12 volt solder iron

[DannyB1954]

I made one from a diesel engine glow plug, (may still have it somewhere). I used a momentary switch because it would get so hot that it would melt the copper tube that I silver soldered to the tip.

 

[blars]

The 8W usb soldering irons you can get for $5 from ebay get surprisingly good reviews on hackaday. Only for small component electronics soldering.
You also need a 1.5A or better USB outlet, but the 2.1A car ones are cheap.

 

[TMG51]

I made one from a diesel engine glow plug, (may still have it somewhere). I used a momentary switch because it would get so hot that it would melt the copper tube that I silver soldered to the tip.

I'd be curious to see pictures of that if you can find it.

 

[SternWake]

I'd be curious to see pictures of that if you can find it.

x2

 

[highdesertranger]

x3, need pics. please. highdesertranger

 

[DannyB1954]

It has been sitting in an old tool box for the last 10 years, so it ain't pretty. There is a piece of copper tubing silver soldered to the glow plug on the left end. The dark material is old solder. The glowplug is out of a diesel engine used to power refrigeration units. the switch is a momentary contact type as the tip gets too hot if left on for more than 30 seconds or so. The handle is a chunk of wood, as the metal that the glow plug threads into does get hot. I think the current draw was 7 amps at 12 volts. Not much.
Clicking on the pic may bring up a larger version.

 

[highdesertranger]

Danny that is really cool. in the words of Wyle E Coyote "Super Genius". thanks for sharing that. highdesertranger

 

[DannyB1954]

That corroded silver metal is actually aluminium. The tool box got wet and rusted about 10 years ago. The trick to bending aluminium is it is kind of like bending wood. It compresses easier than expands. so I heated the aluminium bar as hot as possible just on one side, then made the bend before the outside material got hot enough to stretch, (the material on the inside of the bend had to compress).

I used copper on the end of the glow plug because the glow plug itself got so hot it would repel solder. The copper tube carried enough heat away from the tip that it kept things in check.

Not hard to make. You could use a very short piece of angle iron instead of the bar material, or cut about a half inch of square channel, then cut that in two.

 

[Varmint]

SternWake said, in relevant part:
Avoid the home depot lead free electrical solder.

My response:
The lead-free solders all have a much higher melting point than lead/tin solder, commonly sold as 60/40 solder. I learned this to my utter dismay after ruining the entire output network of a popular ham transceiver with excessive heat, which I must now rebuild. Hard to believe this outcome never occurred to me before I tried to rework this fine radio, as I have nearly 60 years of experience. Unfortunately, my experience is with the lead/tin solder common to electronics tinkerers rather than the lead-free stuff. I now read the labels much more closely to see what I'm getting.

I should also mention something regarding my previous post that those new battery-operated soldering pencils also are relatively cheap and work great for electronics. That is, circuit boards. I have one that uses a couple AA batteries that I'm quite satisfied with. This would be my preferred choice for backpack/bicycle portable operation, if I thought I might need one.

Also....I love the idea of using a glow plug to make a soldering iron! That is the coolest idea I've seen yet, and makes me wonder if you could use a piece of nichrome wire for a heating element, or perhaps music wire (guitar strings) in a pinch....

 

[wagoneer]

Does this mean we have to go to Mexico to buy solder? Like I had a Canon 1F top-o-the line camera and it was only accurate (meter wise) with Mercury batteries I got a hold of a canon rep and he jokingly told me to go to Mexico to buy batteries, "no joke".

 

[highdesertranger]

no you can get it here at an electronic store. you just can't use it for plumbing, which is a good thing. ask the people in Flint. highdesertranger

 

[rvpopeye]

Looks like something from Hogan's Heroes.

 

[SternWake]

Digging the DIY 12v solder gun.

The Lead free bernzomatic electrical Solder caused several tools to enter low earth orbit, followed by a stream of violent curses.

Wasteful or Not, it met the business end of a 5 pound sledge hammer, and I was kind of disappointed I nailed it dead center the first strike, and the second strike was just not satisfying, nor the third, nor the subsequent dozen.

As for the good solder, I got sick of running out buying the small packages sold at Ace or electronic's stores.

I bought a pound roll Kester 44 Rosin Core Solder 63/37 on Amazon.

Sometimes the diameter proves to be too thin, so I triple it up and stick one end in a drill.

 

[Varmint]

SternWake said, in relevant part:
"Sometimes the diameter proves to be too thin, so I triple it up and stick one end in a drill."

My reply:
Might sound silly, but some folks just buy two different diameters. I got one about 22ga and one about 16-18ga for the heavier stuff. Need to get more while it's still available, so this may be something to stock up on before the green freaks banish it altogether.

 

[rvpopeye]

I always bought the thin stuff for work on circuit boards , quick melting saves delicate components.
If I needed to do something bigger I used Stern's method. Still got the quick melt feature but delivered a lot more product.

BTW. Use the iron to heat the item and then apply the solder and let the hot item do the melting or you will experience a thing called a cold joint and get a bad connection..............tin those tips people!

 

[AquaticsLive]

I know this is an old thread but figured worth sharing. I use the Hobbyking 30watt 12v iron for field work. But a nice temperature controlled iron and 100Watt cigarette lighter plug inverter works well in the truck.

 

[frater secessus]

I am a beginner (basic repairs to busted stuff) but I bought one of these Hakko knockoffs for cheeeeep:
https://www.amazon.com/YiHUA-936B-110V-Anti-Static-Soldering-Station/dp/B00O4ORHMM/

I run it off a 300W inverter.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I just found this bumped thread and again, Mr Sternwake nailed it:

63/37 tin-lead 'eutectic' solder is the BEST for electronics work...not even 60/40 is as good.

Eutectic solder means that at that exact formulation, the change from solid to liquid and back to solid occurs in a VERY narrow point, a degree or two, and it is the lowest melting point of any normal solder for electronics work. 

It really makes a difference when working on small components and IC's.

You can still order 63/37 online, but its very hard to find in any brick-n-mortar store these days.