Soldering Irons

[AndyXO]

Can anyone give recommendations on purchasing soldering irons?

 

  I am starting to build a model of the USS Constitution and the directions state that a soldering iron will be needed.  thanks much.

[Oldsalt1950]

Weller makes a good soldering iron. Get one with a chisel tip. 30 watts should do the job easily. You will also need to think about solder and flux. This is where things get more interesting. Try to avoid acid fluxes. Trix makes a good low melting point solder and compatible flux that should meet your requirements. If you haven't soldered before, the trick is to keep a clean tip, meaning no contaminants and not over heated. Be sure and keep the tip "tinned" meaning a thin coat of solder on it. If the tip starts getting black wipe it clean on a damp sponge or paper towel and re-tin. 

[kurtvd19]

Also the parts need to be clean.  No rust, scale, dirt, oil, etc.

[mtaylor]

I'm curious as not having built that kit... what is the soldering iron used for during the build?  

[Roger Pellett]

When cordless soldering irons first came on the market I thought “that’s the height of stupidity, how could one produce enough heat to work?”

 

When I resumed work on my Benjamin Noble Lake Freighter Model after a several year hiatus, I decided to “tool up” with new soldering equipment as virtually everything above the basic hull is soldered brass.  Materials include brass wire, tubing, structural shapes, machined parts, and sheet.  I bought a conventional 40 watt chisel point soldering iron, a new propane torch, and even rigged up a homemade resistance soldering unit.  

 

I also decided to buy a cordless soldering iron figuring that it might be useful for soldering tiny parts.  It is a Weller unit that heats to 950F.  See photo below.  Long story short, so far it is virtually the only piece of equipment that I have used.  For work that we do, I have come to believe that the iron’s tip temperature is often more important than the wattage rating.  An iron that heats a small spot quickly avoids melting adjacent soldered joints.

 

I also recommend a bottle of Bakers Fluid liquid flux and some very fine solder.  The wire that I have been using has a diameter of only .020in, about .25mm.

 

Edited May 24, 2022 by Roger Pellett

[Nirvana]

Pretty steep price for the Weller unit but may be worth the investment.
Soldering is part of ship modeling.

 

[CPDDET]

I have begun using solder paste. It enables one to carefully place minute amounts of solder on the work piece. With a low flow temp, it flows almost immediately. I'm using a HAKKO soldering station which allow me to set the temp of the iron.