12 volt solder iron

[wagoneer]

not sure if this is the right spot, been shopping for a 12 volt battery clips solder iron Weller being on the high end and then the bottom Chinese made ones , anyone use the Chinese models?

 

[Matlock]

Well I can't say I've actually used them. I purchased two at different wattages for different uses and neither would get hot enough to melt solder, or for that matter burn your finger. One I took back for refund and the other one ended up in the trash. Buy the Weller and your done.

 

[MikeRuth]

How much wattage are you looking for?

 

[wagoneer]

simple tin plated copper terminal soldering up to 10 awg

 

[Trebor English]

I use my Harbor Freight $25 ($20 with 20% coupon) inverter with my 120 volt thermostatically controlled Weller soldering iron. I think this is one of those things where the 120 volt thing is good and the 12 volt versions are expensive or don't work as well. I have had this iron for years and like it. It works with surface mount parts and 10 awg connectors. The plating on the tip never corrodes. At 120 volt the choices are endless.

 

[blars]

Soldering is one of the things I use my inverter for.

Many modern tips are 24v, but DC can damage some of them. Building a homemade controller for them seems to be popular in some circles. (See Dangerousprototypes.com forums.)

 

[wagoneer]

ditto been using my inverter and will keep using it for my 110 weller

 

[highdesertranger]

x2 I use my Weller on my inverter. I tried a 12v it got warm but that was about it. highdesertranger

 

[rvpopeye]

What kind of soldering do you plan on doing?
Do you need the high watt heat of a Weller gun or will a pencil type work for you?
I have 45w and 25w pencil irons that work on an inverter and think if the inverter is big enough the gun would work too.

I also have a couple battery powered irons I use for electronic work.
One is a IsoTip brand and recharges from the lighter socket and the other is a Coleman and uses 4 AA batteries.

 

[wagoneer]

I have a Weller pencil style I like had it for years also have a Weller pistol and a small battery pencil. I brought it up cause anytime I can do without the inverter I will take .

 

[rvpopeye]

I've only seen a couple of 12v irons but , like has been said , they didn't work too well, never a 12v gun .... now , I DO remember an old mechanic friend that had a big pencil type that he heated with a blow torch to do radiator work , maybe you could find one of those and put it in the campfire??? sure wouldn't work on anything small though......
Good luck in your search.

 

[SternWake]

I have a 40 watt Weller iron and a 100/140 watt Weller gun.

Basically, I now only use the iron if I need a smaller tip for rejoining wires to circuit boards. If joining 26 awg wire i still bust out the bigger gun.

I do not like just leaving the weller iron plugged in, nor waiting for it to reheat, and if already hot with a nicely tinned tip, it still takes longer than I like before solder starts flowing and there is more risk of melting wire insulation.

With my 140 watt weller, I mistakenly bought replacement tips for the 400 watt gun which are much larger. I filed the tangs to fit my smaller gun, and yes it does take a few seconds longer to get hot enough to melt solder, but I find it to perform much better having more thermal mass and with more surface area, able to transfer the heat better requiring less time.

I was going through the standard 100/140 tips quickly, but am still on the original 400 watt tip, and it shows no signs of abrasion/pitting/ wear.

With the generally short run times of a soldering iron, I do not seem much point in trying to go 12v DC to save some battery power. The 12v options would only be needed for somebody without an inverter and it sounds like they can't do the job anyway. I'll never know for sure as i doubt a 12v soldering iron and I will ever cross paths.

 

[ccbreder]

Everyone needs one of these, and it ships for free. https://www.amazon.com/Sievert-Indu...81294&sr=1-10&keywords=propane+soldering+iron

 

[highdesertranger]

yikes, they are proud of that iron. highdesertranger

 

[MikeRuth]

I have used 30 Watt 100VAC on a cheapo 400Watt inverter for years with no issue. So $say $29.00 for an inverter if you don't have one and say $15.00 for an OK iron.

Mike

 

[sephson]

Have you considered using a butane soldering iron? I've got one at work that works well on larger gauge wires.

Home Depot seems to have a good selection.

http://www.homedepot.com/s/butane%20soldering%20iron?NCNI-5

 

[SternWake]

I have used the bernzomatic butane torch available at home depot to solder.

i tried it with the little soldering tips provided on some 14 awg wire as a test and promptly decided they were worthless to me,

i will use the direct torch flame to solder larger wires, but generally it fries off all the flux and the solder and work needs to get even hotter before the solder flows and does not get repelled. Got to be extra careful with the wire insulation. I have made aluminum foil heat shields when my 140 watt gun is not enough heat or takes too long.

Wish the butane torch had an even finer point of flame. The little diffuser is nice for heatshrink tubing, but is kind of slow.

Avoid the home depot lead free electrical solder.

I like kester 63/37

 

[rvpopeye]

I forgot about the butane irons.....
I have a tron friend that uses a butane iron (w/the tips) on circuit boards and my mechanic uses one (w/no tips) for vehicle wiring. I bought a cheapo one at a discount tool place and have used it to do some vehicle wiring but it is always running out of fuel in the middle of a job and doesn't get much use these days.....

 

[TMG51]

My opinion has always been that 12v soldering is like 12v cooking: use propane (butane) instead. I do all my soldering with butane.

 

[Varmint]

I haven't used Wellers for many years, preferring the smaller Antex soldering pencils. I use a 15-18-watt model and I could easily run it from a small inverter. These folks have a 12-volt version that, I believe, is 30-watt. I haven't tried it, and likely wouldn't unless I was bicycling or backpacking. A pack of lightweight nicads, nimh, or litium-ion batteries would be sufficient for this use. Just an idea. I have one of those butane hand torches with the soldering tips, though and they also work well for most small stuff. Something larger requires a slide-on heavy chisel tip for a propane torch, and these things will do the job fast for heavy wiring like automotive stuff, or soldering a metal seam. Just my thoughts. Use what works for the job you're doing.