Soldering gun tip melted, WTF
03-15-2012, 03:20 PM
#1
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Soldering gun tip melted, WTF
http://www.harborfreight.com/180-wat...-gun-4328.html
I have the above posted solder gun and the U shaped tip it came with melted on the bottom bar and split in 2. Is this a flaw in this design of the equipment or should I chock it up to flaw in the metal? Or was I just keeping it on for to long as I was using some thick solder that I i had laying around.
I have the above posted solder gun and the U shaped tip it came with melted on the bottom bar and split in 2. Is this a flaw in this design of the equipment or should I chock it up to flaw in the metal? Or was I just keeping it on for to long as I was using some thick solder that I i had laying around.
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03-15-2012, 04:11 PM
#3
I would say it is most likely a flaw in the design of the soldering gun. If you're buying something from Harbor Freight, you usually get 1-2 uses from it. It's a great store if you are only planning on using the tool once, but if you are planning on frequently using something I would get it from somewhere more reputable. Maybe they have some tools there that are decent, but I have purchased quite a few things from thing in the past and 90% of them have been complete garbage. I had to buy 3 different timing lights to get one that would actually work. But I only needed the thing for 10 minutes, and it was $12 compared to the $100 they charge at Auto Zone.
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03-16-2012, 10:34 AM
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Shouldn't be soldering to harness in bay. Solder has a low melting point and susceptable to failing due to vibratings/heat. Crimps are best--then solder those connections to play it safe.
Last edited by Braineack; 03-16-2012 at 11:12 AM.
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03-16-2012, 10:55 AM
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Get some better tips and you'll be OK. I have a weller gun and a pencil. The pencil is great for bench work or fine wire/tight locations. The gun works good for heavy gauge wire (ignition switch wiring or other 8-12 gauge) or for some in-vehicle work. I used it a lot for car stereo work back in the day when I did that for a living. It heats and cools quickly so I can leave it on the ground by the car, etc. until I'm ready for it.
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03-16-2012, 12:39 PM
#11
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You set the base on top of the valve cover. It makes a perfect work surface.
Of the 3 or 4 irons which I own, I only use one of them for 99.9% of my work. It's an old Weller analog adjustable iron with a base, similar to what FaeFauna posted.
Mazda used solder inside the injector harness on the 1.6 cars. Peel yours open and look.
There's nothing wrong with soldering under the hood so long as you do it right and don't subject the soldered joint to a lot of flexing. My '92 had solder joints in the ignition harness, the crank sensor, the ECU harness, the water injection harness, and the sub-harness that serviced all of the temp sensors, knock sensor, aux grounds, and wastegate bypass solenoid.
If you own the correct tools and connectors to do a factory-style crimp then yes, they're awesome. But if your idea of a crimped connector is one of those plastic barrels that you squeeze with a pliers-like tool, then even if you have the fancy $50 ratcheting crimp tool like I do, I wouldn't even try to compare such a connection to a factory crimp. They're not in the same league. I'd solder a hundred connections under the hood before I used a single barrel connector in a critical application. Whenever I do need one (such a putting a ring onto a ground wire) I always solder it after crimping.
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03-16-2012, 02:53 PM
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FWIW, I always crimp, solder and then double shrink tube - one over he solder, and another over the whole connection, covering halfway up the terminal - and finally appropriate sized split sheathing.
Takes a few extra minutes, but it's safer that way. And, no headaches down the line.
Takes a few extra minutes, but it's safer that way. And, no headaches down the line.
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03-16-2012, 04:52 PM
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That doesnt mean that everybody needs that.
This was done with a 20/40 watt radioshack iron (not by me):
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