I want to re-flow the leads on my instrument cluster, and will not be using the soldering iron for anything else. I don't mind buying used if that's a better deal.
Any ideas - what should I look for?
Any ideas - what should I look for?
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"If the sky were to fall tomorrow, the tall would die first."
-Dr. Paul Forrester
Do I LOOK like I need a psychological evaluation??? -
You can get a Radio Shack 30W iron with a pencil point tip, and it will do the job just fine. Soldering is about technique (realizing if the joint is cold or not (good ones are shiny), and getting good wetting) and dexterity (accurately placing the iron where it needs to go).
It should run around $10. When you get an iron, you must season the tip. Don't just start using it out of the box. You can season it by melting a whole bunch of solder onto the tip until it starts wetting the surface when you push solder into it. If it just beads up, it's not ready, or hasn't reached temperature yet. You might want to get a soldering iron stand. It prevents you from burning your house down when you set the iron down and it falls on the floor.
Radio Shack used to carry this solder called "High Tech Solder", which was a 63/37 solder. This is probably the easiest solder metallurgy to use, so if you're hunting around and wondering what solder to get, get a 63/37 flux core solder. For a circuit board, .022" diameter solder should work fine.
If you want a temperature controlled unit that makes this a bit easier, it will cost many, many times more. If you can find a Hakko 936, that is pretty much an entry level soldering station. It is around $75.
Originally posted by whysimon
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