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My wife bought me a 100 watt soldering gun as a "just because" gift today but I'm afraid to use it on my passive harnesses for fear of overheating. What say you all?

Don't do it!

jps wrote:Don't do it!

+1 100 watts seems like way more than you need for working on your bass when 25 watts should do it. Either get a dimmer box for it or take up stained glass.

Crud... I feel bad because my wife bought it with that in mind (I was griping about my crummy iron the other day). I feel bad... guess you're right Kira, stained glass it is.

You can rig up a dimmer switch in an electrical box and control the power - I've done that, but I'm guessing the tip might be a bit clunky for guitar work ... you could make it work with a little modification. Or maybe she can trade it back for a lighter one ...

kiramdear wrote:

jps wrote:Don't do it!

+1 100 watts seems like way more than you need for working on your bass when 25 watts should do it. Either get a dimmer box for it or take up stained glass.

With respect, I disagree. I have two guns, one 25w the other 100w. I find the larger one is better, even in delicate wiring, because the extra heat melts the solder much quicker, (almost instantaneously) - meaning just a quick touch and you're done, as opposed to the 25w which although it only needs to be applied for a couple of seconds, tends to transfer more heat in the process. ...... just my 2c worth.

I wouldn't argue with you, Vic, if someone has the finesse or experience in soldering. I don't know what skill level Joshua is at ...

kiramdear wrote:I wouldn't argue with you, Vic, if someone has the finesse or experience in soldering. I don't know what skill level Joshua is at ...

Somewhere between "n00b" and "jeenious" I think. Actually I've probably got around 50 hours of soldering experience and the results of my work are usually fine, plus Scott Pope mentored me in it when I got my start which was a big plus. But all the same I don't know if I trust myself with 100 watts of juice.

Went ahead and told my thoughtful wife to return the soldering gun, and went back to using the crusty iron tonight. Megan always keeps the receipt, God bless her. What kills me is that I hate having her take something back when it was such a thoughtful gesture. Then again maybe SHE wants to get into stained glass, she is a materials artist on the side after all...

It's the thought that counts. She sounds like a great lady for you.

it is good thing to have around, i use one on lot of things as well + it is big enough to do big things with ...and exactly - it can get hot quickly enough - which is good thing. the only neg thing is that it will be useless on new solder without led for that you will have to trade up to like 700w

A 40 watter is a good all rounder for guitar work, I have one that is like the squier version of a Weller, and it keeps me out of trouble...

emac.

High wattage irons usually have a higher temperature than lower wattage electronics irons. However, the main thing is not necessarily that it is hotter, but that it’s able to keep the temperature up where a low wattage iron would lose its temperature quickly. Like when soldering onto the back of a pot heat spreads to the pot, the iron loses its temperature, and, a low wattage iron will not be able to keep the temperature up, and you’ll have to hold the iron onto the pot longer to get it heated up enough for the solder to run properly.

A small, low wattage iron is convenient for normal electronics and wiring work, but nothing more.
Myself, I’m actually on my way right now to buy a 100W iron in order to solder back the cover on a pickup where my 60W iron was not up for the jobb.

The magnetism in the transformed of a soldering gun can affect some electronic components in a negative way. I have never had a problem soldeing anything a a guitar on my almost 40 year old Ungar iron. It has interchangeable heating elements at various wattages and is a precursor to todays soldering stations. To solder to the back of a pot simply sand the back of the pot and tin it along with the wire end before soldering.

As others have said, the power isn't as important as the ability to deliver the necessary heat and maintain it. Bigger wattage irons/guns are often physically bigger too, which makes them more difficult to use for small things and in tight places. They are also prone to destroying delicate parts if you lack the skill to know when you're toasting stuff.

There are numerous temperature controlled soldering irons/stations out there, which are far better than the cheapie irons that most people get. They cost more but are well worth it if you are even semi-serious about doing good soldering work.

Personally, I use one of these: It's 100W, but is precise enough to do fine pitch surface mount work (the stuff you need a microscope to see), and powerful enough to solder to a pot case in less than 3 seconds. But these aren't cheap, probably a couple hundred used on ebay, around $500 new.

I used to use Weller WTCP series soldering stations, they are just fine for general purpose electronics work and are often available fairly cheaply on ebay.

weemac wrote:A 40 watter is a good all rounder for guitar work, I have one that is like the squier version of a Weller, and it keeps me out of trouble...

emac.

I'd recommend 40W also - less and you will have real problems soldering grounds to potentiometer cases. Vic's point of more heat and a quick hand because of less overall heating is also good advice, given the skills to use it that way.