New soldering iron...

[Nick]

Just received my new Metcal MX-5211 - 80W per output simultaneously with the standard and the ultra-fine handpieces.

Been a Metcal MX-500 user for many many years but time for an upgrade

It's a dream!

   

[Geaney]

Fellow Metcal fan here - they're not cheap but they make soldering life a dream!

Cheers,  John

[ed731pdh]

Still got my original Antex here, only had two new handles and 5 new elements over the years.

[Craig]

I had an original yellow handle Antex way from the early 70's though to the early 80's. My favourite trick, when the mains cord pulled it off the bench was to catch it. Always grabbed the hot end.

It has never ever happened with my Weller :-)

[Nick]

Still got my original Antex here, only had two new handles and 5 new elements over the years.

I've still got my old Weller I had as a student, as well as some small Antex irons the kids used to use when smaller. I use them for random antique stuff like my Bush radios.

However, as I work almost entirely with high density surface mount boards, decent, as in Metcal or similar, is essential - the precision, temperature control and range of bits is exceptional - you simply can't use ordinary kit on 0603/0402 devices or fine-pitch chips - which is why the industry standard is Metcal. Read up on SmartHeat if you're interested - these RF-heated irons are very clever - they are also extremely light and precise.

Yep, they're certainly not cheap, but they are justifiably the market leader for pro kit.

[ppppenguin]

My favourite trick, when the mains cord pulled it off the bench was to catch it. Always grabbed the hot end.

Doing this once is educational. More than once.....

Fortunately I'm hopeless at catching things so I've not had to learn the hard way. A few near misses though.

I'm a Weller TCP user, ever since c1978 when it was the standard professional iron. But I try to avoid SM. I was given a secondhand SM rework station with heated pad and hot air handpiece. Haven't tried using it yet.

[Terry]

My favourite trick, when the mains cord pulled it off the bench was to catch it. 

A tale from my apprentice days ...

Norman came into the workshop and said "I've got another job to do before I finish and I've got a TV24 in Brook Road that needs a new smoothing cap. If I drop you round there, can you do it for me?"

It was an easy walk home, so no problem. I walked over to the rack and picked up the right elecytrlytic and asked Norman if he wanted to hang on to his soldering iron. Obviously, he might need it on the next job, so yes.

I walked over to the bench, grabbed the Henley Solon in one hand and unplugged it with the other. I then turned round and grabbed the business end of the iron in my left hand so that I could wrap the mains lead round the handle!

I heard the sizzle before I felt the pain! Despite thrusting under the cold tap straight away, it was still agony!

Anyway, I soldiered - or should that be soldered? - on and was duly deposited at the customer's house.

Now, anyone who has dismantled a Bush TV24 will know that, although the chassis simply slides out after removing the fixing screws, first you have to turn the set over to unscrew the two brackets that hold the front panel controls - not easy with one hand!

Slowly but surely, the job was eventually done. All it now needed was reassembly! I managed to get the chassis in the cabinet, pushing the controls in front of it, screw it up and turn the cabinet over. Now I needed to position the control brackets while I inserted the screws - definitely a two handed job with one hand inside the cabinet holding everything in position, the other inserting the screws. 

Fortunately the elderly customer recognised my predicament and offered a helping hand - for which I was very grateful! Eventually the cabinet was upright again with the set displaying a perfect picture.

Time to go home - but not before first checking that the soldering iron was stone cold!

[ppppenguin]

Terry, I bet you've only done that once. Apparently the smell is rather like cooking bacon. Hence Long Pig.

When I was at uni in the 1970s (Elec Eng at Imperial College) I reckon some of my classmates had never used a soldering iron before. I think they just about managed to work out which end to hold. They were the ones destined to become theoreticians

[Refugee]

How much of Weller TCP1 handle must be remaining for it to not be past its use-by date?
This is the one for use on audiofile stuff with the wooden base station.

[Craig]

My favourite trick, when the mains cord pulled it off the bench was to catch it. 

I walked over to the bench, grabbed the Henley Solon 

Oh - I'd forgotten I had one of those too - they were the ones with the blue triangular handle, right?