[R-390] Suggestions for better soldering iron or techniques?

[Tisha Hayes]

Barry,
I would suggest maybe having two or three soldering irons for different
applications.

1. I have a nice Weller ESD-safe, temperature controlled station with a few
tips for through-hole mount PCB type work. This iron does most of the work
around the bench.

2. There is one of those Hakko desoldering stations with a couple of heads
and a hot-air reflow-type for surface mount components. I bought this for a
specific application (replacing audio caps and EPROMS on a bunch of
Motorola Spectra radios), used it for a few days and put it back in the
box. It is in the closet somewhere in case I ever need to do surface mount
stuff again. app

3. A giant old fashioned (but new-new) Weller gun. This has the doo-dads
like the two or three soldering elements, even a rope cutter and a few
chunks of 13 AWG nichrome wire that I put on the ends when I want to cut
PVC pipe. This is useful when soldering together a chassis or tinning
ground braid. Mostly this sits in the trunk of my car for when I am on a
job-site and need to fix some really screwed up coaxial connections.

No-one soldering iron is the perfect solution to any application. That gun
generates a tremendous amount of heat but I would never try to use it
inside a radio to do things like cap or resistor replacements. The Hakko
hot-air reflow is the opposite end of technology but is pretty much useless
for anything other than surface mount or PCB rework. The temperature
controlled iron does 90% of the work.

-- 
Ms. Tisha Hayes. AA4HA

*""In this denial of the right to participate in government, not merely the
degradation of woman and the perpetuation of a great injustice happens, but
the maiming and repudiation of one-half of the moral and intellectual power
of the government of the world." -- Fredrick Douglass"*