Solder and soldering irons?

Hi,

Just wanted recommendations of the best type of solder to use for alarm instals.

Also what type of soldering irons do you use? I started by using a mains electric irom but had to use extension leads to use in the vehicle.

I then invested in a gas soldering iron by Iroda but this was extremely hard to use by a novice like me.

I then bought a battery soldering Iron whic used 3xAA batteries but they didn't last long.

I'm thinking of buying a 12v car soldering iron to plug into the cigarette lighter or one with battery clips.

Advice on wattage, brands to go for etc. would be a help.

Thanks

the Master & Weller butane units are the best... the get good and hot quickly and go anywhere....

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Kevin Gerry
Certified Electronics Technician
MECP First Class Installer

Owner/Installer
Classic Car Audio
since 1979

i use a gas iron one thing you have to watch out for is where you have the exhaust ports pointed.

mains you need an extension lead.

12V you draining the battery while car is off.

they all have there good and bad points.

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Why oh Why didn't i take the blue pill
Darren Power

Do not buy a soldering iron just for the 12V. Buy a good one, 120V, and purchase a Mobil Power unit, DC 12V to 120V, 50W that plugs into your cigarette lighter, they small and are cheap. Now you can use the Soldering iron, Laptop, or anything else you wish in the car. I use mine for the kids using the laptop in the car on trips and when we loose electrical power at home to run the Refrigerator or TV in an emergency, I use an extension cord from the car to the house.

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Knowledge is Indisputable, Opinions are Subjective.

Snap On makes a cordless, 20 minutes constant heating time and rechargable, though i never tried it you can plug it into the wall.. But in the shop i use a sodder gun, especally since i broke my hand, and have a hard cast on my dominant hand.

Yep, the Weller butane iron I got works really nicely- the piezo ignition is really handy; one handed start, so you can start and stop easily. Heats up very quickly, so you can just shut down in between prep time for the connections. The cap is heat resistant, so you can put it back on right after shutting off to avoid carpet meltdown.

Plus, it makes a cool rising pitch whine as you start it up that you just won't get with anything else- fun!

I suppose the only drawback may be that it may not fire up easily in really cold temperatures, if you're frequently inclined to work in that environment- otherwise, it's the handiest thing for mobile applications.

Blue point hands down, not the cheap red one either. Heats up quicker then any other and lasts a very long time between fill ups.

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Certified Security Specialist
Always check info with a digital multimeter.
I promise to be good.
Tell Darwin I sent you.

I've been sick lately, sorry I won't be on much.

do you have the model number of the blue point Iron. I have always used weller guns but might give the snap on one a shot.

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double-secret reverse-osmosis speaker-cone-induced high-level interference distortion, Its a killer

from what i remember the bluepoint is the same as the gascat/iroda units.

Ravendarat wrote:

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do you have the model number of the blue point Iron. I have always used weller guns but might give the snap on one a shot.

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YAKS32 for the kit, I don't recommend.

YAS32 for the iron itself, much better price and you don't pay for all the tips you will never use

My current iron has lasted for 3 1/2 years now. The key is not to use sub par butane, that is what destroys them. On the current iron I have only gone through 3 replacement tips which even off of the truck are $12.

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Certified Security Specialist
Always check info with a digital multimeter.
I promise to be good.
Tell Darwin I sent you.

I've been sick lately, sorry I won't be on much.

https://www.antex.co.uk/cgi-bin/htmlprint.cgi?1479116747-51474&gasironsfs.htm

same irons but cheaper :)

Antex are the manufacturers. The part number of the larger iron is Gascat 120P. Companies like maplins(radio shack) used to do them.

https://www.netbridgeonline.com/index.php/view/prod/id/xg12pkt

$99.99

Lots of butane based suggestions; the one I currently have is: The iroda SolderPRO 50
https://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=34956&doy=8m1

Anyone using a battery based soldering iron? I have this one, also by iroda:

https://www.pro-iroda.com.tw/en/show_products.php?p_id=6

Anyone using a rechargeable battery iron?

Also what's the best type of solder to use?

Thanks

what kind of problems are you having with your iroda?

Standard 60/40 solder is fine and you generally don't need the really thin stuff for installation work, unless you start going into component repair.
60/40 0.031" solder

Well the iroda gas iron I've got is fine but the battery one doesn't seem to get that hot at all even with Duracell Alkaline batteries.

Perhaps because I'm a novice I'm having trouble.

When soldering two wires I twist the bare ends together and solder. Sometimes I have trouble getting the solder to adhere to the wires, also it takes a while to melt the solder if put on a lower setting. If I put the soldering iron on high setting the wire insullation starts to melt

Perhaps I'm using the wrong type of solder? or maybe my technique is flawed?

Advice would be great, thanks.

Are you using rosin core solder? It should have the flux inside the solder, which removes any surface oxidation from the wires and allows the solder to adhere properly. If you've got solid wire with no flux, you should get some flux separately. Without flux on oxidized wires, the solder may ball up and just drop off without flowing into the joint like it's supposed to.

Make sure your tip is not all oxidized, which will interfere with the heat transfer. Apply a small amount of solder to the heated tip so it's coated. Don't let it overheat and oxidize, if it does, you should clean and recondition the tip with a coating of solder.

Heat the joint and apply the solder to the joint, rather than try to melt the solder with the iron and blob it on, that's what makes cold solder joints.

Make sure the wires you're trying to splice are clean and free of oxidation; if they're really bad, you should try to scrape the surface clean before soldering. It's much easier with bright and shiny wires, freshly stripped is usually best.
Unless the wires are really heavy gauge, it should only take a couple seconds to do with a properly heated iron.

Never tried the battery operated iron, but have you tried nicads in it? They can deliver a lot more current than alkalines, which may be what it needs for better operation.

Thank you for the advice.

I think the solder is the type without flux.

Also my tip looks a bit rough too and perhaps needs a clean. Is it sufficient to heat the iron up and wipe on the solder stand sponge and then re-tip with a little solder?

Or do I need to use something more abrasive to clean it like a file, wire wool etc?

Also is it better to use solder with silver in, as it has a lower melting point?

I do have to solder some heavy guage wire for my electric window module I think the wire is rated at 30amp...any advice for thicker wires?

Thanks.

You should get rosin core solder, easier to deal with than separate flux.

I'd try the sponge to try to clean and retin the tip first; if that doesn't work, then you can try the more agressive methods. Get some flux first and dip the tip in to help get the oxidation off. Rosin flux approved for electronics use, not the acid flux they use for plumbing- that stuff's too corrosive..

Silver solder usually has a higher melting point, so I'd stick with the standard Tin/Lead 60%/40% mix, or maybe 63/37, which has a slightly lower temp of 361 deg.

Thicker wires, more heat. If it's really, really heavy wires, you can get one of those Weller soldering guns. They heat up in a jiffy, but they're not recommended for sensitive electronics and unwieldy, if you're hanging upside down under a dashboard or something. Still comes handy at times though-

I've got a 120v SnapOn. For $72, it gets the job done. Lifetime warranty too (I wonder if it covers the tips also??). https://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=all&item_ID=13907&group_ID=785&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

it wouldn't cover the tips

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Why oh Why didn't i take the blue pill
Darren Power