Brass Kit Soldering Iron advice.

[AdeMoore]

Not had a topic on this since March or November 2020 .

Many of the links in those are now dead. Time moves on.

Amex get mentioned a lot but I have also watched an apparent good video none biased I hope about the DCC concepts offerings.

Here

like the look of the £159.00 one but is that to much buck for what you’re getting?

My old topic in 2018 Jon offered this! Yes I’ve been meaning to upgrade for some long time!

“On Tony Wright’s topic a few solder stations have been discussed recently ( last couple of days). Solder stations cost more but give you the ability to control the temperature- so they are what you need if you want to solder white metal as well as brass.

 

The current Antex one is in this link:

 

https://cpc.farnell.com/antex/660a/soldering-station-analogue/dp/SD01909?mckv=sLE6qeuBW_dc|pcrid|224654335881|kword||match||plid||slid||product|SD01909|pgrid|50784539401|ptaid|pla-588765687098|&CMP=KNC-GUK-CPC-SHOPPING&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrdjnBRDXARIsAEcE5YkzAu0ZkqQ2w3oSRgZs7g_aFHXrDHIUm864BbCSlnD6be6HFxQh8MMaAn0EEALw_wcB

 

And another one that was recommended is in this link:

http://www.circuitspecialists.eu/soldering/soldering-stations/csi-premier75w-digital-temperature-controlled-solder-station-with-75w-soldering-iron/ 

Jon”

2nd link is broken but I believe it to be this Here any votes for either of those?

Then in one of the many soldering iron topics here I picked up on this one https://www.hakko.co.uk/product/fx-888d-digital-soldering-station-blue-yellow/

looks a decent bit of kit?

Anyone have any opinions on those or better recommendations?

Cheers in advance.

Ade

 

 

[doilum]

Twenty quid for a cheap Chinese 40W iron and put the rest into an RSU. There will be still twenty quid  in the pot for it's replacement.

[Torper]

A soldering iron is not rocket science.  Basically, it needs to heat up in a reasonable length of time to a sufficient temperature to melt the solder on the joint, and it needs to retain that heat when applied to the work - there is no point trying to solder if the tip cools down as soon as you apply it.  To ensure that the heat is retained, you need watts, at least 40 of them IMO, more if possible.  And you also need to have a good range of tips available - some of the cheaper irons don't seem to offer that. 

 

Do you need a soldering station?  Are you going to require to solder at a wide range of temperatures?  I've had two soldering stations over the last umpteen years and have almost invariable used them at their maximum temperature, or something close to it - I'm a great believer as in and out as quickly as possible with a hot iron.  But there again I very seldom solder white metal.

 

I'm not convinced that you need to spend a lot of money on a soldering station even although I myself have a Hakko FX--888D that currently retails at the best part of £130.  I got it as a present on the occasion of a big birthday but am not sure I'd have spent the money myself as it replaced an Aoyue station that retails for about the half the price but had given me years of good service, and indeed still does as a back-up iron.  The major difference between the Aoyue and the Hakko is that the latter heats up a lot quicker and retains its heat better, but at 70 watts compared to 40 so it should.

 

I suppose if I was spending my own money I'd seriously consider that CSI one though I'm a bit suspicious that there's no mention of its temperature range.  Also, as the owner of an RSU, I rather like Dollum's suggestion above!

 

DT

[Jeff Smith]

White metal soldering is more difficult than brass - you'll never accidentally melt the brass!

 

I have a budget Weller adjustable station without temperature readout.  By trial and error I know the appropriate settings on the dial.  For white metal I set it just below the white metal melting point and because of heat loss through the solder can leave the iron on the joint until the solder flows without fear of melting the base metal.

[31A]

I've got the Circuit Specialists one.  It was recommended to me by @Mallard60022 who also has one, and I'm very pleased with it.

 

It seems to warm up and cool down to the selected temperature quickly.  A range of bits are available; at the moment I'm using a chisel shaped one as I'm soldering the lower panels into LNER coach sides and this bit allows a lot of her to be put into the brass, but for most things I use a pencil shaped bit.  The bits seem to have a good length of life before they need to be replaced.  It is easy to change them.  Sometimes I've done it while the iron is still hot, using big pliers!

 

I usually use 188 degree solder for brass and most other metals and find setting the temperature to 400 degrees works well for this.  For whitemetal I use 70 degree solder and set the iron to about 200 degrees for this; this seems to work well if you don't dwell on the work for too long!

[doilum]

It is a long time since white metal was the most likely material in quality kits. I cut my teeth on the Sevenscale pug and Piercy J72. In both cases I gave up on an expensive variable temperature iron and resorted to an 80W Weller using a rapid in /out technique. Today, white metal is most likely to be found in add on castings which can be best secured with modern CA adhesives.

I should perhaps have mentioned that  my twenty quid iron is fully temperature adjustable although I I usually leave it set at "11"!

[AdeMoore]

Thanks all for your replies I’ve done the Chinese route and it’s rubbish ages to heat up won’t keep heat when applied to much either NS rail or brass and you have to hang it in there for far to long for the solder to melt then the conduction of heat melts something you don’t want it to. Stated 48w be lucky if it’s 14 as someone said on my topic.

So I want one that’s decent. Glad there’s a vote for the CS one and the Hakko one.

Keep the opinions coming.

Cheers.

[brossard]

The thing I have found is that cheap irons have bits that blacken almost immediately and are useless thereafter.

 

My current go to iron is a modest Weller 25W affair.  It is the best one so far.  I can solder 7mm kits with it.

 

I also have a Weller soldering station but the handle is loose and the thing is annoying to use.  Otherwise these are good.  I plan to get a new one at some point.

 

Another point is that I use brass wool to clean my tip (no offcolour comments please) and that works superbly.  The tip needs to be shiny and you should be able to pick up bits of solder off the workbench.

 

John

[AdeMoore]

Thanks John,

Definitely heard of those.

You’re  right about those tips blacking!

I also learned that brass wool is the magic ingredient to clean tips.

Thanks for your input 

[figworthy]

My last temperature controlled iron died earlier in the year, and after looking around at the comments on here, I went for the Hakko, and that's been fine (*).  Much faster to warm up then the previous one, so I can turn it on when I need it, rather than in advance.

(*) the old one died when I was 90% of the way through my last project, so it hasn't had extensive testing, but with Brass and Nickel Silver it certainly does the job.

 

That said, I would echo what others have said, and also get a RSU, and have a look at the stuff on the Missenden website for advice on how to use it.

 

Adrian

[AdeMoore]

Thanks for the info. Adrian and the handy link to Missenden .

Another vote for the Hakko.

Cheers

[KingEdwardII]

I have both a 25W soldering iron and also a small gas jet (Dremel Versaflame). I find that it can be hard to apply sufficient heat to some brass kit components with the soldering iron and I got the gas jet specifically for those. e.g. when assembling semaphore signal components. 

 

Yours, Mike.

[doilum]

23 hours ago, AdeMoore said:

Thanks all for your replies I’ve done the Chinese route and it’s rubbish ages to heat up won’t keep heat when applied to much either NS rail or brass and you have to hang it in there for far to long for the solder to melt then the conduction of heat melts something you don’t want it to. Stated 48w be lucky if it’s 14 as someone said on my topic.

So I want one that’s decent. Glad there’s a vote for the CS one and the Hakko one.

Keep the opinions coming.

Cheers.

Can't be the same Chinese as mine! Definitely the fastest warmer upper I have had in 40 years and at least half a dozen conventional irons. The twenty quid was the deluxe version in a box with all the accessories.

Being honest, I also have an ancient 80W Weller as back up for big jobs. Now this DOES take some time to warm up and cool down!

Edited November 8, 2021 by doilum

[Torper]

Yes, don't write off all Chinese units.  My Aoyue was made in China and gave me years of very good service.  I believe that the CSI unit mentioned in this thread is made in China and gets very good reviews.  Hakko is headquartered in Japan but my FX-888D was made in Malaysia.   Weller?  Mainly Mexico now, it seems.  Only Antex appear to offer a UK-made product and even then their current brochure states that their products are made "in our factories both in the UK and overseas".  Nowadays the global market is such that you can get a unit purpotedly made in one country while the majority of its parts have been made elsewhere.

 

DT

[57xx]

The DCC one is waaay overpriced, you can get the exactly same unit for £81 from Maplin!

 

"To ensure that the heat is retained, you need watts, at least 40 of them IMO, more if possible." - Tip size is key here, more so than watts I would say, don't try using a 0.5mm tipped bit designed for soldering electrical circuits, it won't have the heat capacity to solder kits.

 

Personally, I'm using this solder station and finding it more than adequate for my needs.

[AdeMoore]

10 hours ago, KingEdwardII said:

I have both a 25W soldering iron and also a small gas jet (Dremel Versaflame). I find that it can be hard to apply sufficient heat to some brass kit components with the soldering iron and I got the gas jet specifically for those. e.g. when assembling semaphore signal components. 

 

Yours, Mike.

 

32 minutes ago, 57xx said:

The DCC one is waaay overpriced, you can get the exactly same unit for £81 from Maplin!

 

"To ensure that the heat is retained, you need watts, at least 40 of them IMO, more if possible." - Tip size is key here, more so than watts I would say, don't try using a 0.5mm tipped bit designed for soldering electrical circuits, it won't have the heat capacity to solder kits.

 

Personally, I'm using this solder station and finding it more than adequate for my needs.

Thanks both, Ric great find re DCC one thanks for that.

Also the one you have looks great value thanks also for that.

[RexAshton]

I've used a Circuit Specialists 75 watt solder station for the past 7 or 8 years. It's reliable, cost effective and UK sourced. No connection other than being a very satisfied customer.

[ianLMS]

I have one of these and built several brass, n/s and white metal kits worh it. The hot air is great at melting white metal solder into joints as well as using it for heat shrink. I have an 80w iron for thick brass, definately needed for boiler/smoke boxes where the thinkness of the brass needs super heating. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soldering-Temperature-Stabilization-Function-Electronic/dp/B08YD66SXZ/ref=asc_df_B08YD66SXZ/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=518826793409&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10213958045794576244&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006589&hvtargid=pla-1324095034465&psc=1

 

 

[Quarryscapes]

CSI premier user here. Works great, though for 16mm scale I prefer a small gas iron as the electric is just too dainty to get enough heat into large expanses of 1mm thick brass fast enough. I doubt the power output is anything like 75W but it heats up quick and holds temperature as expected. 

[RexAshton]

On 07/11/2021 at 09:15, Torper said:

I suppose if I was spending my own money I'd seriously consider that CSI one though I'm a bit suspicious that there's no mention of its temperature range.  Also, as the owner of an RSU, I rather like Dollum's suggestion above!

CSI Premier75 is from ambient to 480 with three adjustable pre-sets.

[AdeMoore]

Thanks all, the CSI seems to be up there in the satisfied modeller stakes.

Thinking that’s way to go.

Cheers.

[SR71]

Vote for gas irons here. Always found electric too laggy. I use an antex gascat and am very happy with it. I have a box of tips for white metal, brass, general bodging and swap them in and out. There is also no lead to trip over and drag the hot iron into the carpet.

[Torper]

On 07/11/2021 at 13:16, AdeMoore said:

Thanks all for your replies I’ve done the Chinese route and it’s rubbish.........

 

On 09/11/2021 at 21:31, AdeMoore said:

Thanks all, the CSI seems to be up there in the satisfied modeller stakes.  Thinking that’s way to go.

 

It is cheap Chinese..........

[AdeMoore]

@Torper. I’m going to take your and many others advice and give one a go! It’s almost £100 less with extra tips than the DCC one I was looking to buy.

Cheers all for the advice.

[RexAshton]

On 11/11/2021 at 11:57, Torper said:

 

 

It is cheap Chinese..........

7 years of semi pro modelling and it's still going strong. Chinese it may be, cheap it may be but it's still a quality product. Actions speak louder than words.