[suhaybh]

So I really want to begin the art of soldering but I know absolutely nothing of it. I was hoping to start this thread so that other noobs like me could easily find out which materials are great to start off with. I really want to make my own mini3 amp and be comfortable with recabling headphones. I am guessing I would need a soldering iron with a thin tip. What should the tip be made out of? Most cheap ones are made out of iron but apparently gold is better. I am basically looking for a soldering iron I could use for a long time.

 

[lbj]

Never heard of a soldering iron made of gold.  I've done my share of DIY soldering and I just use a cheap Weller station.  Weller tips are interchangeable and come in different sizes, and you can find them everywhere.  Better irons may offer more precise heat control but will be considerably more expensive.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WLC100-Soldering-Hobbyist--Yourselfer/dp/B000AS28UC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298489855&sr=8-1

 

[scootermafia]

If you want an iron with good resellability that will last and be reliable, check out the Metcal SP200s that are going on eBay, lots of reconditioned ones for $200...they heat up in about 6 seconds and they deliver really continuous heat at the minimum temperature...I love em.

 

[suhaybh]

$200 is definitely way out of my range. I was looking at a 25 watt soldering iron from Weller. Not too concerned about resale ability. What watt conformation should I get if I limit my work to DIY portable amps like mini3 or cmoy and headphone recabling? As I understand the higher wattage leads to a hotter iron. As a beginner should I get a soldering iron with lower wattage?

 

[lbj]

A 25w iron is good for general purpose usage, but may be too much for small circuit boards, and too little for other things like cable/connectors.  I would go with a variable power iron like the one I linked to.  It goes from 5 to 40 watts, pretty good range for all but the biggest jobs.

 

[suhaybh]

Would you mind expand on "the biggest jobs"?

 

[sml1226]

Look at cars with 4AWG down to 0AWG in some cases, there's something a 40W will never be able to do.

I'm going over to Weller as soon as I need something new, so I suggest going with the one lbj linked to.

 

[WalkGood]

That one on amazon is a bit pricy for what it is, you can get a decent Stahl variable temperature soldering station from partsexpress for $15.00 and that should do you fine through the learning curve. With the variable temp you shouldn't have a problem with small circuit boards. I've had a cheapo for years and it works fine for all my cable projects and if it breaks you're not out that much. I would also recommend helping hands for another $6.00, it's certainly helped me accomplish super small 3.5mm IC's and mini-bridge IC's easily. Google up a tutorial, there's plenty on the net and have fun with your new hobby.
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=374-100   
 
http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=360-670%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20&FTR=helping%20hands
 
Edit: I almost forgot, you should look at getting some extra small tips too, that should help with your amp project, normally you can find them on partsexpress too for around $5.00, good luck

 

[Prog Rock Man]

You Tube has loads of videos on soldering and is how I learned. I bought most of my stuff off Amazon or ebay and ended up with this lot
 
       
 
So a heat proof mat, various wire cutters and a wire stripper, a ball of wire wool to clean the soldering iron tip, a holder for the soldering iron and the helping hands. The soldering iron was the most expensive item at about £20, the rest was £10 or less.

 

[jononku]

I concur with an earlier posting suggesting a variable wattage iron.  I started messing around with speakers a few years back (crossovers, re-capping, etc...) and started with a cheapie single wattage iron.  I think it was 30W, but depending on what I was doing and type of solder I was using, found it to be too much or too little.  I spent a few bucks more and got the variable type and have never looked back.

 

[balderon]

May I suggest taking some time to review DIY Beginners Guide?

 

[Uncle Erik]

Good suggestions so far.

But you really need to get hands-on with soldering, screw around and learn.

Do not make your first solder joints on a project.

Go to Radio Shack, get some cheap breadboards and bags of their cheapest components. Doesn't matter what, just get the cheap stuff. Practice soldering a couple hundred cheap resistors to the breadboards. Get a little spool of wire, too. Practice stripping it and soldering it to the breadboard. Once you can get clean joints, then you can start on a project.

Watch the soldering videos, too. You'll learn a lot, then apply it to your breadboards, components and wire.

Don't expect it to be perfect at first. Just keep trying different things until you can quickly make clean, shiny joints. Don't worry, you'll get there with some practice. Eventually, it'll be second nature and you'll be able to make all sorts of wonderful things.

 

[Prog Rock Man]

I bought some cheap bell wire to practice on. I found tinning the wire to be hard at first, but when I started to produce one shiny solder after another it was very satisfying.

 

[TheLaw]

I vote for a WLC100. Love that thing.

 

[Rdr. Seraphim]

I've had my Edsyn 951SX going on something like 15+ years. A great reliable iron.