# Soldering tools..



## flyerrich (Feb 17, 2014)

What do you members recommend for soldering irons/tools. I am looking to replace a couple of old irons that are not working well anymore and can't get replacement tips. Looking for maybe a soldering station that has capability for the usual modelling work as well as soldering the 20's gage wires for led lights etc.
Thanks


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

*Hakko FX888D-23BY Digital Soldering Station*


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## rsv1ho (Oct 16, 2019)

Being the nosey guy I am, I had to look it up. Pricey but probably worth it.










I have gone through many small and large soldering irons in the past but i always return to my old and reliable Weller 100/140 watt soldering gun. Good for attaching 22 gage to terminals but not so good for printed circuits. Takes experience and a proper_ touch_ to do it right though.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

Resistance Soldering Unit


DetailsHigh Performance Resistance Soldering Unit at an Affordable Price Heating is instantaneous and confined to the solder connectionMakes a more professional joint than traditional solderingA Micro-Mark ExclusiveFootswitch allows “cold fixture” and a free hand to operate safelySoldering...




www.micromark.com





Check out the video.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Beware of resistance soldering with electronics, it's very easy to fry components. Resistance soldering is great for doing stuff like brass locomotives, far superior to a regular iron. However, for electronics, resistance soldering is not a good idea.

For general wiring and circuit boards, the Hakko FX-888D is a top quality unit and you won't be sorry if you go that way.


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

Soldering stations are great for benchwork, but wait until you need to drag it around on and under the layout for soldering rail, buss connections, turnout control, lighting, signaling and such.

A 35 watt pencil iron, desoldering braid, and a roll of 60/40 rosin core solder has served me well for years.


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## Stumpy (Mar 19, 2013)

MichaelE said:


> Soldering stations are great for benchwork, but wait until you need to drag it around on and under the layout for soldering rail, buss connections, turnout control, lighting, signaling and such.


Point. Same with the RSU transformer. And depressing the foot pedal while sitting cross-legged under the layout was a challenge. But, as with everything, there is a trade-off. Once in position, soldering the joint takes 2-3 seconds.


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## LateStarter (Mar 12, 2016)

Got the Hakko, but I still use the old Weller a lot... especially under benchwork.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

For working at the workbench, I have a Weller WLC100 soldering station. Weller WLC100 40 Watt Soldering Station (parts-express.com) 
For use on the layout I have a Wall Lenk L40 soldering iron. Wall Lenk® 40-Watt Soldering Iron at Menards® 
Yes, I know the soldering iron is detachable from the Weller soldering station.
For the really heavy duty soldering I have a Weller 100/140 watt soldering gun. Not ideal for DCC installs, though.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

One of the nice things about the *Hakko* is that its small size means its easily transported to the job site!


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## Andreash (Dec 30, 2018)

I highly recommend tip tinner......available on Amazon. After heating up your soldering tool, dip the tip in this,keeps its clean, and prolongs the tip life. I always dip in the tinner as well when I finish.....


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## Spruslayer (Dec 13, 2020)

Lemonhawk said:


> *Hakko FX888D-23BY Digital Soldering Station*


this one won't disappoint you
I've had this one for several years now,heats up fast and replacement tips and part are available
be aware that counterfeits are out their if that makes a difference to you
when I bought mine they were between 90 and 100 dollars but I found one on Amazon for about 70 delivered
it came in a branded box but had no instructions. I found the instructions online and discovered all the factory settings were different but it functioned just like the the instructions showed so I suspect mine is not the real Hakko brand.
To this day it has performed flawlessly with no issues.
🚂🚂


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## rsv1ho (Oct 16, 2019)

flyboy2610 said:


> For the really heavy duty soldering I have a Weller 100/140 watt soldering gun. Not ideal for DCC installs, though.


Not long ago I bought my Son a new Weller soldering gun, thought I should have a back-up to my old Weller so I bought one for me too. Got it home and discovered that for some reason Weller had swapped the trigger functions from 100 watts, first click to 140. After many years using the original I found that I never could get used to it, so it gets very little use. To me it's just logical that the max wattage function should be at full trigger pull. 140/100 just is counterintuitive for me.


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## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Mine is like the one in the second pic, 140 watts first position, 100 watts second. Why it's done that way I don't know, but I'm used to it.


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Strange, you would normally think full trigger pull would be full power -- just like my electric drill. My guess -- it made it cheaper to build in some strange fashion. I have a Weller gun that I, ive had since 1960 and its still working.


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## 65446 (Sep 22, 2018)

I believe we hit this point (pun not intended) many moons ago..
Soldering small areas such as circuit boards, rail joiners, et al should be done with the pen type, like in post #3.. Why ? Aside from the sharp point it has, it's always at its max heat. These make the job real quick. Why ? So that other soldered things aren't un-soldered near it or plastics, like cross ties aren't melted. 
A gun type, like in post #13 takes a few seconds to get there which can loosen other joints, plus the weight of the gun is kind of exhausting..The gun type should be reserved for heavy work like 110-220v wiring in walls and such, not tiny model train jobs .. I own a Weller too. But I use the pen for trains.


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## rsv1ho (Oct 16, 2019)

I replace old worn wiring a lot on the old dumpy locomotives that I buy. At first I tried using my pencil tips, quickly gave up on that. By the time they heated the joint the whole joint loosened. Now I just heat up my old Weller, put a drop solder under the tip and tap the tinned joint and applied wire just long enough to avoid a cold joint. As I said, takes a learned touch.










But you betcha, for fine printed circuit work my Weller gun gets left on the bench.


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## 65446 (Sep 22, 2018)

*rsv1ho*, 10-4 !
Obviously you're one of the old hold-outs to remain in analog, DC..Takes a brave soul to do that !!
Incidentally I believe my old TYCO 0-4-0 with the slant back tender is same as what I see here. It has not run since my childhood in the 1950s !! Today I am DCC/Sound, NCE control. But I was there til about 8-10 years ago and loved that, too !! *M*


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I have the old original Weller 100/140 gun, it has the far superior nuts on the tips, rather than the lame setscrews! I've had mine for probably 25-30 years, still going strong. It also has the much more logical 100/140 power progression with the trigger.


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## MitchR (Sep 27, 2020)

rsv1ho said:


> Not long ago I bought my Son a new Weller soldering gun, thought I should have a back-up to my old Weller so I bought one for me too. Got it home and discovered that for some reason Weller had swapped the trigger functions from 100 watts, first click to 140. After many years using the original I found that I never could get used to it, so it gets very little use. To me it's just logical that the max wattage function should be at full trigger pull. 140/100 just is counterintuitive for me.
> 
> View attachment 554330
> 
> ...


Yeah, like flooring the pedal to make the car go slower 🤣


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## scenicsRme (Aug 19, 2020)

My suggestion would be for a lot of high precision work I'd go for the* Weller WE 1010 NA* Top shelf unit <120.00 on Amazon. 70W for quick heat up and recovery, set and read out the exact tip temperature in C or F. Has an acellerometer in the handle so sleep time can be set to save burned up tips, fine German engineering, American company has been around a long time, so I expect to be able to get parts for it as long as I own mine. 
For someone on a tight budget, occasional hobbyist, then the *Weller WLC 100* is the unit to buy for <35.00 IMHO. 40W iron for quick heat up, not as fancy as it's big brother, but still adjustable for less heat and will hold set temperature very well. Same long term company, parts availability.


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## Rich1853 (Jun 25, 2018)

flyerrich said:


> What do you members recommend for soldering irons/tools. I am looking to replace a couple of old irons that are not working well anymore and can't get replacement tips. Looking for maybe a soldering station that has capability for the usual modelling work as well as soldering the 20's gage wires for led lights etc.
> Thanks


I purchased this brand new Velleman 48W VTSS4NU from my local surplus electronics store. It works great with my TT trains, harness making and point to point wiring in guitar tube amplifiers.
It can be purchased on Amazon with additional tools. Here is the cheapest price that I found





Adjustable Soldering Station 48W







www.bananarobotics.com


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## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

It works very great, huh?


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