[chrislangley4253]

hello, I have two solid silver headphone cables. One is 4 conductor and going on my portapros the other is 8 conductor and going on my Grados. Any advice on what iron to buy? Do I need flux?
 
Also, any advice on the steps of the process or how to tell which wire goes where would be great. (I'm not sure if I can do that without a multimeter, I'm sure I can find or borrow one though.) Any links to any advice would be awesome too. Anything you throw at me to help make this a bit easier would be greatly appreciated. this will pretty much be my first time soldering. So go easy on me
 
Chris

 

[chrislangley4253]

found out I won't be needing flux and I'll figure out how to figure out what goes where. I'm still looking for advice on an iron though.

 

[rsgladwin85]

I personally own the Weller WLC100.  They have it at testequipmentdepot.com for $40.  Pick up one of more ST7 tips for it as well, you need something with a fine point.  They sell the tips at at the same site.  I don't know if you could find a better soldering station for the money.  You might also want to pick up something called a "helping hands" stand.  They usually come with a magnifying glass and two alligator clips to hold things you're working on in place.
 
I would also suggest that you find a good soldering guide, if for nothing else, just for the safety instructions as they can be very dangerous in inexperienced hands.

 

[chrislangley4253]

I did the recable with a cheapo 30 watt iron that I found in the tool box. The recable on my portapros went very smoothly. The grados were a bit more difficult with the 8 conductor cable.. I think I would have greatly benefited with another pair of hands.. i'll probably redo the job once I have someone to help me hold the cables in place, but it still turned out pretty decent. 

 

[rsgladwin85]

Glad to hear it came out ok.  That helping hands stand would have come in handy.  Oh and you've heard the rule, pics or it didnt happen.

 

[chrislangley4253]

Quote:

Glad to hear it came out ok.  That helping hands stand would have come in handy.  Oh and you've heard the rule, pics or it didnt happen.

alright.. I'll break out the camera sometime tonight.