I bought a Weller gun recently to unsolder some can capacitors from a
steel chassis. I was totally dissapointed when I got home and unpacked
the gun. This gun is not the same as my daddy had about 40 years ago.
It was a cheap piece of ****. I tried with all my might to get that
thing to work. The tip was flimsy, the set screws to connect the tip
were flimsy and the two tubes that come out were so flimsy that they
would short themselves out whenever a little bit of pressure was put on
the tip. I tried boosting the voltage into the gun until the core was
humming real good. With about 140v into the thing the plastic handle
was too hot to touch and I could see smoke coming out of the handle. I
took it back and told the guy at the True-value store it didn't work
and smelt funny when I used it. I told him I thought the secondary was
shorted. Heheh.

Suggest you buy a butane (cigarette lighter gas) soldering iron with
adjustable gas flow to change temperature.
These irons come with different kathalytic burner bits and have a capacity
of well over 100 Watts equivalent.
Electric soldering guns are prone to failure and don't sink much heat into
the object to be soldered.

Frank GM0CSZ / KN6WH
==============================================
I bought a Weller gun recently to unsolder some can capacitors from a
steel chassis. I was totally dissapointed when I got home and unpacked
the gun. This gun is not the same as my daddy had about 40 years ago.
It was a cheap piece of ****. I tried with all my might to get that
thing to work. The tip was flimsy, the set screws to connect the tip
were flimsy and the two tubes that come out were so flimsy that they
would short themselves out whenever a little bit of pressure was put on
the tip. I tried boosting the voltage into the gun until the core was
humming real good. With about 140v into the thing the plastic handle
was too hot to touch and I could see smoke coming out of the handle. I
took it back and told the guy at the True-value store it didn't work
and smelt funny when I used it. I told him I thought the secondary was
shorted. Heheh.

Hm, everybody has his own solution. I happily use an old Weller gun or
small butane torch for putting a PL-259 onto an RG-8 size cable, as I
have for decades. I keep the cable straight so the center conductor ends
up where it belongs when the insulation cools. I never use PL-259s for
RG-58 or RG-59 size cable anymore -- I always use BNC instead. I've got
a box full of adapters to use whenever I need to connect to anything
else. Both BNC connectors and BNC-to-anything adapters are readily
available on eBay. Actually, I don't use RG-8 size cable very often, and
recently I've been putting N connectors on it when I do.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

I use my old Wen model 450 gun with a 45A7 heavy duty soldering tip. This
combination is powerful enough to solder the old fashioned galvanized roof
spouting if necessary.
John, N9JG
http://tinyurl.com/9cpcf

"Roy Lewallen" wrote in message
...
Hm, everybody has his own solution. I happily use an old Weller gun or
small butane torch for putting a PL-259 onto an RG-8 size cable, as I have
for decades. I keep the cable straight so the center conductor ends up
where it belongs when the insulation cools. I never use PL-259s for RG-58
or RG-59 size cable anymore -- I always use BNC instead. I've got a box
full of adapters to use whenever I need to connect to anything else. Both
BNC connectors and BNC-to-anything adapters are readily available on eBay.
Actually, I don't use RG-8 size cable very often, and recently I've been
putting N connectors on it when I do.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

"Roy Lewallen" bravely wrote to "All" (04 Nov 05 17:30:23)
--- on the heady topic of " Problem with soldering gun"

RL From: Roy Lewallen
RL Xref: core-easynews rec.radio.amateur.homebrew:88731

RL Hm, everybody has his own solution. I happily use an old Weller gun or
RL small butane torch for putting a PL-259 onto an RG-8 size cable, as I
RL have for decades. I keep the cable straight so the center conductor
RL ends up where it belongs when the insulation cools. I never use
RL PL-259s for RG-58 or RG-59 size cable anymore -- I always use BNC
RL instead. I've got a box full of adapters to use whenever I need to
RL connect to anything else. Both BNC connectors and BNC-to-anything
RL adapters are readily available on eBay. Actually, I don't use RG-8
RL size cable very often, and recently I've been putting N connectors on
RL it when I do.
RL Roy Lewallen, W7EL

If you want some *real* heat, rip the carbon rods out of a couple of C
or D batteries. Cut just one wire of a bedside table lamp in the middle.
Strip the ends and wrap one wire around one carbon rod and the same
with the other on the remaining rod. Hold the rod ends clamped by
wooden clothes pins so that the wires are pressed into the rod. Keep
the rods apart and plug in the lamp. Turn on the lamp, then bring the
rods close together. You should develop a nice arc that will blind you
momentarily and leave you seeing blue spots for a few hours. However,
the arc will have been hotter than the surface of the Sun. But you can
melt paper clips and glass marbles with it. A welders mask may help
with the spotty vision.

Disclaimer: Do not try this in the shower. Objects may appear blurrier
than they really are temporarily but perhaps permanently. Results may
vary with the wattage of the bedside table lamp.

A*s*i*m*o*v

.... This product has been cruelly tested on cute little furry animals.

This is important. There are TWO things to consider. Wattage and heat
capacity. Small tips have low heat capacity. A 100W old fashioned "big
birtha", the kind with the 1/2 inch diameter, 2-1/2 inch long tip will out
perform ANY "gun" when trying to do large work. You need that stored up
heat to heat a large thing.

Steve N.


"Highland Ham" wrote in message
...
Suggest you buy a butane (cigarette lighter gas) soldering iron with
adjustable gas flow to change temperature.
These irons come with different kathalytic burner bits and have a capacity
of well over 100 Watts equivalent.
Electric soldering guns are prone to failure and don't sink much heat into
the object to be soldered.

Frank GM0CSZ / KN6WH
==============================================
I bought a Weller gun recently to unsolder some can capacitors from a
steel chassis. I was totally dissapointed

wrote in message
oups.com...
I bought a Weller gun recently to unsolder some can capacitors from a
steel chassis. I was totally dissapointed ...

Well of course. Even with my 40 year ole Weller it would be a bad idea.
Guns are for small work only-- always was, always will be.

Steve N.