Soldering Iron

Hi Guys

In a total departure from my comfort zone, when I finish the 200mm figure, i have been asked to build the Revell Voyager for a friend, I would like to light the model and the lighting kits require soldering. Can anyone recommend a good quality soldering iron kit for this as I have never done it?

Cheers
G

Dremel versa tip gas iron.

No wires to restrict you, variable temps, several tips to chose from. No long waits for heating up

Perfect little iron, about 35 quid, I faff with electronics often and when youve used gas the electric ones seem prehistoric in their performance.

Thanks Colin, I'll have a look for one.

When I was doing a lot of slot racing I used to scratch build brass chassis and latterly spring steel chassis which needed a lot of heat, which meant using a soldering station similar to this one.....



However, I'm guessing you are only going to be soldering light electrical connections (LED'S) so you won't need either the power or the variability.

You won't go far wrong with a Weller iron and I'd recommend something like THIS

It has a pointed tip which is ideal for the type of soldering I think you are going to be doing and you can purchase a chissel ended tip for it too, if you need something a little larger.

One other thing..... have you soldered before?

Thanks Al, yes it will be LED and resistors. I'll take a look at those.
And no, I have never done it before so any advice would be appreciated. My friend doesn't know I'm going to light the kit and I want it to be a nice surprise and done properly.

'Cleanliness is next to Godliness' as the saying goes, should be your mantra when soldering. ie, your wires need to be free of any contaminant.... especially the greasy sort.

You need three hands. One to hold the solder, one to hold the iron and one to hold what you are soldering. I'll leave you to figure out your own way to so that.

Apply the soldering iron to your part to heat it up, when it's hot enough (a second or two with LED's) apply the solder where the iron tip meets the wire/LED.  The solder should 'flow' nicely. Remove solder first then the iron (if you remove the iron first, the solder may well stick to the joint) but whatever you do, DO NOT move the wires/parts for a few seconds. If you do you will get what is known as a 'dry joint':



This will inevitably fail both electrically and mechanically.

Don't worry if you do get a dry joint, just apply the soldering iron again the melt the solder, remove and once again don't move the joint for a few seconds. A good joint should be nice and shiney.

Finally, use a good quality resin core solder.

Oh! and practice, practice practice on scrap wire first.

HTH

Great advice Al and very much appreciated, thank you so much.
I'll get set up and have a play. Probably pick your brains too.

No problem, any time Gary. Here or via PM.

I also dabbled in slot car racing and some electronics.  Here in the U.S. there were ungainly fat irons until the soldering "gun" came along.  Then a very small soldering "pencil" became a fad with lesser heat needed on tiny connections on circuit boards. 
   If you're soldering tiny pieces, a small iron is good, but if you are working on a bigger piece, a gun or something that puts out the heat is best.
    I'm sure you'll find a lot on You Tube.  Finally, nobody has brought up the 2 types (are there still 2?) kinds of solder, regular and electrical.  Anyway, check Y.T. I'm no expert and seeing it done is the best way unless you've got a handy friend to show it in person.  It's really darn easy.

I do a lot of soldering, and use an ordinary soldering pencil. The key is to have it nice and hot, and use very little solder. It flows real easy when the iron and your work pieces are hot. And like Al said, use a good quality rosin core solder. And also make sure that the parts do not have any oxidation on them. When using brass, I polish or sand it up before soldering.

About the only time I use a torch is when I need to put down a lot of heat. And then, I have used an ordinary propane torch.

Thanks guys, your support and advice is really appreciated.