Did I screw myself by buying a 15 watt soldering iron?

[paddok]

So im trying to install pickups in a guitar of mine (first time) and I bought a 15 Watt soldering iron, because I didn't know any better.

Now I searched the JCF and read the posts and seems that 15 watts are a nono. I'm trying to unsolder the pickup wiring in the guitar right now, and I can't even get it to melt the solder.

Am I pretty much screwed untill I get a better solder gun ?

[paddok]

Re: Did I screw myself by buying a 15 watt soldering iron?

still not working, damn I guess EMG's can wait till tomorrow.

[morbid]

Re: Did I screw myself by buying a 15 watt soldering iron?

Originally posted by PaddoK:
So im trying to install pickups in a guitar of mine (first time) and I bought a 15 Watt soldering iron, because I didn't know any better.

Now I searched the JCF and read the posts and seems that 15 watts are a nono. I'm trying to unsolder the pickup wiring in the guitar right now, and I can't even get it to melt the solder.

Am I pretty much screwed untill I get a better solder gun ?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Yes you are... [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] . I can tell you to get a 35 Watt Weller. It works really good, I have one. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[j2379]

Re: Did I screw myself by buying a 15 watt soldering iron?

i got a gas butane one, works great. they are less $ than a good electric one.

[max]

Re: Did I screw myself by buying a 15 watt soldering iron?

Am I pretty much screwed untill I get a better solder gun ?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">You should be able to melt the solder, it just takes longer for a weak soldering iron to heat up. It might take a couple of minutes. But after all, melting solder is what a soldering iron is for, even if it only has 15 watt. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] BTW, mine has 25 watts.

[Hotrodder]

Re: Did I screw myself by buying a 15 watt soldering iron?

Just wait for the iron to heat up first, and wait a good long time between each use.

Small wattage irons can get just as hot as a higher wattage iron, it just takes them longer to get back to the correct temperature.

[Sunbane]

Re: Did I screw myself by buying a 15 watt soldering iron?

Yup, it will work, but heating up a pot casing (for instance) will take time. A higher wattage iron is highly recommended.

[Jim Shine]

Re: Did I screw myself by buying a 15 watt soldering iron?

Yeah, I would go with 25-40 watts. I solder alot and used to buy nice irons. However, I frequently will finish a guitar, leave the iron on so if it doesn't work after I test it I can go right back to work. Usually its done right the first time, I play the guitar, forget the iron, it stays on all night and after a few times of doing this, it burns out. Now I buy cheap Radio Shack irons and they do the job right.

Seymour Duncan used to claim that solder guns are bad to use around pickups. Something to do with a magnetic field generated around the coil (in the body) of the gun weakening pickup magnets.

[Overlord]

Re: Did I screw myself by buying a 15 watt soldering iron?

The lower wattage will work, it will just take longer to heat up. Just as Sunbane and Hotrodder stated. Older/used solder doesn't melt as readily as new solder because of both oxidation and the fact that rosin/flux isn't present anymore. New solder melts around 640 degrees, if I remember correctly. When desoldering older stuff, I have had to turn the iron up to around 800 degrees. You can also buy liquid flux which will help the heat transfer and make it easier to melt, just be sure to clean up with alcohol afterwards (which you should do anyway). Alternately, you can take new solder (be sure to get rosin core, not acid core) and put a small amount directly on the iron's tip. This will also insure your iron is up to temperature. When you place the iron's tip with the molten solder directly on the old solder joint, heat will transfer and it should melt right away.
This is long, but I hope it helps! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Firebird V]

Re: Did I screw myself by buying a 15 watt soldering iron?

I use the gas one too. Love it. Got it at Radio Shack. There like $20. Very tiny and are great in tight control cavities.