Steinmetz
Well-known member
I'm with you on that.
- Thread starter Ryan
- Start date
I'm with you on that.
Steinmetz
Well-known member
Agree. But the limitations of soldering guns aren't limited to SMD technology. They're a menace around ordinary semiconductors, such as CMOS too.
Steinmetz
Well-known member
I've done it many times.
Steinmetz
Well-known member
lol.
The old Weller soldering guns are fine but were never intended for electronic work. I still have one or two from the 60s and use them if I want to splice larger wires by soldering, etc. If I solder inside of any kind of device, the guns are too powerful and awkward to handle so I use the modern soldering stations. Buy one for a few dollars at the garage sale - it will come in handy.
I started using my dad's Weller (with the dual headlights) when I was 10. That was in the 60s. I still have it and the lights still work. I've replaced the tip once since. Best soldering gun I've ever used. The right heat when you need it.
Tim
Tim
Outlawmws
Well-known member
You guys that keep thread crapping and slamming the guns, (in a thread that is about Soldering GUNS, not any damn soldering device you care to bring up). Why don't you go start your own thread on the merits or demerits of one SMD capable iron vs another instead of trashing the FORUM OWNER'S thread on Soldering GUNS?
or do you have that much difficulty with the English language and common courtesy?
I think Ryan has been very easygoing on this, and probably won't do anything personally (to keep from being considered "too Strict"); but if this continues, I'm going to start reporting the offending posts. Ryan isn't the only Moderator here, and I rather doubt the other mods will have much sympathy for your case...
If you are smart you will delete your own offending posts. (If I quoted you, I will on my responses also if you do just PM me...)
Or, Hey Ryan; make me Moderator for a day or three!
"I have a little list; they will never be missed..." 
or do you have that much difficulty with the English language and common courtesy?
I think Ryan has been very easygoing on this, and probably won't do anything personally (to keep from being considered "too Strict"); but if this continues, I'm going to start reporting the offending posts. Ryan isn't the only Moderator here, and I rather doubt the other mods will have much sympathy for your case...
If you are smart you will delete your own offending posts. (If I quoted you, I will on my responses also if you do just PM me...)
Or, Hey Ryan; make me Moderator for a day or three!
"I have a little list; they will never be missed..."
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therealjakeg
Well-known member
Bought a box of them at a auction a few years ago. Pretty bad *** when I need some serious soldering heat. I really like my new turbo torch with tip too.
kc-steve
Well-known member
Anyone can do it, . . . but you'll likely have a COLD SOLDER JOINT. That separates the amateurs from the professionals. I'm talking about the beer can sized capacitors that locked the sides of the capacitor to the frame of equipment for a ground. It is difficult to do even with the largest wattage soldering guns.
You guys do not know all the equipment that exists out there so for you to say the gun has no place is showing ignorance of the facts. Or maybe Outlaw is right, you guys just want to flame people and argue.
Sheeesh!
Steve
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Steinmetz
Well-known member
Again, I've done it many times. And I know what a cold-soldered joint is. Moreover, you're in no position to question my expertise.
Outlawmws
Well-known member
And doesn't that cut both ways...
kc-steve
Well-known member
Doing it and doing right are two different things. If you want to keep it up then I'll only oblige you by reporting the post. This is about the soldering gun and not about soldering irons.
Steve
Steve
Just imagine how bad it might be if Ryan had posted a Craftsman "100" or Snap-On R-250 soldering gun instead of a Weller D-440.
jjjrmx5
Well-known member
Ryan's front page feature made me LOL at today's grab.
Poor lonely Weller cardboard box , minty with working button clasp at the back of the table on the side of a storage container at today's flea.
I gave $8 for the works.
Seems nobody checked UNDER the silver back flap that actually was the Weller Junior and all they thought it was was a Western Auto Wizard iron and junk. Ha.
Silly them.
Weller Junior 8100K twin headlight.
New extra element.
Good shape cardboard box and bits plus solder and the Western Iron.
Both work like a champ.
I;ve got an old Weller already but I hate to see them tossed so this may end up in the classified.
Pic below.
Poor lonely Weller cardboard box , minty with working button clasp at the back of the table on the side of a storage container at today's flea.
I gave $8 for the works.
Seems nobody checked UNDER the silver back flap that actually was the Weller Junior and all they thought it was was a Western Auto Wizard iron and junk. Ha.
Silly them.
Weller Junior 8100K twin headlight.
New extra element.
Good shape cardboard box and bits plus solder and the Western Iron.
Both work like a champ.
I;ve got an old Weller already but I hate to see them tossed so this may end up in the classified.
Pic below.
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BellyUpFish
Well-known member
Glad to see the thread eventually got back on track.. 
John316
Well-known member
I have worked in the electronics field for almost 20 years and these have their place. I don't break it out much, but when I do need it, it rocks! When I was repairing TV sets, nothing would help me remove the shield from an RCA tuner faster ;-).
Guys, Jane Goodall’s 79 years old now, and has a lot of work to do on wildlife conservation. The last thing we need for her is to get distracted and come over here because she hears all of this hooting and thrashing of branches!
Sorry, Dame Goodall! No chimps here.
Sorry, Dame Goodall! No chimps here.
jtw401
Member
i dont know if anyone has mentioned it yet due to internet issues...
the Wahl soldering gun (peel the label off your Craftsman Professional or Blue Point soldering gun, and you'll see Wahl logo)
Theres a reason its hard to find replacement tips for this gun...ive seen one from late 70s that still had original tip and lightbulb..tip was bent a little
The solid tip style is too much better than the Weller for me to ever look back. Dont get me wrong, the weller gun is a classic tool...if there is a tool hall of fame, it oughta be there, but the Wahl solid thick tip style is far more reliable, heats fast as hell, and can take a beating like few other tools ive ever known
I put this one right up there with the Fluke 80 series, SnapOn's dual 80 ratchet line, and the Knipex Cobra pliers as far as meeting/exceeding expectations go...the Wahl style is an ***-kicker, love it
the Wahl soldering gun (peel the label off your Craftsman Professional or Blue Point soldering gun, and you'll see Wahl logo)
Theres a reason its hard to find replacement tips for this gun...ive seen one from late 70s that still had original tip and lightbulb..tip was bent a little
The solid tip style is too much better than the Weller for me to ever look back. Dont get me wrong, the weller gun is a classic tool...if there is a tool hall of fame, it oughta be there, but the Wahl solid thick tip style is far more reliable, heats fast as hell, and can take a beating like few other tools ive ever known
I put this one right up there with the Fluke 80 series, SnapOn's dual 80 ratchet line, and the Knipex Cobra pliers as far as meeting/exceeding expectations go...the Wahl style is an ***-kicker, love it
Stevedore
Well-known member
I still have my Weller 100/140 gun from a LONG time ago. I can't recall when I got it, probably a Christmas or birthday gift from my father when I was starting to collect my own tools. I eventually inherited his, which was older, but have no recollection of what happened to it. I have several soldering irons of various wattages, as well as an old Weller soldering station, but I still use the gun when appropriate. I like it!
This guy seemed happy with his Christmas present:
This guy seemed happy with his Christmas present:
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kajutisg
New member
I've had 2 of the Weller guns, back when I installed 2-way radios for a living (in the '70's). I can remember replacing the bakelite housing on my heavy duty model 2-3 times 'cause it would break when dropped. Know I still have the light duty one in its case, but would have to look & see if I still have the heavy duty one (with the dual lights). Great tools & built to last.
willy3486
Well-known member
A guy I know of has got a website with a lot of info on them at http://www.stevenjohnson.com/soldering/index.html
I have all kinds of Soldering guns and irons. I have one of the really old irons you heat with a torch, a few of these guns and some irons as well. Worst thing I found about the guns if they got hit or dropped the Bakelite would crack or break. I have a few that have broken pieces out of them. I stopped at a yard sale back in the 80s and a older fellow sold be a bunch going back to at least the 50s. They still work great.
I have all kinds of Soldering guns and irons. I have one of the really old irons you heat with a torch, a few of these guns and some irons as well. Worst thing I found about the guns if they got hit or dropped the Bakelite would crack or break. I have a few that have broken pieces out of them. I stopped at a yard sale back in the 80s and a older fellow sold be a bunch going back to at least the 50s. They still work great.
hofferwood
Well-known member
Here's mine, probably from the 80s
They changed the tip holders on this one------I don't like it, but it still works great
They changed the tip holders on this one------I don't like it, but it still works great
cosmik binturong
Well-known member
zip94
Well-known member
Outlawmws
Well-known member
Another (nearly)useless fact:
You can use a big soldering gun to degause an old CRT tube when the colors get all fritzed out.
Turn on, start at the outer edge, work it semi slowly in a spiral to he center of the screen pull out slowly, and turn off. (Don't turn off near the screen the falling magnetic field will "shatter" the color structure again...)
No longer needed on the new flat screens AFAIK.
You can use a big soldering gun to degause an old CRT tube when the colors get all fritzed out.
Turn on, start at the outer edge, work it semi slowly in a spiral to he center of the screen pull out slowly, and turn off. (Don't turn off near the screen the falling magnetic field will "shatter" the color structure again...)
No longer needed on the new flat screens AFAIK.
Those Wellers are great. My dad had one as I was growing up and I'm certain I used it much more that he did.
I inherited my grandpa's about 25 years ago and even with monthly use, it's still going strong. I don't know what model it is. With several irons and guns around, it's still the first thing I grab when I have an electronics repair or build.
Only thing wrong with it is the cord is all twisted up from being wrapped around the handle about a bazillion times. But I can live with that.
Best thing about it, though, is it reminds my of my grandpa. Really wish he was still around to teach me some more stuff.
I inherited my grandpa's about 25 years ago and even with monthly use, it's still going strong. I don't know what model it is. With several irons and guns around, it's still the first thing I grab when I have an electronics repair or build.
Only thing wrong with it is the cord is all twisted up from being wrapped around the handle about a bazillion times. But I can live with that
.Best thing about it, though, is it reminds my of my grandpa. Really wish he was still around to teach me some more stuff.
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If you want to uncurl that cord, just find a piece of 2" PVC, wrap the cord tightly around it, laid flat as you want it to be.
Then just leave it in a hot sunny place for a few days.
It should uncurl and lay flat again.
We used to do that with microphone cords that people had wound
"around the elbow", which is about the worst thing you can possibly do for a wire that carries a low voltage signal.
I know audio engineers who can tell the sound difference between an XLR microphone cord that's been wound around someone's elbow repeatedly, and one that's been
wound up correctly. I've watched one of them do it blind folded, and get it every time.
Hard to believe, but it really does cause serious problems with the wrap of the internal wires, the individual strands in the conductirs, all of which changes the impedance,
and causes noticeable frequency shifts, believe it or not.
It's one of the classic ways to get yourself kicked off a road crew for a major tour - get caught elbow wrapping a microphone cord.
Then just leave it in a hot sunny place for a few days.
It should uncurl and lay flat again.
We used to do that with microphone cords that people had wound
"around the elbow", which is about the worst thing you can possibly do for a wire that carries a low voltage signal.
I know audio engineers who can tell the sound difference between an XLR microphone cord that's been wound around someone's elbow repeatedly, and one that's been
wound up correctly. I've watched one of them do it blind folded, and get it every time.
Hard to believe, but it really does cause serious problems with the wrap of the internal wires, the individual strands in the conductirs, all of which changes the impedance,
and causes noticeable frequency shifts, believe it or not.
It's one of the classic ways to get yourself kicked off a road crew for a major tour - get caught elbow wrapping a microphone cord.
ShadowRuleZ
Well-known member
Just picked up my first over the weekend (bottom left, 8200).
BellyUpFish
Well-known member
What is the correct way to wind a cord?
This way is close:
http://www.wikihow.com/Coil-Any-Kind-of-Cord
Just through step 7. Step 8-9-10 is wrong, especially for microphone cables as mentioned above. They should be tied-off with a reusable wire tie or cable tie.
B17E1943
Well-known member
Interesting - other than the usual deviations from the theme. 
I can't even count how many of these I have passed up at yard sales. Guess I need to start buying them - and maybe even learn to solder.
I can't even count how many of these I have passed up at yard sales.
Guess I need to start buying them - and maybe even learn to solder.KPSquared
Well-known member
Mic cables should be rolled up with a half flip after each loop. Hard to explain without pictures. It's just a roll of the wrist. If you do continuous loops the wires inside start to twist greatly affecting the integrity of the cord and a lot of the time when you throw them out to unwind them they'll have a knot every three feet.
I once spent a summer playing sound tech. I wrapped better than a thousand feet of cable every night. There's a technique. . . And contrary to my cowboy friends, it's NOT like rolling up a lariat...
http://www.techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/flipcoil/howto.html
Looks cumbersome there but I can roll a 150' XLR at a walking pace using the "flip-coil" or "over-under" method.
Ok, Back on topic. I plan to get dads weller when he's done with tools. It's OLD. The light still works. It's awesome just because of that light.
I once spent a summer playing sound tech. I wrapped better than a thousand feet of cable every night. There's a technique. . . And contrary to my cowboy friends, it's NOT like rolling up a lariat...
http://www.techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/flipcoil/howto.html
Looks cumbersome there but I can roll a 150' XLR at a walking pace using the "flip-coil" or "over-under" method.
Ok, Back on topic. I plan to get dads weller when he's done with tools. It's OLD. The light still works. It's awesome just because of that light.
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OctoMan
Well-known member
I've got one my Dad got in a blacksmithing club raffle. It's a great gun! It's easy to control, heats up quickly and I love the lights that are built into the gun. It's a great gun.
Bugeyed Earl
Well-known member
I've had a few of these guns over the years (still have one in the original box.) I can't say I like them for soldering, but I hammered a few tips into a rough blade shape, and it makes a fantastic hot knife. I made a sail for a small boat with my weller, a few stunt kites from ripstop nylon, and it's also great for cutting flat webbing or poly rope.
Steven67fr
Well-known member
Have a 100/140 two stage Weller gun, and one of the 250w ones with twin work lights. I will never need another soldering gun. They work flawlessly.
Not to mention the "Nokorode" soldering past in the OP's picture is imo the best soldering paste I've ever used. I have a 16 oz jar I found at an estate sale that I use to refill my little tin.
Not to mention the "Nokorode" soldering past in the OP's picture is imo the best soldering paste I've ever used. I have a 16 oz jar I found at an estate sale that I use to refill my little tin.
MadMark
Well-known member
I Currently have this Weller 8200 on sale in the classified section
