100v soldering iron

[Phil Pascoe]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HAKKO-Japan- ... SwymxVIjcB

It's 47W AC100V 50/60Hz - is there any reason I can't run it off a 110v transformer?

 

[Rorschach]

It would run a little bit hotter so the temperature guide would be a bit off. Unless it has a built in thermostat (unlikely)

 

[Phil Pascoe]

That wouldn't matter as I can set the temperature by trial and error then remove the adjuster - they are designed to be locked, apparently. It's only me using it and and then for one purpose only.

 

[lurker]

At sixty quid it is getting close to a £100 100 watt weller.

My stained glass class all get a discount card from the supplies place in Bristol

 

[Phil Pascoe]

There's no discount on tools, though The tutor on my classes has three dead Wellers, and she knows another tutor with five. They can't even get replies to emails from Weller, and I've read many reviews saying exactly the same. It doesn't fill me with confidence in Weller, that's why I'm looking at other options.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Incidentally, from what I've read the design and method of heating of the Hakko is supposed to be more efficient than that of the Weller, so it doesn't need so much power.

 

[John Brown]

Same old question - where does the wasted energy go?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Same place the wasted energy goes when I put the electric blanket on instead of heating the whole bungalow, I expect.

 

[Racers]

Same old question - where does the wasted energy go?

No wasted energy, it's controlled by switch it on and off.
On half the time half as hot as half the time it's cooling down.

Pete

 

[John Brown]

So why would one be more efficient than the other, if it's a pure heating device?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Because the Weller type has a coil that heats parts that really don't need heating, and the Hakko has an element that heats only the working tip, apparently, making less wattage more efficiently ............. according to their literature.

 

[John Brown]

Well I'll take your/their word for that. The picture seems to show the conventional element with replaceable bit construction. I thought maybe it was similar to the Metcal, but apparently not.
Still, it seems to be much loved by the stained glass folks, judging from the Amazon reviews, and that super efficiency may even compensate for the copper and iron losses in the step-down transformer.

 

[Rorschach]

I've got a cheap and cheerful mega soldering iron from china. Big copper tip sits inside a large ceramic heating element, works great for XT60 connectors and other large joints.

It's basically the electric version of the old copper soldering irons, I hardly use them now after building a nice car boot collection.

 

[lurker]

I've got a cheap and cheerful mega soldering iron from china. Big copper tip sits inside a large ceramic heating element, works great for XT60 connectors and other large joints.

It's basically the electric version of the old copper soldering irons, I hardly use them now after building a nice car boot collection.

Yeah but....... you need accurate temperature control for stained glass work.

 

[Rorschach]

I've got a cheap and cheerful mega soldering iron from china. Big copper tip sits inside a large ceramic heating element, works great for XT60 connectors and other large joints.

It's basically the electric version of the old copper soldering irons, I hardly use them now after building a nice car boot collection.

Yeah but....... you need accurate temperature control for stained glass work.

Oh yes I am sure you do, but I wonder if a clever sod could do something about that.

 

[novocaine]

are you going to shell out on a temperature tester as well? Hakko do one of those too.
my worry wouldn't be the temperature but the thermal mass, which is why the weller needs 100w, which when it reaches it temperature, turns off (magnetic switch remember), it's got a massive chunk of steel to heat up, the hakko relies on it's element to stay hot, so will always be drawing current, it hasn't got the thermal mass of the weller, it's heat retention is reliant on the tip far more. dip it in to a big pool of lead and you may find you can only do a few cm of lead before it's to cold.
as to how the hakko works, big clive has a video on it, or at least the same method. thermo couple feedback and a brainbox (in lamens terms).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSweeoah-5s

it's a bit like needing a lie nielson or veritas, or a jig, days of yesteryear they did it with chunks of copper in the fire, now we neeeeeeeeed accurate temperatures, we don't, it just makes it easier. this isn't a dig Phil, I'd want accurate temperature too. personally I'd not be happy buying the Hakko with no warranty even if it is half the price. I'd be looking at Antex, it's in the UK, you can get replaceble tips for it for when you've fubared it, you can get replacement elements for it and most importantly, it's earthed.

https://cpc.farnell.com/antex/t48jj70/t ... dp/SD02054

Edit to add, that Hakko are copied a lot, the ET calls them fakkos and he's fed up of people turning up with one they bought for home and it's stopped working. He's a misery though, no fun some times.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I must admit fakes had crossed my mind - many of the US sites seem actually to be Indian. The Antex looks good but could possibly do with a larger tip - I'll await Lurker's opinion on that, though most of my work will be foiling not large scale work with lead cames. That's not to say I won't use lead, of course, but it won't be cathedral windows.

 

[John Brown]

Does anyone use the TS100 for stained glass, I wonder? The temperature regulation is reckoned to be very good. I have one that I run off an old laptop PSU (19V). But they will run off 12V.
On 19V it heats up very quickly, and it's open source (somebody apparently wrote a Tetris game you can play on it). It also cools down if it isn't moved for some time.
I still prefer my ancient Weller for electronics, but I only have to worry about 2 temperatures, leaded and lead free.

 

[lurker]

Novo you are quite right, in the olden days it was just a heated copper bit.

However when you have spent maybe three working days assembling a massive jigsaw that stained glass can be, you don't want to have to start all over again just because you lingered a second too long with the iron, on one of hundreds of joints.

 

[novocaine]

comes back to thermal mass I reckon John. the TS100 is teeny tiny so heavily reliant on the element, it's fine for soldering circuit boards and skinny little wires but struggles with large earth pads and heavy wire, I think it would really struggle with stained glass where there is a fair bit of heat soak.

larger tips are available for the antex.

https://cpc.farnell.com/antex/b110330/b ... pd-mi-alte

I get that Lurker, it was a comment said in somewhat of a jest (think sharpening stones) .