Re: "Cool Touch" Soldering Tool

carneyke wrote:

I bought a 12V soldering iron that plugs into a cigarette lighter many
years ago. It works fine but has a cord. I was trying to use a Wahl
once outside in brutal cold weather and it couldn't produce enough heat
even though it was charged. Didn't have the 12V corded unit back then
to make comparison.

The Wahl irons were never intended for that usage. Its like watching
someone try to repair a leaking radiator with a Weller 8200 Soldering
gun with 100/140 watts of heat. You have to choose the right tool for
the job. I had the original orange Wahl iron on my bench for about 10
years and went trough a couple sets of nicads. Most of the time I had
the "Tuner extension tip" in it to be able to reach into equipment to
resolder a wire or component lead under layers of wire or a gap in the
*** metal without spending hours stripping the equipment to the
subassembly level. The rest of the time I used an assortment of Weller
irons from 23 watts to 175 watts. If that wasn't hot enough, then I
would reach for a propane torch with a bottle of MAP gas and a soldering
tip. I ran into a problem with some large copper pipe and brass
fittings for a TV transmitter that I needed to separate so I jammed a
heat gun into the pipe and set it on high, then used an acetylene torch
to supply the rest of the heat without burning a hole in the brass
fittings.
--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida
.