Soldering Gear

[towtruck]

Looks like I need some soldering gear.  I have an old Weller WP35 which works well for me, but I have read at various places that it is not so good for pcb work.

After reading though posts and articles on the forum and through a bunch of Amazon reviews I think I have figured out what I am getting but wanted some confirmation.

Either the:

Weller WLC100 40-Watt Soldering Station as recommended by RJ You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

or the Aoyue 937+ Digital Soldering Station You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login.  My attraction to the the Aoyue is mostly based on the LED dispay and when ever I try and say the name my daughter thinks it sounds like a wolf howl.

Tips:  Aoyue tips are a bit cheaper

• 0.8 mm chisel (ie weller st5)
• 1.6 mm flat (ie weller st1)
• I could not find a Weller 1.6mm chisel tip (mentioned in the LE V5 Assembly manual)

Any other sizes I should get starting out?

Indium Wire Solder, .032 in., Sn63 Pb37, CW-807, 1 lb. Spool
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Aven 17542 Desoldering Wick, 2.5mm Width, 5' Length
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Aoyue Soldering Iron Tip Cleaner with Brass wire sponge
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Xuron 170-II Micro-Shear Flush Cutter
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Am I missing anything that I should have starting out? Or have a poicked something that I shouldn't have?

Thanks for any help.
Steve

[Night Owl]

I built a lot of equipment with a $20 soldering iron from Adafruit.  Then I upgraded to the Hakko FX-888.  Heats fast and the cord is light and flexable.  More expensive than the two you provided, though. 

The wire sponge tip cleaner is fantastic.  Scrapes off the tip and doesn't drop the temp like a wet sponge does.  Radio Shack includes it in their deluxe soldering tool kit.  They sell the wire sponge as a refill too.

I would get a desoldering sucker (Solder Sucker).  I usually use the sucker to get off most of the solder and follow up with the braid if I need to clear all of it, like when I am replacing through hole parts.

I don't know what else you might (or might not) already have but these are other things I would recommend to someone starting out:

A wire stripper (I find the cheap one works best), small diagonal cutter (for cutting larger gauge wire, save the flush cutter for fine work), needle nose pliers, jeweler's screwdrivers (find one with larger diameter handles, the standard thin ones are hard to work with), multimeter, "Helping Hands," no-clean liquid flux in a pen (for surface mount repairs and it really helps the desoldering wick do it's job).

Now if you really want to go overboard (as my wife would call it)
Panavise Electronic Workcenter.  WAY better than the Helping Hands. And like 10x more expensive 
Magnifying desk lamp.  To find those pesky cold solder joints.  Or one of those visor magnifiers.

[jnealand]

You won't go wrong getting a wire stripper that does small gauge wire, I think even Lowes and Home Depot have them.  And the Radio Shack desoldering iron is super when you have to remove parts and is not very expensive.

[DonFL]

I built a lot of equipment with a $20 soldering iron from Adafruit.  Then I upgraded to the Hakko FX-888.  Heats fast and the cord is light and flexable.  More expensive than the two you provided, though. 

I also have the FX-888, best corded iron I've ever owned, well worth the investment. You'll never regret spending a little more for a good temp controlled iron.

And the Hakko cordless irons are solid products also... the FX-901 along with the FX-888 make a good pair. 

[taybrynn]

I think that 937+ would be just fine.  I'd use the .32 solder and get a big spool of it.

To me, the other must have tool is the 2-pack precision cutter and plier set from home depot, about $10 and red handles in the tool section, near the vice grips.

I bought a solder sucker and only used it a couple times and desoldering rope, same thing, only a couple uses maybe.

The other thing which is REALLY REALLY nice is a magnifying lamp, and there was a nice one I got with 100 led(s) from the office chain place for $50 or less.  Get the one thats big enough to look through, as I have to solder while looking through it to see what I'm doing.  It also casts no shadows, so you really can inspect your work and avoid mistakes using it.  I have some wearable magnifiers but find them uncomfortable to wear, so this magnifying lamp is really great.
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I bought this one and I have loved it.  Your ready to solder in 10-15 seconds every time.  It included a fan in the kit.  THe tips are pricey, only downside.  The lower model would probably work just a well and might have cheaper tips, more like the 937.
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I also found that I use all of these cheap soldering tools A LOT ... best $3.50 I spent.
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I use this kind of tip cleaner instead of the sponge type.  Very satisfied with it.
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[towtruck]

You FX-888 guys make it sounds tempting.

All good recommendations, thank you.  I'll be adding more stuff to the list ... luckily I have some of them already.

Thanks,
Steve

[t.jo13]

[/The other thing which is REALLY REALLY nice is a magnifying lamp, and there was a nice one I got with 100 led(s) from the office chain place for $50 or less.  Get the one thats big enough to look through, as I have to solder while looking through it to see what I'm doing.  It also casts no shadows, so you really can inspect your work and avoid mistakes using it.  I have some wearable magnifiers but find them uncomfortable to wear, so this magnifying lamp is really great.quote]

Tabrynn recommended this to me when I was aquiring soldering equipment, And I must say (awsome)

[towtruck]

I have a tabletop magnifying glass that mostly gets used to help ge extract the splinters I get doin house renos.  It can do double duty for soldering now.

Unfortunately the basement flooded earlier this week.  Still trying to sort out the mess and waiting to see if our house insurance will cover any of it before we gut and rebuild.  May end up being a Charlie Brown chistmas tree this year.

[rdebolt]

Unfortunately the basement flooded earlier this week.  Still trying to sort out the mess and waiting to see if our house insurance will cover any of it before we gut and rebuild.  May end up being a Charlie Brown chistmas tree this year.

Sorry to hear this. Hope insurance will cover and all is well!

[towtruck]

Sorry to hear this. Hope insurance will cover and all is well!

Thanks.

Taking longer than I would like for it to dry, but thats the way it goes.

[RJ]

Hate to hear about the water. Hope it all dries out OK for you.

RJ

[Hauvega]

Make sure you treat for mold.  That stuff can be bad.  Do you have flood insurance? 

[towtruck]

Hate to hear about the water. Hope it all dries out OK for you.

The rain storm was bigger than expected ... 70mm in total.  And now it is below freezing again with a snowstorm forecasted in the next few days with 20cm of snow. Such wonderful weather here this year.

Florida would be good about now.

I have filled my 2 LE's with rice and stuck the dongle in a one of them to help dry them out.

Make sure you treat for mold.  That stuff can be bad.  Do you have flood insurance? 

I will be treating for it.  There is no flood insurance in Canada as far as I know.  Floods are considered an 'act of God'.  Sometimes they will let you declare it as a drain or sewer backup.  Hopefully that is the way it goes.  I should find out in a few days.

[towtruck]

Well some good news this week ... my insurance company has said that they will cover us for the basement and property loss, but not fixing the drain tile or outside stuff.

Since the LE's and dongle got wet I'll add them to the claim list though I suspect we will be maxed out on the claim already.

[rdebolt]

Great news. Too bad it happened in the first place though!