Soldering Irons

by Darlene
(Grapeview Washington)

I think my soldering iron now gets too hot and the thermostat may be haywire. The solder got so hot on my copper foil that it melted through to the other side that I had finished, making a real mess. If I am to purchase a new soldering iron, I have no idea of a good one from a bad one. What do you recommend. Do I need one with a temperature control?

Darlene

Answer

Hi Darlene,

There are many different brands and styles of soldering irons from terrible to excellent, and everyone has their favorite. Mine is the Weller 100 watt professional soldering iron.

If you are not doing production work or just do stained glass as a hobby, the Weller 80 watt iron would be a good choice also. Weller irons have a built in thermostat that is controlled by the tip you use. You can get a 60 watt, 80 watt or the very difficult to find 100 watt tip. You don't need a temp controller as it really messes up the irons controller.

Another excellent iron is the Hakko 60 Watt Super Pro or Hakko 85 Watt iron. I have not used one, but I know people that have one and nobody has anything bad to say about the Hakko. The 85 watt iron has a temp controller built in just like the Weller.

You asked about a controller. I don't use one (never have), and I teach my students to solder without using one. I don't feel that they're a necessary piece of equipment. If you get the Weller or the Hakko 85 Watt, you won't need one either.

Perhaps other people reading this will tell us about their experiences with soldering irons and temp controllers.