Another soldering iron recommendation request

YellowLedBetterMan

I know, I know, this has been asked a thousand times. Problem is, I've gone to some of those older pages and half the time the links are broken, and the other half I can't find the products people mention.

I'm after a not-too-expensive soldering iron. Fact is I'm growing tired of spending £40 a pop and a weeks turn around getting a set of pickups swapped in and out of guitars, so think I need to learn how to do it myself.

It wouldn't be used all the time, just for the odd aforementioned pickup swap and/or any wiring repairs that may come up like swapping pots or capacitors every now and then. Probably won't need some massive gas powered fishing rod sized behemoth capable of getting up to a billion degrees or whatever.

I have no idea what a decent one would even cost. There's the ebay/amazon cheapies, there's the more upmarket stuff that costs hundreds of quid. I don't even know what is or isn't really necessary or what end of that spectrum I'd need to look at.

What do people recommend? Is it even worth getting one if it's only going to be used every few months or so?

stickyfiddle

I love my TS100 but you probably don't want to spend that much for a couple of pickup swaps a year. 

For that purpose you can't go far wrong with basic stuff from Weller or Antex - you should be able to get a reasonable kit including a stand for 50 quid or so

PrecisionGuided

The Samson temp controlled station is excellent value, solid and reliable, and you can get replacement bits, irons etc.

It's the ZD-929C model 

Like this...  Eagle Professional Soldering Station with Temperature Control & Digital Display 5021196043652 | eBay

YellowLedBetterMan

PrecisionGuided said:

The Samson temp controlled station is excellent value, solid and reliable, and you can get replacement bits, irons etc.

It's the ZD-929C model 

Like this...  Eagle Professional Soldering Station with Temperature Control & Digital Display 5021196043652 | eBay

Cheers, that's ordered. Now I just need to find out what solder to buy and where from.

This really is a rabbit hole that's deeper than I thought it'd be.

PrecisionGuided

Solder is another can of worms... There's the whole lead-free thing.
LF solder is harder to use well and unnecessary for casual home use.

IMHO it's better to stick to old style leaded 60/40 solder - this is what's found in older guitars and amps.

For general use I'd recommend 60/40 (tin/lead) flux core solder in 1.5mm or 1.2mm thickness 180 -190°C Melting Point.

Solder prices have gone up big-time and it can be expensive.
The minimum quantity you want is a 250g roll -  a 500g roll will last a while.

https://cpc.farnell.com/duratool/d01683/solder-wire-sn60-pb40-1-2mm-500g/dp/SD01537?st=60%2040%20solder  or similar

PrecisionGuided

And you'll want one of these brass 'wool' tip cleaners too....
Soldering Tip Iron Cleaner, Solder Tip Cleaning Wire, Soldering Tip Cleaning Ball and Base, Holder Soft Coiled Brass Tip Cleaner Kit (No Water) : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

This plus the damp sponge will keep your tip clean - clean and tin regularly.

OilCityPickups

PrecisionGuided said:

Solder is another can of worms... There's the whole lead-free thing.
LF solder is harder to use well and unnecessary for casual home use.

IMHO it's better to stick to old style leaded 60/40 solder - this is what's found in older guitars and amps.

For general use I'd recommend 60/40 (tin/lead) flux core solder in 1.5mm or 1.2mm thickness 180 -190°C Melting Point.

Solder prices have gone up big-time and it can be expensive.
The minimum quantity you want is a 250g roll -  a 500g roll will last a while.

https://cpc.farnell.com/duratool/d01683/solder-wire-sn60-pb40-1-2mm-500g/dp/SD01537?st=60%2040%20solder  or similar

We recommend Lynx lead free solder - it's what we use for our pickups and is just as easy to use as lead/tin with a good iron.