OTish: Anyone use a ColdHeat Soldering Iron?

I don't remember if I posted this here yet or not, so...

I bought a ColdHeat soldering iron and it came yesterday. When I tried soldering a couple of 18ga stranded copper wires together, it failed miserably. It didn't seem to get hot enough to melt the solder into the strands at all, although it melted about 1.5" of thin solder.

Tips to get it to work (on the 14ga wire I bought it for) would be appreciated. Would liquid flux help at all? It seemed like the carbonized tip got nice and hot but the wire didn't.

TIA

Reply to
Larry Jaques
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That's the way it works, the tips get hot. I see them a lot at garage sales. When I found one for a dollar, I took the plunge. I want my dollar back. Yes, you can contrive a situation where it works quite well. But for average use, it sucks. Send it back if you can. Get a Weller PortASol.

Reply to
mike

It won't. It's the soldering iron Ron Popiel would have invented, right after his "Pocket Fisherman" It's a cheap attempt at resistance soldering that just doesn't work on anything thicker than 24 AWG.

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

I didn't think they would work, energy density is too low...no free lunch.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

The one I depend on when out in the field

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Master Appliance

Gunner

The methodology of the left has always been:

  1. Lie
  2. Repeat the lie as many times as possible
  3. Have as many people repeat the lie as often as possible
  4. Eventually, the uninformed believe the lie
  5. The lie will then be made into some form oflaw
  6. Then everyone must conform to the lie
Reply to
Gunner

Thanks, guys. I'd hoped it would work. I'll haul up an extension cord and the trusty Weller pistol grip for the job after all.

Gunner, my buddy Terry has a BluePoint iron like yours which works well, but this is in a semi-dark enclosed attic with puffy rockwool insulation all around, even if it isn't flammable. I have a butane iron from HFT and it works well, but I'm not taking that up into the attic with me, either.

Reply to
Larry Jaques

Bigger wire... Bigger soldering iron...

Solid wire absorbs more heat than stranded wire, and its harder to use solder to transfer heat.

I have battery operated on in my tool pouch that works wonders on 18 ga or smaller stranded with fine solder.

Reply to
Bob La Londe

Why..you cant figure out how to make a safe "rest" for the iron?

Hell..use a bread pan with an inch of kitty litter in the bottom.

Gunner The methodology of the left has always been:

  1. Lie
  2. Repeat the lie as many times as possible
  3. Have as many people repeat the lie as often as possible
  4. Eventually, the uninformed believe the lie
  5. The lie will then be made into some form oflaw
  6. Then everyone must conform to the lie
Reply to
Gunner

My attic's tight, with a low peak,

Reply to
Larry Jaques

The soldering Iron I suggested...works much the same way as the coldheat one does. It heats the element, which heats the wire, which melts the solder. It just does it very much better. No open flame at all. Its just a butane soldering iron that works very well and delivers a goodly amount of heat. Flamelessly. Not a torch, not a rosebud, no fire.

Shrug.

You could..pull the tip/loop off a corded gun and hold the wire between the two stubs on the front of the gun and resistance heat the wire with it...but then..you will need to pull a cable around behind you.

I used a big Weller gun with no loop..to solder PL-259 connectors for radio coax. Works very well for resistance soldering. Heats the shell and tip nicely.

But..it needs a cord.

Gunner

The methodology of the left has always been:

  1. Lie
  2. Repeat the lie as many times as possible
  3. Have as many people repeat the lie as often as possible
  4. Eventually, the uninformed believe the lie
  5. The lie will then be made into some form oflaw
  6. Then everyone must conform to the lie
Reply to
Gunner

gummer uses one...to remove polyps from his own colon.

Reply to
Delvin Benet

The dust can be flammable, or even explosive in an old attic. Why risk it?

The U.S Army had cartridge irons for places like that. Put the cartridgrige in the iron, and puncture it with the trigger for about 15 minuters of soldering. No power, no open flame and roughly equal to a

150 W iron. It was the only soldering tool allowed for a lot of work outside the shop. I have had good luck whit the old Wahl cordless irons installing alarm & signalling wiring, but they are only around 15 to 20 W
Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

A pair of AA Alkalines just don't pout out enough current.

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

I've had one for 3 years. Used it twice. Once successfully. I don't mind admitting I was a sucker.

Reply to
clare

They weren't designed to work, they were designed to sell!

Reply to
Tom Gardner

I laughed when I saw their hokey commercial, years ago. Some idiot on an antique radio group was trying to convince everyone tat they were the greatest tool ever made. Of course, he had about 75 that were store returns to sell...

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

     -- Louis L'Amour

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Many propane torch kit used to come with a chisel point soldering attachment like the one included above. I have one that I use for soldering heavier gauge wire. Mine is made with a short 3/8" dia copper chisel point rod held onto a brass holder that clamps onto the end of a propane torch. The brass holder has holes to allow the flame from the propane torch to exit, but still heat the copper rod. Could be easy to make one if you can't find one second-hand.

Reply to
Denis G.

Do they still make "multicore" solder? I'm getting low on the last roll I bought 20 years ago. The stuff will alloy to ANYTHING!

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Ersin/Multicore is still availible, but it's expensive. I bought three NOS 1 Lb rolls at a flea market a few months ago for $10. It's just what I needed to fix LCD monitors that had been built with that crap lead free garbage.

has some decenet prices if you watch for them. They use a good mild RMA flux that will let you solder to a lot of thengs oter solders won't wet to.

Be careful to make sure you get the right alloy, and that you get the one pound spool. Most solder is sold on half pound spoools these days. The other thing to watch is the gauge. They make it all the way down to .015" for rework of surface mount components. The smaller the solder, the higher the price.

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

I was given one - have all sorts from large black beauties down.

It is a conductive short that heats up the work - the work must be the conductor. If the current is high enough, it gets hot and you can melt onto the hot metal.

Remember the short must be held for a while - not moved around or on - off.

Mart> >> I don't remember if I posted this here yet or not, so...

Reply to
Martin Eastburn

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