2 to a charity shop. They just didn't do what I needed anymore. They are heavy-duty.
Car electrics, electronic-boards, etc? I'm now using a soldering iron setup bought from Lidls. It was cheap, which made me suspicious, but proved to be as good as any and better than most.
You will, however, still need to buy solder on a spool. Make sure it has an internal core of flux, though.
I hope this helps.
I've just turned 65 so have many years of soldering experience. I learned my trade in Radio/TV repairs in the 70's. Then worked on Aircraft circuitry - until retirement - and more. Still do.
 
A soldering gun heats up quickly, cools quickly, ideal for intermittent use. Iron takes a while to heat up, usually left on for bench use where repetitive soldering is being done. Irons range from huge 1/2" or so tips down to tiny micro tips, many have thermostat adjustable temperature control, guns usually 2 heat settings, trigger controlled. To find out more, visit https://diystadium.com/
 
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