good soldering iron for ignition wires

It runs just a little higher than the Weller station I was looking at. But if it can really do the heavy gauge ignition wires without having to hold it on them for 20+ minutes then I wouldn't mind spending a little extra. The only downside is that I'm screwed if I ever run out of the butane unless I also pick up a corded iron.Kenny

Owner / Technician

KKD Garage LLC

Albany, NY 12205

Come on Kenny, bet you have spare Stanley knives, Philips and Torx bits don't you? Weller etc. purified butane in a can about $5, heck even the UK equivalent to Radio Shack carries them.

the problem you have with the weller station not heating up is because the connector that goes to the pen gets loose over time and the contacts wear out. i think you can replace just the cord and have it working like new. otherwise i use a big radio shack gun, 250W on high i think and 120W on low, makes short work of heavy ignition wires.

Do you know the model of that radio shack gun? Kenny

Owner / Technician

KKD Garage LLC

Albany, NY 12205

For the handfull of installs I've done, I've used my Napa 80w chisle tip soldering iron I bought for $40. It's nearly identical to the Weller SP80L. It heats up 12ga ignition wires quick and easily. No more melting the insulation off ignition wires before the copper gets hot enough to flow the solder. :-) For all the smaller wires(18-22ga) i use a cheap-o Wal-mart 40w iron.

Since I will likely be doing some sensitive soldering, I opted to go with a radio shack digital adjustable station. It was a little pricey, but the easy adjustability will make it extremely useful. I tested it out at about 3/4 power 700*f) and it had no problem with ignition wires.Kenny

Owner / Technician

KKD Garage LLC

Albany, NY 12205