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Butane Soldering Irons?

RamblinE

RamblinE

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I just bought some Dayton B652 AIRs and some other bits for a good old fashioned DIY hack n slash.

A little bit of research shows that the internal wiring is soldered to the drivers. For the drop in replacement woofers I bought and the phase change mod on the tweeter I will need to solder.

Amazon has a butane Weller soldering iron on sale for $30. It's pretty compact. For light duty stuff it looks like it would be alright.

I don't do stuff like this too often. I misplaced my old, cheap, plug-in iron when I moved. What's the skinny on these things for real? https://www.amazon.com/Weller-P2C-Butane-Soldering-Iron/dp/B000B61L0G
 
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I wouldn't. I have one similar and it's fine for working on a car or something where you have no access to 120v.

Being that it buns fuel it has an exhaust port, and the exhaust gets frickin' hot. If you linger in one spot too long in close proximity to something that can scorch or melt, it will.
 
I tried one (don't recall the brand). Might get the job done in a pinch/emergency but definitely would not be my daily driver, so to speak.
 
If you get a half decent one they work ok, but they chew butane fairly quick. Most useful for repairs away from power, but I wouldn't trade one for a real iron.
 
We were issued portable gas soldering irons as part of our field toolkit for repairing computers, quite a while ago now ;).

They worked well, but really only good for one joint before they got too hot to hold, or ran out of gas. And then you had to wait for the darned thing to cool down before you could put it in your tool case and beat a hasty retreat. :D

Use an electric iron, much better.
 
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I always have a Weller Pyropen in my tool kit. It's great when you're in an attic or under a house and need to make a soldered connection. I have used it in a pinch for a quick circuit board repair. The last time I did this, I replaced an SCR in a control unit, it was quick and easy especially since the nearest power source was 400' away.

I would never use it as a primary soldering iron.
 
BigElCat said:
I had a Radio Shack version. I couldn't make it work, not even for wires on a car.
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Got the RS version too. Only used it when the repair was short and sweet, and power was unavailable.
Anything more than a few joints though and I'm draggin' out the extension cord.
Agreed with CM^^^^ "I would never use it as a primary soldering iron."
 
I've tried a bunch of butane irons and could never get any to work very well even for simple tasks such as joining two wires together, not nearly good enough to be comfortable soldering on something I cared about damaging.
I would check CL and see if there are any for sale. I got a friend a nice Weller soldering station for $30 (the equivalent new model price is something like $250) from a lady selling her sons stuff that had been in storage for years. Seems like you can always get a deal on all sorts of tools there.
 
The consensus here is deafening. I appreciate everybody's input and will be taking everybody's overwhelming advice and going for an electric soldering station.
 
I have been soldering professionally and as a hobby for over 30 years, The Weller Pyropens are fine. I have two, I have a smaller one (WST2) and a larger one (WSTA3) for bigger high heat applications. I also have a full on Weller digital station, and a few other irons with a basic wall plug.

For occasional use the propane pens are fine, just get a good quality one and you will be fine soldering things like speakers and automotive wiring. The two models I mentioned above are well over $100, the model the OP linked to is $30ish, probably not in the same class. If you don't need the portability of a butane pen, then you would probably be better off going electric. If you need to be portable, then spend the cash for a better quality one.
 
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I had one of those back about the same time, mine was orange, I may still have it, sure the battery is dead, the one I had was good, I would recommend one.
 
Our mobile SR installation/service crew used a couple of the Weller
Iso-Tip #7971 SolderPro 50 butane powered pens. Not expensive, but they worked very well for us for many years once we learned their idiosyncrasies. The heat adjustment lever is very sensitive and non-linear, and the tips corrode very quickly because it is so easy to inadvertently overheat them. It's necessary to keep them meticulously clean and pre-tinned. Once these limitations are adjusted for, the pens can be quite useful and effective.

Of course, when possible, we always preferred to use an electric mobile work station, or simply rudimentary electric pens. But, when electrical outlets are not readily available, the butane pens are lifesavers. Even now, in retirement and hobby mode, I typically keep one electric station and one propane station readily at hand.

GeeDeeEmm
 
The only problem I found with the iso-tip was the use of a rechargable battery. They did not last long, using them on a daily basis.
 
My gas kit is made by Power Probe (model PPSK?). 3 tips, plus hot knife and heat shrink shield. Got a Stahl kit for fine work, but it's hard to beat gas for heavier gauge, like terminating speaker wire, etc. Mine heats quickly and has a nice regulator for temp control. You can also take the tip off and braze with it. Worth the $45 just for hot knife and heat shrink.
 
Ramblin, why not just avoid the solder and cut and crimp, or twist and heatshrink (if need be)? My speakers (same as your and parts) will be here tomorrow. I'm going to cut and solder, but then again I have everything on hand to do so.
 
Hajidub said:
Ramblin, why not just avoid the solder and cut and crimp, or twist and heatshrink (if need be)? My speakers (same as your and parts) will be here tomorrow. I'm going to cut and solder, but then again I have everything on hand to do so.
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I don't have any tools besides sockets for the car and some basic around-the-house stuff. So I will end up having to purchase something. Purchasing an iron and de-soldering tool won't be too much of a hard ship. I know that one of the reviews I posted in my thread showed the polarity switch with scotch tape but I want to avoid something that hap-hazard.
 
The speakers didn't show today, but their due anytime now. I will definitely post when their complete. BTW, I'm the complete opposite, tons of electronic tools and can barely find a correct screwdriver in my garage....LOL.
 
RamblinE said:
The consensus here is deafening. I appreciate everybody's input and will be taking everybody's overwhelming advice and going for an electric soldering station.
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Ramblin I finished mine today. Only required 20watt Ratshack soldering iron. BTW, DO NOT try to remove the tweeters, they won't come out (glued or hole is too small remove without breaking the speaker wire plugs). I think they glued the tweeter covers on after assembly. I just cut the wires, swapped them and soldered them back together. Now onto the sound: Best $45 bucks I've ever spent. As all the reviews rave, the AMT's are the superstar in this deal. I paired them with a Dayton SB-1000 (10") sub and they sound phenomenal. At first they weren't that impressive, after an hour they warmed up. Though the sensitivity is only 84db, at 1 watt they're LOUD.
 
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