76 replies to this topic

[Lone Wolf]

Heres what I'm using for the fine detail work. I think it is 2.8 Jiggawatts. Notice the super clean work on the pictured chassis to say nothing of their ground breaking design. This work kind of makes some of you guys feel jealous no doubt. You may be shocked by the power cord. I know I have! You can see I am not afraid to share my secrets .

[Horsepower]

aUStrAlia...OK, that's close enough to USA....
Thanks for that link from Rickdownunder. I like that 100watt plug in, but I'm wondering if it's 117 volt or 220 volt? I know it has a separate power supply but it has no further info. Nice looking iron.

[Jairus]

I am in the market Joe.... CAN I HAVE IT?

[Phil Irvin]

Heres what I'm using for the fine detail work. I think it is 2.8 Jiggawatts. Notice the super clean work on the pictured chassis to say nothing of their ground breaking design. This work kind of makes some of you guys feel jealous no doubt. You may be shocked by the power cord. I know I have! You can see I am not afraid to share my secrets .

I GIVE........YOU WIN THE 'BIG IRON' AWARD...........


I wonder if he uses it to heat his home....
PHIL

[Lone Wolf]

I am in the market Joe.... CAN I HAVE IT?

Jarius - You pay the shipping and it's yours! Actually I think these big irons were used with special tip to apply Cox braid to your track. I believe the Cox braid had heat activated glue. This thing still gets hot and probably will not burnout for another 50 years

[Pablo]

Lone Wolf, we could use a man like you in Guantanamo Bay

[Bill from NH]

Do you guys want to build cars or mend buckets & repair radiators? I think it was Rick B. who owns an even bigger iron.

[68Caddy]

Lone Wolf
That's a hell of a iron I think it will outlive all of us.
Jarius that's the one for you. I can see you building sweet rides for Edo.


Nesta aka 68 Caddy

[Rick]

Ya mean this one, nay, this is the smallest of the three I have.

[Tex]

My post was deleted again. It's gettin' so a guy can't smart off at all at Slotblog!. What are y'all afraid of? If I start pointing out other posts that don't follow the straight and narrow, will you delete them for me?

OK, I really NEED to know if I'm "losing it". I can handle getting people po'd or being in strong disagreement, but I GOTS ta KNOW if I'm going bonkers! I "think" I made a post in this thread, albeit a very smart-aleck one, about building 15 chassis'(actually only 12 as it turns out) with my Weller SP80. Yes, I was taking a swipe at Jairus burning up tips and dissing the iron. I think/hope Jairus is big enough to agree to disagree. I made the quoted post above when I viewed this thread the next morning and didn't see the post I "think" I made. But no one seems to have seen it. Sometimes, I'll type up a post but then "punch out" before submitting it(usually a negative post). I wonder if this is what I did(?). Can any of you recall seeing my post? Do any of you know if my post was deleted? Either the post was deleted or paranoia is starting to creep into my life(as a result of REALLY suffering some deleted posts lately). I REALLY want to know for my own sanity. Thanks.

[Mark Wampler]

Apparently Weller isn't what it used to be. I bought my 260W in '68 and it still works great

[Mike Patterson]

Here's my entry in the "Big Iron" competition:



It's a 95w General Electric (!), probably from the 1940's. It's marked "Bell System Property", so I guess Dad 'borrowed' it from work, and conveniently forgot to return it.

This is the iron I use today. It is a Ungar #776 handle with a #4033-S 45 watt element. I'm on my 4th or 5th element, and I have had to replace the cord, as well:



I also have a 25 watt heating element for it that I use for electronic work.

And this is my temp control, a standard dimmer switch mounted in a plastic box. I also added a power-on LED to the circuit:



A note on Cooper Industries, owner of Weller: I used to work for a company that was bought out by Cooper. Within 10 years, that company was no more. And because Cooper said the building and grounds was too polluted to be used for anything, they demolished it. The site is now used as an unpaved parking lot for the county fairgrounds.

I should add, though, that they have treated me fairly in my dealings with them. When I bought my last heating element 6 or 7 years ago, it only worked about 8 months before dying. I wrote Weller a letter, explaining that I had been using their equipment for over 25 years, and I was unhappy with the performance of my new, dead element. They didn't write back, but they DID send me a new heater, and it continues to work to this day.

[Jairus]

Thats okay Richard... I didn't see your post but then I usually ignore what you have to say most of the time anyway....

[Horsepower]

Hey Mike! I have one of those Bell System irons. They are great and mine still works with the original tip from 1970. they were used a lot in the central office for soldering down jumpers and they ran hot 24/7. Now they just use wire wrap guns.

[Tex]

Thats okay Richard... I didn't see your post but then I usually ignore what you have to say most of the time anyway....

I appreciate that, Jairus; I REALLY DO! We all get cantankerous at times and smart off some; I'm glad you haven't put out a hit on me yet. I guess I "punched out" before submitting the post. It WAS late at night(well, at least for me... around 10:30 ) and I'd had a couple beers AND shared a pitcher of frozen margaritas at my favorite local Mexican restaurant. I'm going to go with the theory that I didn't post what I thought I did. Holy Moly! I better go soften up that post I layed on Greg in the other thread!! My ire was based upon my fictitional post having been deleted!!!

[Michael Rigsby]

Jairus,

Back in the late 80's I purchased an Ungar from raceway owner Bill Pinch when he had his raceways in Cocoa Beach, FL. I got the 50 watt, 1000 degree tip model with the integral chisel tip. This was long before Weller bought them, and I think before Cooper industries bought Weller. The original tip on this thing (#33 integral 3/8 chisel tip and 50 watt element) lasted for 19 years before I had to replace it. I had the local raceway order me one (which costs me an arm and a leg). The replacement tip lasted all of one month before it delaminated and came apart. I wrote to Cooper industries/Weller, and they actually replaced the tip "even though there is no implied warranty". Well, that tip lasted a month also. I ordered another tip from an online source which was $20 cheaper than going through the raceway, and that one two crapped out after only one month of use. On the second tip replacment, I invested in an Inland Phaser temp control unit, which was under $20. That was the cats whiskers as I could turn the iron way down. It's a small reliable unit made to handle Inland's 100 watt, 1000 degree large irons like Mike pictured earlier.

After the final tip on the Ungar/Weller/Cooper crapped out, I looked around and bought the Inland Deluxe model. This is a 100 watt model, 1000 degree 5/16 chisel tip. And guess what, if you do need to replace the tips they are only $10. It comes with a year warranty, no questions asked. I've been using this for several months now, and I have no regrets buying it. I caught hell from a supplier on another forum chastising me for not buying another Ungar/Weller from the raceway again, but to me, that's throwing $50 away for buying another tip that's a piece of crap (the online source for the tips is $31).

The Inland is a bigger iron, to be sure, but it's very easy to handle, and I have no problem using it for whatever I need on a slot car, from soldering in motors, to soldering bushings, and lead wires. Granted, I don't build chassis like you guys do (yet), but it will handle anything I want it do to, and for a total investment of under $75 ( iron, phaser/temp control, and heavy duty stand) I have something that I feel will last me for quite a while. I loved my original Ungar, but like you said, Weller/Cooper sucks...

When I go to the state races, mine is the iron that heated up and ready to go. The tip on it hasn't even began to show any of the wear that the Ungar/Weller did after only a month.

Here is a link to Inland's site that shows the different irons and different accesories. They are actually made for stained glass work, but suffice to say, they work well for all hobbiests. On the temp controls they have the Phaser like I have, and they have the stand setup for you guys with a big workbench ( I don't, I live in a sucky condo with my daughter) they have the soldering stand with the built in control, solder spool, sponge, and holder. Check out the fume trap too. I think when I get into chassis building, I may invest in one of those. I have a friend that bought one, and he says it's great not having to wear a respirator when he solders now.

http://www.inlandcra...ng_products.htm

Michael Rigsby

[Jairus]

Thanks Michael, I think I will give them a try!

[jimht]

FYI to track owners & racers that wish to support them by buying from them...
I recommended Inland to Eagle Distributing several years ago & they do stock a relevant assortment from their product line.
Inland at Eagle
I've always used Ungar/Weller & still do, but I sent back a box of 2 dozen crapped out tips for replacement shortly after Weller took over...the quality degraded when Ungar changed away from the ceramic heater, Weller inherited the problem. I've tried most brands; I still like Ungar's performance best, but there are alternatives.
For longevity, use a temp control, as little acid flux as possible & the best way to clean the tip is with copper-coated mesh.
Wet sponges are for cooling off the iron, & just cause contaminant problems.

[Don Weaver]

Jarius,

If you like a short iron instead of one that you can almost pole-vault with take a look at the Inland #60121. The ceramic element is about 3-1/4 inches long and with my eyesight and shaking hands it's the best iron I have ever had. Plenty of heat to handle .063 strip using the big tip and the small tip is great for detail work. Tips are like the Energizer Bunny....they just keep going and going! I've built six or seven chassis' since I got it and the tips look as good as the day I first used them.

Don Weaver

[Jairus]

Not buying another Inland Iron again! I just tossed another one into the trash AGAIN! This last one only held out for 5 months and less than a hand full of chassis.
(sigh)

I even got up early this morning to work since I have some art projects needing attention. Now it is just after 4am and I have a cold dead iron after working for a grand total of 20 minutes this morning!!!!
I HATE CRAPPY SOLDERING IRONS!

I was better off using the Weller.

[Rob Voska]

Call Roger at Mid America and get one of his Blue Hakko irons. It's small, has a flexable cord, nice tip, light weight and works great. I have a big 456 Hakko also but it's too long and unbalanced. I'm on my third Weller and I like the balance but the quality is junk!

[Rick]

I've had Ungar/Wellers last for a year and some last for a month. Nothing beats the feel of the Ungar, I have not tried the small Hakko yet. One thing I agree with JimHT is I use a copper mesh for cleaning the tip, and I think it makes them last longer. The wet sponge shocks the tip every time you hit it, that's not a good thing for plating. Since using the copper it seems the tips last longer...

Will Weller replace elements? I have a metric $hitload of them here. LOL.

[Bill from NH]

Jairus, can you elaborate on what some of your issues with the Inland iron were? I don't own one myself, but know several people who do, and see many people on here who build using them. If there's a problem with them, your thoughts might direct people towards purchasing other brands.

[Les]

Guys,

If you are going to buy a soldering iron and are looking for loooooong life DO NOT BUY an iron with a WIRE HEATING ELEMENT!!!

Even on the Inland site they say that a ceramic element is by far a better choice.
I sell Hakko and I am probably a little biased, but there are no better irons made than the Hakko line!!
The little Blue handle iron that I sell and use for everything that I do (racing and building) is over six years old. I turn it on everyday, it stays on ALL DAY and has never failed! Only a few tip changes in the six years of use.
The 455-16, although a little big for my taste, is a real workhorse!! It gets VERY VERY HOT!!
The 936 station is also a good choice for the work bench. It MAY be a little light for the heavy brass??

I have sold the Hakko line for over nine years and do not know of a single heating element failure!!

[Pablo]

I feel your pain, Jairus. Maybe there are good (Inlands) ones, and bad ones. My experience with a brand new 100W Inland was, the temp control was defective right out of the box, and the iron itself couldn't burn it's way out of a paper bag, so to speak. I didn't even get ONE frame out of it

Many people I see using them are happy. I don't know...

My Hakko continues to rock and roll with occasional tip changes, no heat control, and it gets left plugged in overnight for long races.