[Milsurplus] OT A BIT....What Do You Solder With?

[antqradio at sbcglobal.net]

I use an old Weller TCP iron that must be at least 40 years old.  Like Washington's ax. I have replaced the heating element at least twice and perhaps the barrel once.  Have plenty of replacement tips but they seem to last forever.  Every so often I pick up a used one at a Hamfest for not much money.
I have had some of the no name desoldering stations but they do not hold up over time.  Always have gone back to the old Weller.Jim

      From: Bob Camp <kb8tq at n1k.org>
 To: Don Merz <n3rht at yahoo.com> 
Cc: MilSurplus QSLNet <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
 Sent: Thursday, July 7, 2016 10:05 AM
 Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] OT A BIT....What Do You Solder With?
   
Hi

Metcal irons are great, just be aware of the cost of the tips before you get into owning one. Each time you change temperatures, you 
switch out a tip. That may not be a big deal doing work on boat anchors. It can get a bit crazy when playing with SMT boards and 
high temperature / no lead solder. 

The common alternatives are Hakko (established and a bit expensive)  and JBC (the new kid on the block, not quite as expensive). Both
alternatives give you some sort of knob to adjust the temperature with and tips that are somewhat less expensive. There are an ocean of
others on the market. Many of them are clones of the Hakko irons. 

I have Metcal and Hakko irons running around here (along with a few other brands like Pace and Weller). The Metcal is the first one I grab.
I got them all on the cheap / surplus. I’m not sure what I would buy if I had to pay full price. 

Bob


> On Jul 7, 2016, at 10:45 AM, Don Merz via Milsurplus <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
> 
> Seems a simple question. Maybe not. 
> 
> I recently became disenchanted with my old Tenma soldering station. I also have a box of all the usual old soldering irons and such I could use (but don't). I started thinking that maybe for the next 10 years I should just buy something good and be done with it. 
> 
> A friend of mine swears by the Metcal soldering stations. They are not cheap, but maybe a good investment. 
> 
> What do you use that you like?
> 
> 73, Don Merz, N3RHT
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