Soldering Iron recommendations

[Slo-mo]

So I've purchased an SE CE-24 Satin, wanting to play around with different pickups. I just ordered a set of \m/ pickups for it, and was thinking the old soldering iron I have may not be the best tool to use. For those that do this more frequently, do you have any recommendations or things to avoid?

 

[alantig]

Weller is a good name. I grabbed one a few years ago. No complaints.

 

[KentuckyBoiledChiccan]

I'm using Atten AT938D. Cheap but never let me down

 

[SinSir]

Solid for not a lot of cash

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AS28UC?starsLeft=1&ref_=cm_sw_r_apan_dp_SB4RT519BKZCB4JWHBYE

 

[Rider1260]

Get this one you will thank me later
600-700 degrees is a real sweet spot for fast , safe soldering.
Melting the solder fast is key to not wrecking pots and switches also the higher wattage makes speaker cable easy to make and installing and removing pickup covers.
Another tip is -- use the biggest solder tip you can , better heat transfer.

Amazon.com

 

[Slo-mo]

Thanks! I ordered a Weller along with the Helping Hands w/Magnifier

 

[KentuckyBoiledChiccan]

Thanks! I ordered a Weller along with the Helping Hands w/Magnifier

Universal advice; keep the tip nice and clean

 

[sergiodeblanc]

When I was a tween dude, I watched some Sunday morning model train show on PBS where the guy soldered his tracks together, and I thought it was the coolest ****.

So I went to my daddy’s workbench, pulled out the soldering iron and went to work on my tracks.

I picked the soldering iron up backwards and didn’t have a thumb print on my right hand for ten years.

 

[Prina]

Another tip is -- use the biggest solder tip you can , better heat transfer.

+1 for this, like a 1/8" chisel tip. Way better for pots than a pencil tip.

And Duncan's Pickup Installation 101 course is great.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Universal advice; keep the tip nice and clean

That’s ……

……never mind.

 

[JasonE]

Get this one you will thank me later
600-700 degrees is a real sweet spot for fast , safe soldering.
Melting the solder fast is key to not wrecking pots and switches also the higher wattage makes speaker cable easy to make and installing and removing pickup covers.
Another tip is -- use the biggest solder tip you can , better heat transfer.

Amazon.com

I was looking at that one and ended up buying this one about a year ago. I have been nothing buy happy with it.

Amazon.com

 

[palmermount]

I'm using Atten AT938D. Cheap but never let me down

same here too

 

[HANGAR18]

Get this one you will thank me later
600-700 degrees is a real sweet spot for fast , safe soldering.
Melting the solder fast is key to not wrecking pots and switches also the higher wattage makes speaker cable easy to make and installing and removing pickup covers.
Another tip is -- use the biggest solder tip you can , better heat transfer.

Amazon.com

I was just about to start a new thread to ask this very question.
What temperature should the soldering iron be?
What temperature do they use on the assembly line at PRS?

I've already bought a Weller (New Old Stock I'm pretty sure). It was reasonably expensive compared to the cheap $#!* Radio Shack soldering irons I've used in the past. I've used it once but I think I set the dial too high and I cooked a volume pot. That was an expensive repair bill.

This one does not have any numbers to indicate the temperature it is set to, so after that screw up I bought laser thermometer. I'll use that to discover how hot the soldering iron it at any given time. Perhaps the speed thing you mentioned was a factor in the problem I had. I suppose I was accustomed to cheap irons where you had to spend a lot of time heating things up before the solder would become liquid.

I've got a bunch of new guitars in my collection since my last NGD (whenever that was) and I have a lot of new pickups to install in them. SO I need to get this right this time around.

Anyone else have any temperature recommendations?

 

[Rider1260]

I was just about to start a new thread to ask this very question.
What temperature should the soldering iron be?
What temperature do they use on the assembly line at PRS?

I've already bought a Weller (New Old Stock I'm pretty sure). It was reasonably expensive compared to the cheap $#!* Radio Shack soldering irons I've used in the past. I've used it once but I think I set the dial too high and I cooked a volume pot. That was an expensive repair bill.

This one does not have any numbers to indicate the temperature it is set to, so after that screw up I bought laser thermometer. I'll use that to discover how hot the soldering iron it at any given time. Perhaps the speed thing you mentioned was a factor in the problem I had. I suppose I was accustomed to cheap irons where you had to spend a lot of time heating things up before the solder would become liquid.

I've got a bunch of new guitars in my collection since my last NGD (whenever that was) and I have a lot of new pickups to install in them. SO I need to get this right this time around.

Anyone else have any temperature recommendations?

Does you weller just have 1-10 numbers ??? and what size tip were you using when you "cooked" a Volume pot.
if your just has numbers run at 7-8 and use a wide tip , do not preheat the pot just set the solder and tip down on the pot together
and make a small puddle , then tin ( add solder ) to the cables to be connected to the pot then bring the tip and the two joints together and hit it with a bit more solder as it get the process started faster , if you miss let it cool off and move the pot to the opposite en of it travel.

 

[FatFingerBlues]

I have the Milwaukee M12 Cordless and love it
its a little more expensive but worth it if you are soldering away from the electric or don't want to run an electric cord
I have used it often on my antique Cars and a few guitars too

 

[JasonE]

I was just about to start a new thread to ask this very question.
What temperature should the soldering iron be?
What temperature do they use on the assembly line at PRS?

I've already bought a Weller (New Old Stock I'm pretty sure). It was reasonably expensive compared to the cheap $#!* Radio Shack soldering irons I've used in the past. I've used it once but I think I set the dial too high and I cooked a volume pot. That was an expensive repair bill.

This one does not have any numbers to indicate the temperature it is set to, so after that screw up I bought laser thermometer. I'll use that to discover how hot the soldering iron it at any given time. Perhaps the speed thing you mentioned was a factor in the problem I had. I suppose I was accustomed to cheap irons where you had to spend a lot of time heating things up before the solder would become liquid.

I've got a bunch of new guitars in my collection since my last NGD (whenever that was) and I have a lot of new pickups to install in them. SO I need to get this right this time around.

Anyone else have any temperature recommendations?

Does you weller just have 1-10 numbers ??? and what size tip were you using when you "cooked" a Volume pot.
if your just has numbers run at 7-8 and use a wide tip , do not preheat the pot just set the solder and tip down on the pot together
and make a small puddle , then tin ( add solder ) to the cables to be connected to the pot then bring the tip and the two joints together and hit it with a bit more solder as it get the process started faster , if you miss let it cool off and move the pot to the opposite en of it travel.

Rider1260 has given you great advice. It sounds like your iron doesn't let you set an exact temperature. If you can find in the documentation what the number setting represent for temperatures, I run my iron at 700 degrees. When soldering on the back of a pot or the trem claw, I will bump it up to 750 just to help get the solder joint done a little faster to not have the heat spread too much. My iron is very fast at recovering heat after making contact with the parts. That is one thing the better irons do well and what makes them nice to use and worth the money.

 

[HANGAR18]

Rider1260 has given you great advice. It sounds like your iron doesn't let you set an exact temperature. If you can find in the documentation what the number setting represent for temperatures, I run my iron at 700 degrees. When soldering on the back of a pot or the trem claw, I will bump it up to 750 just to help get the solder joint done a little faster to not have the heat spread too much. My iron is very fast at recovering heat after making contact with the parts. That is one thing the better irons do well and what makes them nice to use and worth the money.

The soldering iron I'm talking about doesn't even have numbers. Just a black dial with no markings of any kind. But have a sharpie marker that will fix that once I use the laser thermometer to determine the heat range capabilities of the iron.

 

[Bluze81]

I have a weller Iron I had since late 1970s when I worked for the Original MusicMan Inc pre Ernie Ball time in Anahiem Ca, I still use this Iron it's had many tips thru the years still use it set at 650 depending what Repairs I am working on ,Can't go wrong with this brand .