Homebrew PCBs

On Wed, 24 Jan 2007 05:57:54 +0100, David McNab <rebirth@...>  
wrote:

> Hi,
> (For those of us still stuck with manual soldering)
> I've just been trying out a cheap (USD$18) gas-powered soldering iron
> (actually USD$14.50 with trade discount).
> First impressions are excellent - beats the hell out of my mains
> electric iron. Goes even better after filing the tip to a sharp fine
> point. Surprisingly, it easily gets enough heat to the very tip to melt
> solder quickly and make a fine clean joint. I'm getting performance
> comparable to or better than the Weller stations I've used in the past.
> This kicks down another barrier to my eventual move to SMD.
> The only downside I've seen so far is the need to be aware of where the
> exhaust hole is pointing :P
> Cheers
> David


I have one too now, but i would not say it's anywhere near as good as a  
temperature controlled ersa station.
But then if you are satisfied with a filed tip, maybe your demands are  
lower than mine. I would not want to work with uncoated tips for long  
periods of time.
I find the hot air attachment extremely useful though.

ST