Weller Solder Station

[muddy]

I was in need of a new soldering iron, since I'll be soldering quite a bit on the railroad layout.

I had a 25 watt pencil Weller and a 100 watt Craftsman (pretty sure it's a Weller) gun. However I needed something in-between there to be hot enough to solder feeder wires and rail joiners to the rail. But not too hot to melt the plastic rail ties or the foam road bed under the track. So I was looking for a variable solder station.

I found this used Weller on eBay for $30. The station itself can put out 80 watts however the iron that came with it is a 60 watt. The irons plug into side of the station so if I want to use a different iron I can.   

The iron holder is missing and I have no clue what they were doing with it or what kinda chunk of metal they had as a tip. It's like a copper but rusted. I got new 0.8 mm tips for it. I either need to find an iron holder or build one myself.

I opted for the $3 protection plan. So even though it's used it comes with a 1 yr warranty for parts and labor or reimbursement if unrepairable.









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[stokester]

I've been repairing auto and tube radios for a number of years and have found that if you expect to do a lot of soldering, especially with finer wires, a good soldering station is needed.

My go-to for the last 15 years has been the Weller WESD52 soldering station.  At the time it was not cheap but it works well and has lasted through the years.  The tips are readily available and I've found that real soldering tips last a long time over the models that just use a piece of copper which has to be shaped and tinned.  I see that this Weller model has been replaced by a newer version -https://www.tequipment.net/Weller/WE1010NA/Soldering-Stations/ which appears to be better and lists for less than I paid for mine.

Hakko also makes good soldering tools, I use their desoldering gun regularly.

[Crispycritter]

Used to do alot of soldering on equipment that got eaten by mice but never had a station that look nice and looks like itll do you just fine.

[muddy]

I've been repairing auto and tube radios for a number of years and have found that if you expect to do a lot of soldering, especially with finer wires, a good soldering station is needed.

My go-to for the last 15 years has been the Weller WESD52 soldering station.  At the time it was not cheap but it works well and has lasted through the years.  The tips are readily available and I've found that real soldering tips last a long time over the models that just use a piece of copper which has to be shaped and tinned.  I see that this Weller model has been replaced by a newer version -https://www.tequipment.net/Weller/WE1010NA/Soldering-Stations/ which appears to be better and lists for less than I paid for mine.

Hakko also makes good soldering tools, I use their desoldering gun regularly.

Looks like a great unit. Looking at stands and sponges. Do you prefer a good old sponge or a brass sponge?

Sent from my Twisted Mind Of The Mudman

[stokester]

Looks like a great unit. Looking at stands and sponges. Do you prefer a good old sponge or a brass sponge?

Sent from my Twisted Mind Of The Mudman
[/quote]

I use both.

Usually at the start of a soldering session I do a quick clean of the tip with the brass and then tin it before soldering.  During the repair I use a damp sponge regularly to clean off any debris and flux to ensure good solder flow and clean connections.

During my early days in the AF I was sent to a two week soldering school where we used a Pace soldering station on many different types of connections.  Would really like to find an old Pace station but the cost and space required makes the Weller a better unit for me.

[wantedabiggergarage]

Can't believe the price Stokester found on the Weller.
I was always a soldering gun sort of guy, until a few years ago when I started doing some more with Raspberry PI's.  I picked up a Hakku, as the prices I saw on Wellers, like my fathers, were better then twice the cost.  Only needed a desoldering station once, so used my dad's.
Still have multiple heavy duty soldering guns, that I thought about selling (picked a few up at garage sales, they thought was a standard model for $1).  My dad just keeps saying don't, as he had to buy one years ago, to fix a friends electric wheel chair.
Soldering station is a different skillset, I don't practice enough.

[fatfillup]

 Soldering guns rarely bring much at auctions but they do sell in the store for me now and again.  Soldering stations also'

One thing I know,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I don't know alot about soldering.

[muddy]

Got a iron stand. I ordered the one in the right.... They sent me the one on the left first so now I have two stands!








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