Mosaic
Well-Known Member
Since being economical is important here's a <20 buck solution to hot air soldering.
**broken link removed**
Also, you need to do the following:
Get a cheap aquarium air pump. I use this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Tetra-77851-...J4N6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329700755&sr=8-1
Jb Weld all the vents on the iron, drill a small hole in the top, middle of the iron's handle ( Just after the rubber sleeve) for the air hose, get a 1/8" Tee for the hose. Insert the leg of the tee in the hole u drilled. Attach the hose to one side of the tee and u can throttle the air flow with your thumb as you solder via the venting side of the tee.
For the soldering iron tip all u need is some galvanised wire (from the h'ware) around 18-22 gauge. Wrap it in a tight coil, about 2" long, with a cylindrical toothpick as a form so that u can replace the soldering iron tip with the wire coil. Insert 1.5", leave about a half inch exposed. Now you are done. Turn up your heat control to max and and u have precision, throttleable hot air. I have had this for about a year now....no worries, soldered thousands of parts. Even 416 and 603 parts. get some good solder paste though.
I use this all the time:
**broken link removed**
Never needed any hot air gun to preheat, never damaged a part, I rework SOIC and small QFN just fine.
**broken link removed**
Also, you need to do the following:
Get a cheap aquarium air pump. I use this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Tetra-77851-...J4N6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329700755&sr=8-1
Jb Weld all the vents on the iron, drill a small hole in the top, middle of the iron's handle ( Just after the rubber sleeve) for the air hose, get a 1/8" Tee for the hose. Insert the leg of the tee in the hole u drilled. Attach the hose to one side of the tee and u can throttle the air flow with your thumb as you solder via the venting side of the tee.
For the soldering iron tip all u need is some galvanised wire (from the h'ware) around 18-22 gauge. Wrap it in a tight coil, about 2" long, with a cylindrical toothpick as a form so that u can replace the soldering iron tip with the wire coil. Insert 1.5", leave about a half inch exposed. Now you are done. Turn up your heat control to max and and u have precision, throttleable hot air. I have had this for about a year now....no worries, soldered thousands of parts. Even 416 and 603 parts. get some good solder paste though.
I use this all the time:
**broken link removed**
Never needed any hot air gun to preheat, never damaged a part, I rework SOIC and small QFN just fine.
