Buying my first soldering station

[J Keaton]

I recommend a better helping hands setup than shown in the kit in the OP photo. I have completed many soldering projects using those but recently found a much better setup. The brand for the one I just used is Nakoos but there are other similar brands. it is more about having the moveable gooseneck alligator clips with plastic coating to protect wires, heavy platform, and little magnetic pin things to support the soldering project. Lighted gooseneck magnifier awesome too. Just completed my last project and it was so much better.

 

[richardbruce]

So I decided to learn how to swap pickups, pots, selectors etc. I have neither equipment nor the knowledge of how to do these things, but I want to learn. I wonder if this is a good soldering station:

View attachment 632436





Is 48 watts enough?

More than enough

 

[mattier303]

The one thing you need I do not see is a way to keep the iron tips clean. Forget wet sponges. Brass wool and a container like this are perfect.

Clean and tin the iron tip before each solder joint with that leaded solder. A clean shiny tip is essential. Clean and tin when finished too.


View attachment 633549

This

 

[mattier303]

Is that 550€ soldiering station! Damn yeah that’ll work. Also the blueish green ones , forget the name but those are pretty well respected And used often.

 

[Jim Havins]

save your self a lot of aggrivation and just buy a Weller soldering gun instead of these irons that take 5 to 10 minutes to heat up and then burn up if left on...you'l have heat in 6 seconds or less and it will last a long time. I've had my gun since the late 1960's.....

 

[mattier303]

That’s one I’m thinking of. Weller blueish green right.

save your self a lot of aggrivation and just buy a Weller soldering gun instead of these irons that take 5 to 10 minutes to heat up and then burn up if left on...you'l have heat in 6 seconds or less and it will last a long time. I've had my gun since the late 1960's..

 

[erobillard]

For anyone arriving here as a reference. By "sponge" is meant a cellulose sponge, you can get them in wee 2" chips at an electronics supplier, or far cheaper if they stock cellulose dish wipes at your local dollar store. Cellulose doesn't melt like what many think of by the word "sponge," and natural sponges aren't the thing either. And then go get one of those brass jobs instead. One day you might find a need to use a sponge during really fine work, you'll have moved from wiring axes to SMD components, and if or when you do, you'll also know why. For now you can find brass wire, er, sponges(?) at the dollar store too, usually not far off from the cellulose pads.

While you're working clean with the brassy. When you're done for the day put a blob of solder on the tip and put it away like that. Leave it dry or with a thin coat and you'll corrode the tip faster over time. Next time you start up, let the tip heat and then clean that blob off on your brassy, maybe give it a quick fresh coat, clean again and you're off to the circuit races.

 

[Caffiend]

Yep, sponges are not junk. Damp kitchen towel on a saucer works just fine too. The brass wire stuff is a nice to have but not a universal solution. If budget conscious you can buy pads of it in supermarkets for washing dishes (also useful for wood working)

Soldering is basically a specific style of welding. As with welding, both sides of the joint need heating equally as does the solder. Pretty much any soldering iron will work for small joints, it's as the items being joined become bigger that higher wattage becomes essential - pot backs and brass grounding plates are the usual suspects. Bad joints will sound crackly and fall apart. As above elsewhere, excess heat can destroy components but different items have different tolerances. It can be worth having a variety of tips but it's overkill for most. A chisel tip is a good universal option for infrequent use.

 

[mikrr43]

Hi! Congrats on buying a quality soldering station! It makes all the difference, but be sure to buy good solder. In terms of a soldering station, I live and die by my Hakko FX888. Love it. Also, make sure you have some mechanism to hold pieces in place while you solder. You have to keep the pieces in strong physical contact. Once I realized this, I never once had a problem with soldering onto the back of a pot or tremolo claw. Good luck!

Hakko FX888 is the best