# Soldering



## GreenLightPC (Jul 14, 2011)

Hello everybody,

I was not too sure where to ask this question as it is not related entirely to computers however it does have uses in computer hardware. As you can see fromt he title, it is regarding soldering.

I have never soldered for any real task before and as yet do not won my own soldering iron.

I am looking to do a couple of basic things involving soldering and therefore I need my first iron. What would you suggest I look for? I have noticed many different wattages, is there any specific wattage that would be best for a "nooby" like myself?

Ideally, I would not like to spend much on this at all as I will not use to too often, i am using it mainly to learn.

These are ones I have currently found, the prices look ok to me, however, I do not just want to buy the cheapest one becuase of it's price, it may turn out to be pathetic and pretty useless to me... http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb...eywords=soldering+iron&sprefix=soldering+iron


Are there any decent ones on that page?


Thank you for reading and I hope I have not put this in an inappropiate section.

GreenLightPC


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## octaneman (May 13, 2009)

Greenlight, 


Choosing the right soldering iron depends on the type of electronics work you plan to do. For example : Prototyping would require you to have a good quality soldering iron that will maintain a constant heat level because of the amount of components used. If you plan to do some hobby work every now an then, a soldering gun IMHO is your best way to go. Soldering guns are very durable, last a very long time and come with multiple tips depending on the model. Weller soldering irons are the best in the business , the company has excellent support and they give a decent warranty on all their gear. 


I personally use Weller model WES51


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## GreenLightPC (Jul 14, 2011)

Thank you so much for the great response to my question. Will the wattage of different irons be an issue?


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## octaneman (May 13, 2009)

The different wattages depend on what type of components are being soldered together. For example: If you plan on soldering metal-on-metal with high grade flux, then a high wattage iron will be your tool of choice. For more delicate work like surface mount components where the PCB traces are super fine, an iron with an adjustable heat range is best suited for the job.



Soldering Guns


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## Done_Fishin (Oct 10, 2006)

Soldering Irons come in various wattages and should be chosen according to the type of work you expect to do .

A soldering pistol for example usually comes in the 100 watt range and unless you are going to solder some heavy duty items is way too hot for most "soldering jobs" although it does give versatility u

for soldering components 35W to 50W is normally more than enough .. the weller above is 50 W but also comes in a version that plugs direct to the mains .. i

there are some very cheap irons around that may be of use to you and can be found in the hobby shops .. wouldn't advise leaving them on for too long though .. let them cool down after an hour or so .. one that I left on failed after a few hours when I ws at a service call.


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