Reason i ask is i use a Weller one that just plugs in the wall, but honestly these are pretty rubbish because they always oxidize No matter how much i clean the tip and wipe it down and tin it with fresh solder it still oxidizes a bit and then it's a bear trying to get the solder to flow quickly on a new joint. A real pain.

Anyway everyone i see doing a lot of soldering work is using a temperature controlled iron with the adjustable dial for the temp. I read that this is the big problem with the iron you plug in the wall that has no temp adjust knob, they tend to go too hot and this then tends to oxidize the iron whereas the adjustable one senses how hot it needs to be and adjusts.

Any thoughts from anyone?

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Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

hi gary , i use one of the maplin solder stations , never had any probs with it mate , cheers
Alan

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Me too, for £10 it does the job. We have a similar set-up in school as well.
I used to have one of the gun shaped ones, which was only hot when you held down a button. I found it a bit too bulky.

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Rated "M" for meaty.

Thanks folks, is it temp controlled though? like this-:

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Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

This vintage one from the 50s or 60s I found in my shed.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

It still works?

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Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

Yes, in fact, here it is

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

Well that's quality right there whoever made that should be commended. That's what i like hearing about; top quality stuff that lasts, not this use it a few times and then it stops working and you have to throw it away

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Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

Judging by the very, very, faded logo on the handle, it's a Craftsman. I can't find any info on it, and there are no other pictures of it on the internet.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

Well look after it well because tools like that, that last that long and still do a good job are rare indeed Buxom.

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Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

I wouldn't plan on selling it. It's probably been in my family since new. My grandpa left a lot of cool things behind when he died. I'm guessing this was one of them. I still want the machete he used in Vietnam I doubt I'll ever even get to see it though.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

Soldering is pretty easy. It's more of a patience thing, with letting the iron get hot, and then applying enough pressure to the metal to get it to cut and melt at the same time, at least for me it is.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

It's a good skill to have under your belt and indispensable for experimenting with different pickup's and amp parts etc. The top quality one's are quite expensive but they make the job much easier so they say 'cos the iron is always at the perfect temp and they heat up much quicker as well. With a rubbish iron it is much harder work and you're more likely to get cold solder joints.

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Luck won't do it and ignorance can't

George Van Eps.

I use Weller and Wen and one I bought at Radio Shack that I keep in my "GO" bag. They were all pretty cheap. The TYPE solder you use is important also. I use Silver Solder. Soldering is a valuable skill and pretty easy to learn. Like painting though, not everyone is good at it. There is no substitute for experience so PRACTICE. I have a collection of links on my website about how to do it correctly. You can view it here as the last section of the page: http://brotherdave.com/add_maint.htm

I have four or five of the things hanging around of varying wattages, but probably the best thing I ever bought to stuff in my gig bag was an Iroda Solderpro 120 gas powered iron - it has paid for itself many, many times over by turning onstage equipment disasters into rescued shows!

Distinctly remember one show in particular which had a perfectly timed drum solo just after the keyboards died - the audience got the added entertainment of me and the keyboard player attacking his rig with screwdrivers and solder to fix an output jack which had died, getting it all back together and working just in time for the cue to all come back in.