[WayTooCrazy]

 I looked through the forums, and didn't see anything that really discussed an important aspect of our hobby.  The Soldering Station!  I've used a few different types, and 'am currently in search of my next station.  I bought this one, which is difficult to find tips for, and frankly, I'm not impressed with.
 

 
I've had it for some time and it's earned me some money (used it while selling cables under SWZ name).  Now, I'm more into personal DIY and I don't like to buy pre-done cables, so... now for a new one.  I'm looking to see what everyone else uses, let us know how you like it, etc.  I'm sure there are some nice ones out there for a bargain!  We also like to look at the high end Luxury ones too!  So post some pics and lets discuss SOLDERING STATIONS!

 

[wakibaki]

You can just make out my soldering iron on the floor near the lantern to the right of the keyboard...
 

 

 
w

 

[WayTooCrazy]

Oh yea, there it is... NICE!  What kind is it?

 

[bagman13]

wakibaki have you ever heard of something called a shelf? or cuboard? They are amazing things which you can put things away in.

 

[Avro_Arrow]

I would show you mine but my wife appropriated my workspace...
 

 
Edit: you should try finding a dropped SMD component in that carpet...

 

[wakibaki]

Quote:

Oh yea, there it is... NICE!  What kind is it?

It's a Maplin (Brit Company) variable temp item. A lot of people have given them poor reviews, but I like it. It's not really temperature controlled although it claims to be, but you can turn the power up and down, and it wasn't expensive. Mostly I like being able to turn up replacement bits for it on my little lathe. I've used a wide variety of irons in industry, but I like having one that will melt pretty much anything if I turn it up.
 
Quote:

wakibaki have you ever heard of something called a shelf? or cuboard? They are amazing things which you can put things away in.

Shelves. Yes. You make two stacks of books and put a plank across between them that you can put more books on.
 
Cupboard. A room for keeping things in, too small to be useful. 
 
Jealousy will get you nowhere... 

 
w
 

 

[beerguy0]

Hakko 928 (Dual head iron, tip temp individually controllable.)
 
Great for SMD work, especially removing parts (just use the two irons to lift the parts from the board).
This was my bench iron at work, until we replaced the Hakkos with Metcal irons. Metcal irons totally rock, but are crazy expensive for home use.
 

 

[WayTooCrazy]

I was looking at one in RadioShack, but.... decided to think more upon it.  It was a digital one, and looked interesting...

 

[WayTooCrazy]

I ended up purchasing the Hakko FX888 from Amazon...

 

[GoldiLocks]

Quote:

Hakko 928 (Dual head iron, tip temp individually controllable.)
 
Great for SMD work, especially removing parts (just use the two irons to lift the parts from the board).
This was my bench iron at work, until we replaced the Hakkos with Metcal irons. Metcal irons totally rock, but are crazy expensive for home use.
 

Brilliant. I hate having to remove large parts with only one iron. I usually end up borrowing a friends cheap iron for stuff like that and its a pain to get them to comparable temperatures etc.  How much did it run you?
 

 

[beerguy0]

Quote:

Brilliant. I hate having to remove large parts with only one iron. I usually end up borrowing a friends cheap iron for stuff like that and its a pain to get them to comparable temperatures etc.  How much did it run you?
 

That's the best part - this was my old bench iron at work (I'm an Engineering Tech, working in product development). When the company switched over to Metcals, we all got to take our Hakko irons home. So, it cost me $0. This thing is probably at least 15 years old, still works great. I'm the original owner - got it brand new when we got rid of our non-ESD Weller irons. (I gave the Weller to another Head-Fier a year or so ago - I had no use for two irons at home.)
 
I just Googled it - apparently you can still buy them, cost is around $360.
 

 

[Peixe]

UPS delivered my brand new Weller WESD51 soldering station today! The only problem is, I ordered it from Amazon (US), and I live in Europe. So naturally it won't work without a converter. Usually I don't order electronics, but for some reason I forgot about the difference in voltage and frequency, and when I realized it it was too late. But I've ordered a 100W converter from Germany, so I pray that will work.
 
Will upload pics soon, just need to clean my room first.

 

[BenAdamson]

Slightly off-topic, but I'm looking for a cheap soldering iron (<£25) that would be good for getting me started with basic DIY audio. Of course, lower wattage ones will be cooler and therefore easier to work with for small PCBs etc, but are there any downsides to something like this? I wouldn't be doing much more than PCB/veroboard work, and a small tip might be a nice feature. What is the best tip shape for this stuff?

 

[GoldiLocks]

Quote:

That's the best part - this was my old bench iron at work (I'm an Engineering Tech, working in product development). When the company switched over to Metcals, we all got to take our Hakko irons home. So, it cost me $0. This thing is probably at least 15 years old, still works great. I'm the original owner - got it brand new when we got rid of our non-ESD Weller irons. (I gave the Weller to another Head-Fier a year or so ago - I had no use for two irons at home.)
 
I just Googled it - apparently you can still buy them, cost is around $360.
 

That's a handy perk.  Someday I might get a lucky break like that, but for now I'm afraid I'll have to make do with what I have. That price is a little steep for a hobbyist like myself.  Not that I'm complaining of course; my little $20 iron has done me proud so far and I'd hate to jinx it
 

 

[GoldiLocks]

Quote:

Slightly off-topic, but I'm looking for a cheap soldering iron (<£25) that would be good for getting me started with basic DIY audio. Of course, lower wattage ones will be cooler and therefore easier to work with for small PCBs etc, but are there any downsides to something like this? I wouldn't be doing much more than PCB/veroboard work, and a small tip might be a nice feature. What is the best tip shape for this stuff?

The only problem I see with the iron you've linked is a matter of power. At 12 watts it may not be hot enough for you to get good clean joints without damaging anything. Also the tip may or may not be replaceable on it.
 
Here's a link to a video by Tangent that covers the kind of equipment you'll want to look at for your project. He covers the topic better than I can, and I'd suggest going through his other tutorials before ever touching iron to solder.
 
I'm not here to advertise, but this is the iron I have.  It's cheap, includes a stand, the tip is small and exchangeable, and it has performed very nicely for me.
 
EDIT: Grammar