compact hot air iron thoughts?

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alaskanb3arcub
 
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compact hot air iron thoughts?

Post by alaskanb3arcub »

I've been looking into something like this(https://tinyurl.com/y4x5f83l). Has anyone come across something like this that they know to not be trash?

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mikeysklar
 
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Re: compact hot air iron thoughts?

Post by mikeysklar »

I didnt' see the max temp, but I usually need 400F - 500F when desoldering. This is our more compact model.

https://www.adafruit.com/product/1869

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alaskanb3arcub
 
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Re: compact hot air iron thoughts?

Post by alaskanb3arcub »

It will be a while before soldering electronics that small will be doable due to vision and lack of space to setup a lab area to do so.

I plan on doing [optical disc] repair by wet sanding discs(picked up 2000 grit paper at NAPA today), then considering using such an iron to melt the plastic, much like heat polishing plexiglass. Storage for me is at a premium as well, and I like the thought of something that will consume a lot less space. I have also seen models that have compact controller/power supply external to the iron itself, but still having a smaller footprint than the Quick(example: https://www.amazon.com/Generic-Control- ... B08HHT6S4P).

I work at a thrift store that gets a lot of [optical discs] in... less than great condition, and the admittedly used/discontinued, disc repair machine I have(DiscGoDevil 2.0) uses supplies t hat are not replaceable when gone, and new machines are... prohibitively expensive, as well as having the supplies explicitly timed, not allowing the consumables to be stretched out. Sandpaper and electricity to power a hot air iron would be much more cost effective.

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alaskanb3arcub
 
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Re: compact hot air iron thoughts?

Post by alaskanb3arcub »

Well, I figure an update is due. Use of the hot air iron to fix cds turned out... badly because it's lowest temperature was too hot for the plastic. That said, the iron does get hot, but having the fan in the handle makes the thing HUGE, and not very comfortable to hold for short times, much less longer. I'll hold onto it, but I dunno that I can recommend that model for extended use.

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