Soldering Iron

[hard candy]

I'm going to be soldering on a circuit board, small gauge wires (solid and stranded), and maybe a couple LED sockets. It's been years since I soldered on those Tandy radio kits.
What wattage iron should I use? (The last time in the 70's I soldered it was with a 110 watt iron, melted everything :) )
Best type of solder for the newer boards and components?
Do I need to tin the circuits after removing the lacquer?
Thanks in advance for the advice.

[dalek]

I use a 25 watt one and it does very well. I do have to be careful with temp sensors but other than that I have not had any problems.

You can get some pretty decent ones at Radio Shack. I bought mine at a electronics store, they are gone now though. I have had it for 15 years or so.

If you do have something that is sensitive, you can put a aligator clip on it to help disapate the heat.

Oh yeah, watch those fingers and no sniffing the smoke. :rolleyes:

Later

:D :D :D :D

[Strogian]

If the soldering iron is going to be a throwaway (i.e. you're throwing together one or two devices and that's it), then definitely go for radio shack. That's what they're there for. :D

[Trogdor]

NOTHING above 25W, unless you are a big risk-taker.

I recommend 15W. Get the really thin kind with flux. Get a magnifying glass (at least 5x, preferably with a built-in light). Get the finest tip for the soldering iron you can.

</rant from an xbox modder>

[dalek]

DO NOT get acid core soilder. That will eat up your boards.. It will be clean but it won't work either.

Later

:eek: :D :D :D