New Soldering Iron

[rgand]

My soldering iron of 50 years has gone belly up. I've re-read the thread, Preferred Soldering Iron and see several good ones mentioned.

I have this American Beauty in mind. I want a soldering iron that heats up and holds heat for soldering. Any input on this one before I lay down the money for it?

 

[ghotiphry]

I do not regret buying my American Beauty.  Never, ever.  I would buy one again in a heartbeat.

Edit:  Funny thing, I said the exact same words about it in January 2017.  Yes, I still love mine.  I would recommend getting the replacement tip that Cagey originally recommended, this one: https://americanbeautytools.com/Soldering-Tips/54/tech  Also, the body of the iron is a bit larger than some, you may need a new stand.  The one I posted later in that thread worked great for me, and still does.

 

[rgand]

Thanks for the reply on this, ghotiphry. How does that tip differ from the one in it? The #701 looks like it might be a smaller diameter at the business end.

 

[spe111]

You should be able to buy as many tips as you want in various shapes. I'd probably have a big one and a small one. I've never used wattage that high, as long as it's not too hot it should be fine. 

I mostly use a radio shack branded weller that's switchable between 20 and 40 watts. When the tips get too mangled up I just fix it with a bench grinder. 

 

[rgand]

That's how I've been keeping mine going all these years. The other day, though, it wouldn't heat up properly and I had to hold the tip on things much longer than I like. I don't like to see insulation start to pull back before a wire gets soldered. I want a hot tip so I can get the job done and get off the parts before things heat up unnecessarily. On my last build (Roadhouse) I had to toss a few wires and start again due to a lack of proper heat transfer.

I think I've gotten my money's worth out of my old one by now. I have two others but they are more for light duty work and not suitable for this type of wiring. It's time to get a new one.

 

[ghotiphry]

It took me a bit to get used to it, and I did fry a couple of pots.  I had to re-learn the technique.  And yes, get on, get off is the technique.

Yeah, I preferred the smaller width screwdriver tip.

 

[rgand]

Thanks. I'll give one of those a try.

 

[Toulouse_Tuhles]

I like PACE soldering stations

 

[rgand]

Thanks. I am leaning toward the American Beauty, though.

 

[rgand]

Just a quick follow-up here. I got the American Beauty I linked to in the first post. 60W, 1/4" screwdriver tip. It works great. It took a little getting used to since it works so much better than my old one. I did trash a couple of those little push on/off switches until I got the knack of it. I put a cover on a humbucker the other evening and the thing worked so quickly nothing got overheated. I'm pleased.

 

[bagman67]

Nice work, Robert.  Glad the new tool is working out for you.

 

[rgand]

Thanks, Ian. It was a good purchase, long overdue.

 

[Rick]

It does a neat job.  The right tools make such a difference

 

[rgand]

They sure do, don't they?

 

[Cagey]

I think a lotta people get put off by the price of the things. Seems kinda stiff for something as simple as a pencil-type soldering iron. But, they're very satisfying little rascals. Get past a couple/few jobs that used to frustrate you, and you're all in.

 

[rgand]

I think a lotta people get put off by the price of the things. Seems kinda stiff for something as simple as a pencil-type soldering iron. But, they're very satisfying little rascals. Get past a couple/few jobs that used to frustrate you, and you're all in.

A couple decades ago my old one worked like that. Recently it started pooping out, though. I expect this one will outlast me. I really like the screwdriver tip. Bigger stuff gets the full width and smaller stuff gets a brief brush with the corner.  :icon_thumright: