I have always used a soldering iron, but was considering buying a soldering
gun. I have never used a gun. Does it operate the same? Is it easier to use or
harder? Should I stick with what I know?
I don’t want to buy the gun only to find that it is no better than the iron that I
already have. Thanks, Dave
Good Morning Dave:
I have two guns and I don’t know how many irons. The irons are used to solder wire to the track as the guns have a tendency (SP) to melt the ties before they melt the solder. But I like the guns for general wire work under the layout as they cool quickly and I don’t get burned as much. I solder ALL of my wire connections except at the terminal blocks, and have never had any trouble with any connections. I use a 25 watt iron for the track and I have an 80 watt that’s left over from my stained glass days that’s never been used on a layout. If you but a gun be sure and get a dual heat as you use the “high” to heat up fast and then solder with the “low”.
Have a blessed day and remember SANTA FE ALL THE WAY
Bob
Thanks Bob,
I’ve been looking around and they are not overly expensive, so I think I’ll get one and try
it. If I don’t like it, I can add it to my pile of other stuff that never gets used[:)] Dave
What I like about the gun is that I can set it down and leave it plugged in and not worry about it. My track record with irons (and with wood burning tools which are similar) is not so great.
Having said that I think it is a bit earier to tin an iron than the tip on a gun.
Geezer’s moment: junior high school industrial arts where we learned to solder using true irons which were heated over open gas flames, pure lead solder, and acid paste flux that looked like jelly. Thank you Mr Karman (long since deceased I am sure since he would now be about 100 years old)
Dave Nelson
most soldering guns are too big for soldering on the rails (100 -150 watts). all you need is a 40 watt iron such as a weller pencil iron. they have different tips that interchange easily . i have 3 weller 40 watt irons and have several different tips for them from 1/4" down to 1/16". they work well for soldering feeders to rails and to buss wires as well as pc boards.
What isn’t an iron doing for you that makes you consider acquiring a gun?
[#ditto]
I have a gun, but its so big and clumsy its like trying to shoot bottles off a fence with a Howitzer!
Want to spend money on something VERY handy? For about 20 bucks, (from Radio Shack) a butane powered cordless Iron, great for soldering under the layout, without dragging a cord with you!!!
[quote]
Originally posted by retsignalmtr
most soldering guns are too big for soldering on the rails (100 -150 watts). all you need is a 40 watt iron such as a weller pencil iron. they have different tips that interchange easily . i have 3 weller 40 watt irons and have several different tips for them from 1/4" down to 1/16". they work well for soldering feeders to rails and to buss wires as well as pc boards.
Not true at all. I only use a 100/140 gun to solder feeders to track and never melt a tie. And it is much much faster than using a smaller iron. It all comes down to a matter of personal preference.
It’s all technique. I use a Weller 25-watt with a chisel tip. Soldering joints and feeders on Code 80 N scale track is quick and easy. I don’t melt ties and I don’t use paste flux or heatsinks, either. [:)]
“It’s all technique,” Brett Cammack wrote, and I agree with that. However, I use a Weller heavy-duty dual-heat soldering gun for most trackwork, including building turnouts and soldering feeders disguised as spike heads to the base of the rail. The gun heats up quickly, is heavy enough to let me get in and get out quickly, and like Dave Nelson I don’t have to worry about what it might be burning when I’m doing something else. I never melt the ties, but that’s because my ties are sugar pine!
I have used the same gun when working with flextrack, though, and again the ability to heat the work quickly avoids melting ties. One key to that is to make sure the work (rails, wires, whatever) is CLEAN.
I’ve also used carbon-electrode resistance soldering tweezers on flextrack, the Triton rig sold by Micro-Mark. They can make joints almost instantly, which is great, but lugging around the separate transformer can be awkward. Hot-Tip or American Beauty resistance soldering tweezers might be even better.
So long,
Andy
I use to do a lot of detail doldering in my shipbuilding days. Yes technique is crucial but so is the amount and duration of the heat applied. Too much heat and it crumbles, then you use a heat sink and then you don’t have enough heat. I’ve got three soldering irons 25, 45 and 100 watt and a gun and what a pain. I’m seriously looking at a variable heat soldering pen. Expensive but I believe this maybe the answer to most of my woes. The nice thing about the Weller unit is it comes with it’s own work station/stand.
Regards
Fergie
Dave,
A soldering iron flattens the solder while a soldering gun shoots the solder out. . .
Just having some fun with ya’
I prefer a soldering iron becuase I can have better control applying the solder. It’s more esay to control holding an iron like a pen vs. holding a soldering gun . . .well. . . like a gun.
Good luck
Nothing.
The iron does the job just fine. I just thought that a gun might do the same
job quicker and easier. As I said, I have never used a soldering gun, so
I didn’t know if one was better than the other. Dave
i don’t know about those butane flame soldering irons. if you want cordless portability then there is a cordless rechargable soldering iron that only heats up when you push a button. it is made by wahl. i have one of them and it heats up fast and you can work under layouts with no cord. just replace it in the charger and it will always be ready.
I used an iron(45 watt Craftsman) for years, and just bought a 100 watt gun from Radio Shack a couple of months ago($13 on sale). I absolutely love it.
I find it easier to control than the iron, but the biggest thing I like about it is the speed at which it heats up and cools down. It’s ready for use within 10 seconds(unless I’m soldering something big), and cool to the touch within 2 minutes. This is especially nice when I’ m used to waiting 10 minutes for my iron to heat up, and another 20 after I’m done to put it away.
Also, I use mine frequently enough that I leave it pluged in all the time, and this saves me the hassle of having to climb onto the floor and plug an iron in.
I have used my iron about 3 times since I bought my gun, and those were only in situations where the gun was too big or put out too much power. I also still have a little 15/30 watt iron for doing electronic work, but it gets used even less frequently than the 45 watt iron. Keep in mind that I’m into 3-rail O, so a large gun is more apropriate for soldering rails than is a small iron.
i have a weller 40 watt soldering station iron that i use for everything. its great for all the train needs i have plus all the electircal crap i work on. i also have a weller gun, but use it very rarely. its bulkyer and and not as easy to use. its nice for when i go places and don’d wanna cart my whole iron stuff… aka last holloween i was useing it at a friends for a haunted house…
so yeah… i like the iron but thats just cause its what im used to from electronics. the gun may be better for lager scale track and such. i have never worked with those.
I’ve been thinking about getting an iron because I’m consistently melting ties with my Weller 140/100 W gun. And this is doing everything by the book: cleaned and tinned tip, flux applied to clean rail and feeders. Mind you, I’m in N scale and using Peco “code 55” track (code 80 embedded in the tie strip) so the plastic presumably heats up right along with the metal.
Any suggestions, or is this just the cost of doing business with this type of track?
The main point in soldering is cleaning and"tinning" the parts to be soldered. If it is not clean you are wasting your time. I have used 10lb irons on roofing but for model
railroads I use a 35W Weller pencil iron. Very fine tip for decoders. a little heavIer for rails. Small chisel point is very good. also. After tip is hot I dip in rosin and wipe on damp sponge before applying solder. I also use kesters for cleaning but WASH OFF.
KEN I’ve been soldering since 1950.
Hey fellas . For an excellent article on soldering visit the site below
Too small an iron will end up melting more ties than with a bigger iron or gun. That’s because time is a factor, and the longer it takes to heat the rail to a temperature that will melt solder, the more time heat has to travel along the rail and soften ties. That’s why a tool that can transfer heat quickly works best, and for that size matters.
And remember, if the rail isn’t getting hot enough to melt solder, you’re not soldering. When you just dab on melted solder it doesn’t make any chemical bond.
So long,
Andy.