Weller soldering gun.
 

I know that not many techs or restorers use a gun anymore. I had a chance to pick up another, a D550, a heavy beast. I know that there is seldom a use for a gun this large, on the kind of work, most of us do.
A friend of mine stopped by and saw my collection of Weller guns in a workbench drawer and inquired why I had that many.
If I can buy them cheap, a buck or two, why not. The new production are poorer quality, plus if it falls off the bench, it's instant scrap!
I looked on the eplace and what the sellers are asking for one, it's criminal! :thumbsdn:

The guns are still my go to for *REALLY* large ground planes and excessively heavy wire gauge. Weller's electronic bench soldering stations have pretty big chisel tips (WEL-ETDD) but they are still no match to the thermal endurance of a gun.

Weller makes a 100 watt soldering iron. It is used for stained glass windows. You need a lot of heat. I find this works a lot better heating up joints made directly to the chassis than a soldering gun.
https://www.amazon.com/Weller-W100PG...5262094&sr=8-1

tony

New Weller guns have a set screw that tightens the tip. That is an obvious step back and often the screw strips out. Keep you eyes open for the vintage guns which have tip "Nuts". They are bullet proof and I have only seen one gun that was non-functioning! Every other one worked, and I have about a dozen.

The mass of the large tip is the reason that an iron is best for that kind of work. It naturally transfers the heat more efficiently.
I have a real serious old iron, a 300 watt American Beauty. It is made for the likes of sheet metal work. The copper tip is at least 1" in diameter and really gets hot.
The old fashioned kind that has to be heated in a gas flame is called a "soldering Copper".

I don't consider buying one of those, there's too many good older ones around.
I also don't consider buying a Wen, Sears Craftsman or others that are next to impossible to find replacement tips for. At least with the Weller, you can fabricate a temporary tip out of solid copper wire, until you get a proper tip. :thmbsp:

Off topic, but what I do when I need a bit more heat on a chassis is to preheat the spot either with a small butane torch or a hot air station. This keeps the chassis from sinking the heat off the soldering iron tip.

My favorite Weller is the GT. I have three of them. The only downside is that they're so light, the weight of the cord often pulls them off the bench. They are really fast and they stay cool.

https://srwk628g8i6osdje4dm7parh-wpe...35-510x504.jpg


John

I stiil have my 1950's D-550 that I bought used when I was about 14. I still use it often. I have a few of the smaller wellers too.

I had one of those when they first came out, brown in color.
They were good for the tube caddy, as they were light weight. They only had a two conductor line cord at the time.