My first soldering iron, advice please.

[Arctic Jack]

Hello,

I am totally new to electronics and have zero knowledge on the subject. I have to fix my daughters vintage toy which has a simple motor, switch, battery and cogs set up. The motor is old and the worm gear is cracked. I’ve just bought a replacement motor and I’m currently trying to track down a replacement worm gear.

Anyway, I will need to do some soldering connecting the motor to two wires. I’ll need to remove the solder and wires then replace them so I’m going to need a soldering iron. I’m pretty interested in electronics and have just bought myself a book with a few small projects in so I’d like to buy a soldering iron that will be suitable for many projects. I’m initially looking to spend around £50 but that could change once I have more of an understanding on the subject.

Could anyone please advise me on good quality soldering iron for around £50

Thank you!

[backmask]

Find a niddle tip soldering iron of 20 Watt. It may help you. It doesn't cost much..i think it costs about 3-5 Pound...i am not sure

[Simon (Webmaster)]

I'd go with something like the Antex 'C' 15W iron (e.g. http://www.maplin.co.uk/15w-miniature-s ... ype-c-4052) or the slightly more powerful 'CS' 18W version. I have both a 15W and a 25W Antex iron. I started out with the 25W 'XS' version, but found it a bit cumbersome for most work, even with a smaller tip. The 15W iron is easier to hold, comes with a fine tip, and is powerful enough for PCB work, although perhaps not for soldering tin plate! At work I use an fancy temperature controlled soldering station, which is great, but a bit OTT for occasional use. To be honest I've not really found the lack of temperature control to be a problem unless you are doing very fine SMT work. If possible get the version with silicon flex - apart from being heat resistant it is also much more flexible, a huge bonus.

You'd be as well to get a stand too, to prevent accidents and providing a sponge to wet the tip on. A suitable one would be http://www.maplin.co.uk/soldering-iron-stand-4074. Whilst you can spend a small fortune on soldering equipment, you probably don't really need to.