Soldering iron kit ? cheap and cheerful or anything to know about ?

[weeksy]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from ... t&_sacat=0

Need to tidy up the wiring on the bicycle trailer after a few issues. However the wiring is really thin and weedy. So i was thinking a bit of solder at the end of each wire would help. They have the connectors where you screw in a little threaded jobby which holds the wire.... but it's a bit naff.


Thoughts ?

[Count Steer]

You'll probably be fine with a cheap and cheerful, simple 'stick' soldering iron. I managed with one and a roll of 5-core solder for occasional use for years and years.

I did buy a spendy, professional soldering station (adjustable thermostat, multiple bits etc) eventually for a job that needed a couple of weeks of repetitive, precision soldering but still use the old cheapo if its just a case of getting a bit of solder on a wire end.

One thing I did find was that the old solder I had worked better than some of the modern stuff for some jobs (I think they had to change it because of the lead in the old stuff).

If you were a bit closer you could borrow the kit but it'd cost more in fuel than a soldering iron.

PS I think you can get little copper sleeves to put on the wire ends, they might help too.

[weeksy]

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/number-pl ... mc=8313327

Considering it's only a fiver more, i may just even buy a new light board instead. Then i know it's 100%

[Count Steer]

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/number-pl ... mc=8313327

Considering it's only a fiver more, i may just even buy a new light board instead. Then i know it's 100%

£10.99 for a Draper soldering iron + a couple of quid for a roll of solder. Which you'd then have for any other work. Fix the old lighting board!

(My super-duper one was £160 - but it did pay for itself - I don't think you need to go that far )

[weeksy]

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/number-pl ... mc=8313327

Considering it's only a fiver more, i may just even buy a new light board instead. Then i know it's 100%

£10.99 for a Draper soldering iron + a couple of quid for a roll of solder. Which you'd then have for any other work. Fix the old lighting board!

(My super-duper one was £160 - but it did pay for itself - I don't think you need to go that far )

well the lights are held on with electrical tape, it's cracked, split and broken.... the wiring is just one part of a bigger issue

[Count Steer]

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/number-pl ... mc=8313327

Considering it's only a fiver more, i may just even buy a new light board instead. Then i know it's 100%

£10.99 for a Draper soldering iron + a couple of quid for a roll of solder. Which you'd then have for any other work. Fix the old lighting board!

(My super-duper one was £160 - but it did pay for itself - I don't think you need to go that far )

well the lights are held on with electrical tape, it's cracked, split and broken.... the wiring is just one part of a bigger issue

Ah. Buy the new one. (But treat yourself to a soldering iron too ).

[Gregor]

Don't get a Draper like this, it’s shit, takes an age to get to hot.



I replaced it with the gas Rothenberger below, smaller, much easier to use without a cable getting in the way and runs on butane lighter gas.

[MrLongbeard]

Weller or nothing, but OK maybe a tad OTT for you.

[dern]

Anything will be ok for tinning the end of the wires.

I bought a more powerful one for car and bike where you can turn the power right up for bigger stuff and it made life a lot easier. In the past I was trying to apply two stick soldering irons at once and apply solder and hold all the wires... many small burns

[KungFooBob]

You can't mention soldering with me thinking of this picture...

[dern]

Ha ha ha, that was a cracker!

[wull]

I’ve got two soldering kits which weren’t overly expensive and they work a treat. It’s more to do with how you use them and keeping the tip “tinned” which will prolong its use and have it working as efficiently as possible.

The cheap ones will work perfectly fine with the thinner wire, I have an adjustable one as well which is ideal for thinner gauge wire but the other non adjustable one works a treat as well.

[wull]

Haha bloody hell! Not quite the same but kind of, it reminds me of that Amazon advert with the woman who’s doing an engineering course with them or whatever it is and you see her using a ratchet spanner on a nut, turning it, to put on again to turn some more essentially using it like a normal non ratchet spanner……….she’ll go far!

[Count Steer]

Weller or nothing, but OK maybe a tad OTT for you.

but Atten stuff is pretty good too.

I quite like the little gas ones like Gregors. Shame I don't need another one.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

My trailer connections are with the screw in connectors like yours, no problems in 3 years.

But if you want a soldering iron for those it's going to need to be a good one to get the brass connectors hot enough for the solder to stick.

[weeksy]

My trailer connections are with the screw in connectors like yours, no problems in 3 years.

But if you want a soldering iron for those it's going to need to be a good one to get the brass connectors hot enough for the solder to stick.

That's nice.... however mine is 10+ years old and i do have issues : )

I was soldering the wires, not the brass connectors.

Either way, it can go on job B now anyway as i have a new lighboard on the way.

[Lutin]

But if you want a soldering iron for those it's going to need to be a good one to get the brass connectors hot enough for the solder to stick.

I don't think that Weeksy was intending to solder to the brass connectors, just to solder the ends of the wires.

However the wiring is really thin and weedy. So i was thinking a bit of solder at the end of each wire would help.

As said, a simple stick soldering iron would do the job.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Don't blame you, best solution

[Big Red]

Search for Portasol gas soldering iron.
Much better and more flexible than a plug in and easier to control heat with it being gas. Used for years on a regular basis and my plug in is never used anymore.

[DefTrap]

I just use one of the chippy-chip generic adjustable ones like this

I have a better one (weller trigger type) but tbh the cheap one just works, it's not like you need to be an artisan solderer most of the time.