Best Soldering Iron for SMT Work?

I've used Metcal MX-500's at work for about 12 years now, and really love them. I'm looking to do more electronics work at home when I retire soon, and need to replace my ancient Weller WTCP station. It works great, but isn't really suited to fine SMT devices. The dual ports on the Metcal also make it easy to switch back & forth from a fine tip to something a bit more brute force. I do a lot of RF work, with heavy ground planes, and the Metcal works fantastic for that sort of mixed application. I've used a variety on irons in the past, from Ungar's to Antex, PACE & Weller. Nothing I've tried compares to the Metcal.

I figure I can get a Metcal on eBay for a reasonable price if I'm patient. However, it occured to me that they've been around for at least

12 years, and there _might_ just be something better out by now. I know Metcal also has a new design out with a display. It apparently has more power, but I think it works with the same tips.

I'm willing to spend a couple hundred bucks for a really good setup. That probably sounds absurd to a lot of folks, but if you've ever struggled soldering something, & then tried a Metcal, it's worth a bit of investment.

Is Metcal still the best out there, or has Hakko or somebody else got a decent competing product?

Thanks!

Doug White

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Doug White
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Soldering is usually not a problem. It's unsoldering that drives me to spend the money. If your price ceiling is about $200, you're below the level of Hakko or Weller hot air desoldering stations, which can cost $500 to $1000 and up with accessories. For cheap, I suggest:

This is what you get for about $200:

However, I can't claim much experience with one of these. I've played with an older model, liked it, but have not torn it apart to see if it's junk or quality. The availablity of nozzles, replacement parts, and repair items is reassuring.

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
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Jeff Liebermann

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I thinks it's largely a personal choice. I haven't found anything that I like as well as my old hexacon therm-o-trac

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It's small enough that it isn't in my way, rugged enough that I can solder large heavy ground planes, and with delicate enough temperature control, that I can do fine smt work. You have to unscrew a retainer to change the tip. I used to use a small pair of pliers to change tips in a hurry. I think I bought it for 10 bucks when the company I worked at went down the tubes. We had a bunch of different wellers, and metcals at the board shop. I don't think anyone really liked the wellers. A lot of the solderers doing the smt really liked metcals, but it never felt like they kept the temp right to me, and the cords always seemed to be knotted up in everything.

Reply to
Sansui Samari

Jeff Liebermann wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Thanks for the suggestions.

I'm figuring on picking up a used system on eBay, so list price isn't the issue. As for desoldering, I've had pretty good luck with the Metcal, liquid flux and solderwick. As I said, I mostly work on RF stuff, and I typically don't have a zillion leads to deal with the way the digital types do. Besides, once I have something unsoldered, I still need to get a replacement soldered down. I figured once I got a decent iron, I'd look into a hot air pencil. A lot will depend on how circuit work I end up doing. I will be assembling more than repairing (I hope).

Doug White

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Doug White

snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

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For $16, it would be worth the risk, if you didn't like. I love the things though. I think the older ones were a bit better though.

-J

Reply to
Sansui Samari

snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

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Nevermind, that's just a tip.... Good thing they show the whole iron. Jerks.

Reply to
Sansui Samari

snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

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Nevermind, that's just a tip.... Good thing they show the whole iron. Jerks.

Reply to
Sansui Samari

Sansui Samari wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@z10g2000prh.googlegroups.com:

The cords can be a bit tangly, but I think it's because they are longer than some, as well as limp & flexible. I've gotten used to them.

Doug White

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Doug White

snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

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Now that I've muddled the whole post up...

Reply to
Sansui Samari

Doug White wrote in news:Xns9D1FDC61689D6gwhitealummitedu@69.16.186.50:

you shouldn't use solderwick(or solderpullts) on SMT boards,you'll lift the pads. too much dwell time,applies too much heat to the tiny pads.

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Jim Yanik
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Jim Yanik

Jeff Liebermann wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

small tip; I use a small fan to blow gently across my work,directing unhealthy vapors away from me.I bought a small fan from Wal-Mart for less than $10.You can get clip-on or one with a base. Or,like I used to do,wire a power cord and switch to a 120VAC "whisper fan" from an old instrument.(cooling fan,very quiet)I even use one for chopping onions in the kitchen; No tears!

I've used the Pace vacuum desoldering system,too,while at TEK. Not inexpensive,though. And I still preferred my Antex 15w iron with a filed-down non-clad tip for soldering the small SMD stuff. The smaller SMD Pace tips (iron-clad)rotted out too quickly.

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Jim Yanik
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Jim Yanik

Duz that really work with small components? I tried a recycled CPU fan with an alligator clip for mounting and found that even the slightest breeze causes difficulties soldering or desoldering. My home workshop does have a heater so I use a small electric heater and fan. When soldering, I have to turn it off.

Also, I wasn't joking about the toxic smog from soldering super-glue. The stuff really reeks and seems highly irritating. Fortunately, I don't use much when soldering. Gently blowing it around the shop seems like an invitation to accidentally stick my head into one of the floating clouds of burnt super-glue. Without a fan, at least I know where not to put my head.

Methinks tears from cutting onions is a basic ingredient of much of my cooking. Crying is part of the recipe.

I found an old Pace something desoldering station for peanuts at a thrift shop. They didn't know what it was. Works really nice. However, it's not a hot air desoldering system and is therefore fairly useless for SMT parts.

No kidding. I replaced a few parts and had sticker shock. I now use vinyl hoses, fuel filters, and brazing tip cleaners, instead of the official Pace equivalents.

I once tried to re-plate my collection of burned out tips. I also made some from scratch. The core metal is copper. On top of that is a layer of iron, then nickel, and finally solder plate. First, filing and an acid cleaning bath. I then slowly electroplated some iron, in a ferrous chloride plus calcium chloride bath, onto what was left of the tip. Electroless nickel dip followed. I also tried some electroless silver. I then masked off the tip, and hard black chromed the rest of the tip. It worked but wasn't worth the cost and effort. A new tip was considerably cheaper. The tip life appeared to be dependent on the thickness of the nickel or silver layer. Electroless plating just doesn't apply a thick enough layer. Silver seemed to last a bit longer. I was thinking of trying again, this time plating the nickel or silver layer.

I'm not sure if the Pace tips are copper-nickel-iron, or the more common copper-iron-nickel. They may even be solid iron with no plating, which would certainly oxidize and pit rapidly. That might explain the short observed lifetime. I would check my Pace, but I only have the thru-hole desoldering tip.

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
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Jeff Liebermann

Get one of these

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and position it, as shown, just behind your work area. I've been using the stand-alone model (sans iron) for years and love it. Or, rig your surplus CPU blower so that it takes a suction on, rather than blows over, where you're working.

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Rich Webb     Norfolk, VA
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Rich Webb

Jeff Liebermann wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

the fans I've used were no problem.I didn't keep it close,it was about 20" away,and only gave a slight breeze(on Low). the "whisper fan"(4.7" muffin fan,low CFM) was very good for that,but it was salvaged from an old TEK scope,and I had to kluge a mounting for it. a CPU fan would be rather annoyingly noisy,too.

Well,my fan worked well with the fumes from soldering,I can't see it being any different with cyano fumes.

NAH. tears make it hard to use the knives without nicking myself.... ;-)

Yeah,that IS a lot of effort.

the PACE SMT tips I had at TEK were iron-clad,except for the really expensive IC removal tips. Not usually a problem except on the tiny tips.they would quickly lose their "wettability" and be terrible for soldering fine pitch leads.At least with the plain copper Antex tips,I could refile and retin them until they were too short.

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Jim Yanik
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Jim Yanik

Jim Yanik wrote in news:Xns9D1FF0535ED04jyaniklocalnetcom@216.168.3.44:

You certainly have to be careful. Solderpullets are a menace because of the recoil. The biggest problem I've had is with specialize RF material. The copper adhesion is usually much worse than FR-4, and it toasts easily. I probably won't be working with that stuff much at home.

Doug White

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Doug White

Jim Yanik wrote in news:Xns9D20612558A32jyaniklocalnetcom@216.168.3.44:

I'd forgotten about tip problems. I just don't seem to have them with the Metcals. I think I've only worn out one. The only other tips I've replaced in 12 years are fine point ones that some gorilla "borrowed" & bent. I also like the ability to "hot swap" a tip to a differeent shape in about 5 seconds. My recollection is that the Antex tips could do that, but some of the others (Weller & Pace) require unscrewing things, which gets more exciting when they are hot.

Doug White

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Doug White

Doug White wrote in news:Xns9D20705D9338Agwhitealummitedu@69.16.186.7:

I've never had any recoil problems. I have two of the deluxe models.

the main problem shared by both wick and soldapullts is that you have to keep the IRON on the pad too long.(dwell time)

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Jim Yanik
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Doug White wrote in news:Xns9D2071C907019gwhitealummitedu@69.16.186.50:

Yes,Pace has improved their product. The Pace gear I used back in the late 90's at TEK was reasonably easy to use.One big improvement was making the desoldering tips much longer,so they would not have solder buildup in the heating element itself,at the reservoir end of the tip. No need to use a foot pedal,either. I had two different Pace setups,one older,one newer.

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Jim Yanik
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Jim Yanik

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The fan should blow away from your work, not towards it...

Reply to
Sansui Samari

Next time you have a small fan handy, try blowing air away from your work as you suggest. At a distance of about 1ft or more, there's almost no air flow. Set fire to some paper and watch which way the air flows into the fan. It grabs air from all over the bench, but not at any great distance. The heated soldering or glue smog also tends to rise, thus making bench level air flow a marginal proposition. It would need to be located above the work, as is found in some combination magnifier, lamp, and fan combinations or suck LOTS of air as in a laminar flow hood.

The best I've seen is a small metal vacuum hose close to the soldering tip.

I started to make my own version, but never found a suitable pump.

Besides, if I wanted to use an open fan, I would need to clean up my messy bench.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
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Jeff Liebermann

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