80w iron...ok or too hot?

[sefton]

I'm after a good soldering iron. I've seen a weller 80wt for a good price.

but is this not too hot?

they also have 40wt

also which solder should I buy?

Thanks

[Southwell]

I only use Deans solder now, standard solder sometimes somes unsoldered.

[Rob]

40W or 80W doesn't matter too much, its more down to the tips. I've have a 40W Weller and have two tips, a large chisel one for doing cells and a smaller one for doing wires and motors etc.

I've always used Maplins Lead Free Silver Solder.

[ashleyb4]

I have the wheler 80w and it isnt to hot i would get the 80 it makes like alot easier.

A

[sefton]

i GOT THE 80 WITH SOME ANTEX SILVER SOLDER!

CHEERS

[philly]

The more wattage the better. You can't really get too hot for RC work, unless you're going to be repairing circuit boards etc.

Silver solder is better than the lead free stuff, which is only around because of EU directives. It's interesting to note that lead solder can still be used for military and hospital machinary and electronics where its superior qualities can't be compromised!

[Jony]

The wattage and the temperature aren't the same thing. Both a 10W and 80W iron should be run at about the same temperature. The difference is that the 80W iron has more oomph to hold its temperature.

For instance, when you put the piddly little iron on a giant solder tab its temperature might drop so low that it can't melt the solder properly. The 80W would just pump heat into the tab more quickly, so it would get up to soldering temperature quicker. The end result is that you have to hold the litle iron on the piece for longer. The surprising conclusion is that you're probably more likely to overheat and damage something with a low power iron!

Who would have thought I could write so much about soldering

[greyfox]

Jony's right.
Think of your soldering iron as a bucket (soldering iron) full of water (heat). If the bucket has a small (10W) hole in the bottom, the water takes ages to flow out, whereas if it had a big (80W) hole in the bottom it comes out very quickly. The water (heat) is still the same temperature but as you get lots of it from the big hole it means it doesn't take as long to fill up a container (soldering a battery bar/motor etc.) Less damage to everything and less chance of a dry joint.
The Weller SP 80L iron is fantastic as it will easily do cells, V2 motor tabs, wires or anything else on your car. Well worth the money, and can be got for no more than £20.00.