soldering iron

[Ochaye]

it is costing me plenty with all the mods i am doing so i thought why not DIY ? :)

i would be changing out PUPS, pots and caps...that's all

any advice on what iron,solder and sites for info?

possibly a one off job on 3 guitars so a pro outfit would be a waste of dosh...looking to do a pro job though

£40 a HB PUP job in Glasgow  :(

[FELINEGUITARS]

I use an Antex XS25 25w soldering iron but I use the biggest chisel type tip that Antex do for that iron and it acts like a heatsink and saves up a lot of heat energy which it can share onto a pot casing easily.
This is the type of iron although I have the next tip size up.



Here is the big tip :
http://www.antex.co.uk/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=195&P_ID=980

[Ochaye]

i am hearing elsewhere that a 40w is required for pots....WYT what you think?

[Toe-Knee]

You don't need a high powered iron for anything in a guitar. As Jonathan said you just need the correct type tip that's large and flat for doing the back of pots and to make sure it's fully heated up.

I used to use an Antex 18w Iron with a range of tips until I upgraded to a full blown soldering station and I never had any issues.

Another key thing is to use good solder. For stuff that is generally available in stores Maplins do some silver solder that is fairly decent but not the best. You could also grab an iron from Maplin too

[Kiichi]

If I recall correctly the watt rating does not really have to do with the heat the iron reaches, but how fast it reaches it.

[Dr.Pain]

I have an old iron that's low power and it takes a while to heat up.  The one I use has a round tip and works fine.  Just got to be careful on the pots so I can see why the chisel tip would be really handy.

[gwEm]

Those Antex ones Jonathan showed are absolutely fine. I use a more high-end one myself, but I do a bit of fine electronics work.

Just leave it a while to heat up, and you should be fine.

(although not very health and safety - solder with lead in is easier to work with and gives a better joint)

[HTH AMPS]

I use an 18w Antex iron for everything in guitars.  The ONLY time I need something bigger (just a cheap 50w iron from Wilkos) is for soldering braided wire to the back of pots.  Can't think of anything when I work on amps that needs a bigger iron than my 18w Antex - they last forever too. 

[juansolo]

Use an 18W Antex for pedals/wiring. Have a 25W Weller with what can only be described as a chisel on the end for dealing with the backs of pots.