Online Solder Iron Shopping: What You Need to Know

[|)a\/1d]

Does anyone know a online store I can purchase a solder iron from? i need one at my house and my schools not letting me take one home. How much are they anyway?

 

[DaveC426913]

Your local electronics store (Radio Shack, whatever) will have one as cheap as 10 bucks.

 

[berkeman]

Digikey: http://www.digikey.com/scripts/DkSearch/dksus.dll?Cat=1310841;keywords=soldering iron

Jameco: http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/st...1&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&categoryId=602040

Metcal: http://www.metcal.com/

Digikey and Jameco have basic units and moderately nice units. I'd recommend getting something with a stand and a sponge holder at least. If you do a lot of soldering, the Metcal unit is awesome. It uses RF heating and feedback to keep the tip hot and steady in temperature, even with a widely varying load (like soldering small stuff and then something big...that's hard to do with a standard Curie-point regulated tip like the cheaper irons.

BTW, you should consider setting up a fan of some sort to pull the solder smoke away from you. Solder smoke is not good for your lungs. At work, our rework solder stations are in front of a hood exhaust setup to pull the smoke away from the operators.

 

[Corneo]

BTW, you should consider setting up a fan of some sort to pull the solder smoke away from you. Solder smoke is not good for your lungs. At work, our rework solder stations are in front of a hood exhaust setup to pull the smoke away from the operators.

I do a little surface mount soldering and the circuit is under a microscope away from my nose. But I have met a technician that said at his previous job he got lead poisoning from soldering. So be safe!

 

[berkeman]

Way back in the olden days, I just got in the habit of blowing gently while I soldered, to keep the solder smoke out of my face. Then later, I got this small fan unit to put behind what I was soldering, to pull the solder smoke away from me:

http://www.hakko.com/english/products/hakko_493.html

And now we have the exhaust hood where I work now. Yeah, avoid that lead-laced smoke however you can. I don't know about the "lead poisoning" that the tech is complaining about, but lung cancer and other bad things can happen if you don't avoid inhaling lots os solder smoke, IMO.

 

[DaveC426913]

There are also lead-free solders, are there not?

I think it may be moot, since I suspect |)a\/1d is going to burn his house to the foundations with a jerry-rigged military laser long before he gets cancer.

 

[arthur92710]

radio shack is the best place to get them. 15-20watts for like 7.99. and no shipping like for the online stores.

 

[Mr_Bojingles]

In Canada they have decent soldering kits and irons in Source. They have all sorts of electronics components and tools too.