We're getting old, folks...

Morgans wrote:

Anyone have one, or seen one in action?

Ok, just tried it out. Here's how they work. The tip is actually two electrodes.
When you touch the tip to the work, the work makes the electrical contact, and
it heats up like a light bulb filament. The tip doesn't heat up much, but the
work does. I tried to tin some 26 gauge stranded copper wire, and it brought the
flux to a boil much more rapidly than a hot soldering pencil iron does.

Here's the problem. You have to keep both electrodes in contact with the work.
In my case, this proved to be impossible; the wire was just too flexible. I can
see that there might also be problems heating up both pieces when soldering two
items together. Failure to get both pieces hot results in what's called a "cold
solder joint."

There's a little light on top that tells you when contact is being made. You
really have to keep this light in sight. The tip has only one flat surface, and
the only way it works is to press this surface against the work. Fortunately,
the tip can be inserted in the iron in either of two directions, so it shouldn't
be much of a problem.

Anyway. Imagine. There you are under your panel trying to solder a wire to a
lug. You hold the wire firmly in place with your left hand and manipulate the
soldering iron into position with your right hand. Wiggle things around to keep
the little red light on. When the joint gets hot, you apply the solder with your
third hand.

Don't have a third hand? Then maybe this thing isn't for you.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

Great pirep, I think you've just saved me $19.95 or whatever it cost
yah. Thanks George. :^)

The Monk

Anyway. Imagine. There you are under your panel trying to solder a wire to a lug. You hold the wire firmly in place with your left hand and manipulate the soldering iron into position with your right hand. Wiggle things around to keep the little red light on. When the joint gets hot, you apply the solder with your third hand.

And this differs from regular soldering how?

Jose
--
You can choose whom to befriend, but you cannot choose whom to love.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

On Tue, 03 Jan 2006 02:14:09 GMT, Jose
wrote:

Anyway. Imagine. There you are under your panel trying to solder a wire to a lug. You hold the wire firmly in place with your left hand and manipulate the soldering iron into position with your right hand. Wiggle things around to keep the little red light on. When the joint gets hot, you apply the solder with your third hand.

And this differs from regular soldering how?

With the soldering gun you are far more likely to be injured from a
burn.

With this device you are far more likely to be injured from the chain
reaction of 1. Getting frustrated, 2. Getting ****ed!, 3. Throwing
something due to item #2, 4. Hitting hand/fingers while in act of
throwing, 5. Hitting head on underside of panel hard enough to require
stitches while instinctively raising up to cuss at full volume in
reaction to hand damage, 6. Damage to back requiring more stitches,
caused while flailing about trying to get out from under panel with
precious bodily fluids running in eyes from step 5 caused by step 4
caused by step 3 caused by step 2 which came from step one, which was
due to being too cheap the hire someone qualified to do the job in the
first place.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

Jose

With the soldering gun you are far more likely to be injured from a
burn.

With this device you are far more likely to be injured from the chain
reaction of 1. Getting frustrated, 2. Getting ****ed!, 3. Throwing
something due to item #2, 4. Hitting hand/fingers while in act of
throwing,


As a lad I worked part time at a TV repair shop (they were cost effective to
repair at one time . I remember the shop owner telling me how dangerous
CRTs and power supplies were to the hands; often resulting in broken bones
and bad cuts. "How does shock cause that?" I asked. "Oh, it's not the
shock - that's usually harmless. It's your reaction causing you to slam your
hand on sharp objects."

Jose wrote:

And this differs from regular soldering how?

Yeah, I see the smilie, but I'll answer anyway. With a regular iron or soldering
gun, you can get a bead of solder on the tip. Just get the joint hot, and the
bead flows right into it. The tip on these things doesn't get hot enough for that.

George Patterson
Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by rights belong to
your slightly older self.

"George Patterson" wrote

Yeah, I see the smilie, but I'll answer anyway. With a regular iron or
soldering gun, you can get a bead of solder on the tip. Just get the joint
hot, and the bead flows right into it. The tip on these things doesn't get
hot enough for that.

Plus the fact that the dot of solder on the tip will deform around the
object you are working on to aid in rapid and efficient heat transfer.

It also seems like the cold solder gun depends on having the object you are
soldering having about the correct resistance to make the appropriate amount
of heat.

Thanks for the review, all. I thought there would be major problems, and it
looks like I was right. I'll stick with my soldering gun/iron/butane torch.
--
Jim in NC

They offer a heavy duty unit now and there are several
different tips available, at comparatively high price. But
it is very handy when you need to solder a wire splice and
can't bring the work to the bench. If you're trying to
solder very light wires, back them up with a wooden stick, a
clean popsicle stick or buy some at a hobby shop.


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
some support
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm
See http://www.fija.org/ more about your rights and duties.


"George Patterson" wrote in message
news:yLkuf.16244$yW1.321@trnddc05...
| Morgans wrote:
|
| Anyone have one, or seen one in action?
|
| Ok, just tried it out. Here's how they work. The tip is
actually two electrodes.
| When you touch the tip to the work, the work makes the
electrical contact, and
| it heats up like a light bulb filament. The tip doesn't
heat up much, but the
| work does. I tried to tin some 26 gauge stranded copper
wire, and it brought the
| flux to a boil much more rapidly than a hot soldering
pencil iron does.
|
| Here's the problem. You have to keep both electrodes in
contact with the work.
| In my case, this proved to be impossible; the wire was
just too flexible. I can
| see that there might also be problems heating up both
pieces when soldering two
| items together. Failure to get both pieces hot results in
what's called a "cold
| solder joint."
|
| There's a little light on top that tells you when contact
is being made. You
| really have to keep this light in sight. The tip has only
one flat surface, and
| the only way it works is to press this surface against the
work. Fortunately,
| the tip can be inserted in the iron in either of two
directions, so it shouldn't
| be much of a problem.
|
| Anyway. Imagine. There you are under your panel trying to
solder a wire to a
| lug. You hold the wire firmly in place with your left hand
and manipulate the
| soldering iron into position with your right hand. Wiggle
things around to keep
| the little red light on. When the joint gets hot, you
apply the solder with your
| third hand.
|
| Don't have a third hand? Then maybe this thing isn't for
you.
|
| George Patterson
| Coffee is only a way of stealing time that should by
rights belong to
| your slightly older self.