Re: smoldering irons

[Bernard Cleyet <anngeorg@PACBELL.NET>]

If it's more than occasional, get  a soldering station designed for
removal (they have a vacuum pump).

bc



"John S. Denker" wrote:

> Hi --
>
> A couple of people have asked me what I consider a
> "good" soldering iron, and why.
>
> Desiderata:

cut

> 5) In a research or teaching environment, you can plan on
> doing a certain amount of desoldering.  Therefore:
>
> 5a) You want a nice solder-sucker.  You know, the hand-held
> thing with a spring-loaded piston and a trigger.  Make sure
> you get one that you can cock single-handed, by thumping it
> on the table.  (I once saw one that you couldn't.  Unbelievably
> inconvenient.)
>
> 5b) You want a roll of "solder wick".  This is a fairly
> drastic technique, reserved for situations that the
> solder-sucker can't handle.  You have to sorta rub the
> solder wick against the part, and the combination of
> heat and rubbing sometimes (1 time in 100) can destroy
> printed circuit traces.  Guess how I know.
>
> =======================
>
> Specific recommendation:  Weller is the big name in this
> area.  Their WES50 seems pretty reasonable.  Street price
> $100 for the basic station, plus another $15 or $20 for
> two or three additional tips.
>
> http://www.coopertools.com/brands/weller/soldering_stations.htm
> http://www.lashen.com/vendors/CooperTools/Weller_WES50.asp
>
> PS these things last many years in all-day every-day use.