As if I don’t already have enough soldering irons, I am considering a pencil-thin soldering iron for circuit board purposes.
Would anyone care to offer an opinion on this Weller soldering iron?
Rich
Opinions-R-us:
Looks just fine. Be sure and check out the tip selection to make sure you’re going to be happy with them.
That said, I really like the Weller WD 1001. You can get your paw much closer to the end for much better control. Oh, yeah. It costs a bazillion dollars. Well, more like $400.
I do recommend you take your favorite model number(s) over to Amazon and check out the reviews.
Ed
I have used Weller products for many years. Right now I am using a WLC-100 Weller soldering station.
Good quality.
Amazon has 43 reviews. Go look. I generaly use Amazon for reviews and buy a lot via Amazon. Free shipping.
Rich
I still like my Xytronics soldering station. A true temp controlled station for little more than the price shown for that one iron, and tips are pletiful and avaialble in all sort of sizes, from tiny points to big slabs. And contrary to what may seem like common sense, a big chisel tip is actually better for soldering a SMD IC. I have 1/16" adn 1/32" pointed tips, I think it came with a 1/16" and I’m still using the same one 8 years since I got the thing, and it has served me well both for soldering rails together and for doing little decoder wires. I just picked up some other sizes and style tips and the last time I went to use it, I was GOING to swap tips but turned it on before I rememebred that I wanted to try another tip. Maybe next time I will remember.
I could always use a good desoldering tool so my next purchase may be the Xytronics LF-8800 solder/desolder station. It’s a bit more powerful than my existing soldering station, but unlike the idea of using a 100 watt soldering iron on decoders, it’s temperature controlled so more power really just menas it gets the heat into the joint faster, leading to less time applying the heat to a component or wire (or rail). A plain uncontrolled iron just gets hotter and hotter while powered on, if I set the station to 390 degrees it doesn;t matter if the element is 40 watts or 100 watts, the temperature is 390 degrees. The wattage just affects how big a chunk of metal I can get that heat into. I haven’t had any problem melting ties when soldering track with the existing one, but more power won;t hurt.
–Randy
Rich,
I don’t know what soldering irons you have but I use a Weller WESD51 soldering station. It has 60W (plenty of power) and an adjustable temp from 300-850F. The tips are also interchangable. So, if I want to do finer electronics work I can switch out my 1/16" wedge tip for a 1/32" and dial down the temp to 650F. For larger work I can increase the tip size and temp.
Also, with an adjustable temp soldering station, the plating on your soldering tips lasts a lot longer because they aren’t cooking at 850F all the time. This is even more problematic the smaller the tip size because the heat is concentrated more at the tip.
I think I paid $100-$125 for my WESD51 soldering station. I know that Randy really likes his Xytronics station and it would probably be 1/2 that price.
Tom
I appreciate the replies and the suggestions. Relying on the good name of Weller, I ordered the one shown in my link.
What I want it for is to work on circuit boards. In this instance, I need to make two solder bridges on a decoder (see my separate thread), so I need a thin point pencil-type soldering iron. All of my other soldering irons have larger tips, making it difficult to work on small circuit boards.
I will report back with my experience with this particular pencil-type soldering iron. It does get good reviews on Amazon.
Rich
Rich I have a WM120 that I bought about 20 years ago and it is an excellent soldering iron. The handle would get a bit too warm for my fingers if I use it for long periods, somewhere I found a small foam tube that fits the handle like it was made for it. It could very well be from Weller, things from 20 years ago are getting kinda fuzzy.
Mel
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
Thanks for that reply, Mel.
I am looking forward to receiving the soldering iron in the next few days.
Rich
I don’t know about that “good name of Weller” these days. At that price, that iron should be the better quality Weller product. But the 150 watt soldering gun I paid less than $30 at Walmart is also a “Weller”.
It hit kind of close to home because Carl Weller is from my home town. He invented the handheld soldering gun. His factory was blocks from the house I grew up in. He sold out to Cooper Industries long ago, and used the money for tons of philanthropic work in the local area - there are Weller buildings and so forth all over hospitals and schools in the area. Sure we’ve had well-know athletes and so forth (like boxer Larry Holmes) and well known people have been graduates of local colleges, but Carl Weller was a completely hometown guy.
Now under the Cooper Industries umbrella, they seem to slap the Weller name on anything and everything. It used to be universal that if it was a Weller, it was a good solid product. Now you have hits and misses. They still make some incredible top of the line professional equipment, but they also have the low end junk like the soldering gun I have. I have another old Welelr gun fromt he late 50’s/early 60’s - it weighs twice as much but heats twice as fast and still works great after years of abuse. The only reason idon;t use it is it took oen too many tumbles to the cement basement floor and there is a piece of the housing missing, exposing part of the internal transformer. Sadly gone, so I can’t just glue the broken piece back in place. Otherwise, you can still get tips for it and were it not for the broken case, I’d still be using it today. Why I bothered to go with XYtronic (besides others on here having them) is that for less than the price of the Weller unit sold by Micro-Mark (which is not a true temperature controlled iron - there’s no sensor or feedback - the WLC100 or similar, it’s variable power but not variable temp. The WES51 is a real temperature controlled station), I got a
Well, I will just hope for the best, since I ordered it, and it gets great reviews on Amazon.
I am not expecting all that much. I simply need a low wattage soldering iron with a thin tip to do some limited circuit board soldering.
Rich
I’m still trying to figure out what a ''Pencil Tin Soldering Iron" is used for…[swg]
For what it’s worth…I have been using a variable temp. 60w with changeable tips down to 1/32’', Mudder for the last 4yrs. I have all kinds of Weller’s over the yrs. and still have them, but I prefer the Mudder, just a little fatter than a pencil…more like a ink pen. I believe now-a-days, Your just paying for the Weller name…but that is just My opinion of course…
Good Luck on Your purchase! [:D]
Frank
This should be good for decoder and PC board soldering. Proper preparation is needed with any soldering jobs.
Many years ago I used the Princess soldering pencil for light weight soldering. Finally burned it out.
Rich
Cute, Frank.
Sorry for the typo, I have now edited it out of the title to this thread.
Thanks, Rich, nice to get a supportive statement.
Rich
Jimmy Buffett approves of this soldering iron…
[tup]
Make sure to wear your two-tone Ricky Ricardo jacket when using it [:D]
I wish I understood the last two replies…but I don’t.
Rich
Randy
A little digging on the Bay or elsewhere on line should be able to put you in touch with someone that has Weller soldering gun housings for sale. They make two sizes I’m aware of, one for the smaller gun and one that fits several larger ones. They are a much better material than the original
I got my Weller #WM120 in the mail yesterday and tested it this morning.
Great little soldering iron and it worked like a charm.
Rich