Holeshot Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 I keep seeing those infomercials for the "Cold Heat" soldering iron. Has anyone tried one? Do they actually work? If they worked as advertised, I wonder how they'd work for soldering photoetched parts together? Curtis Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ross McTavish Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 I bought one for my father’s birthday earlier this year. They do solder... but the tip is so cumbersome that I don’t imagine that one could use if for anything all that delicate. The soldering tip is approximately 1/8" in Ø. The tip of the iron so to speak is split into 2 halves with a spacer between them. In order to achieve fusion of two pieces together, they both have to be touching the same part. I’d recommend buying a cheap pen style soldering iron if portability and availability of electricity are not an issue. :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The_Animal Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 I was considering getting a Cold Heat soldering iron mainly because I don't relish the thought of getting burned. My dad used to do stained glass and I had one encounter with a hot soldering iron. Thanks for the Heads-up, Ross. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ken Lim Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 I once picked up a working iron by the wrong end. The dangerous part is NOT the soldering tip, its the long metal barrel. As long as that is shielded in some way the process should be accident free. Looks like Cold Heat scores in that regard. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Phillips Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 A friend of mine got one because he solders alot at work. He says the thing sucks. It will get hot, but with the large tip, getting it to touch two small things, like wire or an etch part, is next to impossible. I tried to (as the commercial says) fix a broken switch on my guitar, and it wouldnt heat the wires enough to melt the solder. FWIW Mike Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wally Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 I would have to vote "it sucks!!" as well. There is too much mass in the tip, it draws most of the heat away from whatever you are sodering. Don't waste your money!!!!! Wally Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zactoman Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 Another vote for 'sucks' here... One of the guys at work bought one and I tried it. I couldn't manage to get a good solder joint on either wire-to-wire or wire to a (pre-tinned) lug... (We need a thumbs down smiley!) <_< Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The_Animal Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 (edited) Another vote for 'sucks' here...One of the guys at work bought one and I tried it. I couldn't manage to get a good solder joint on either wire-to-wire or wire to a (pre-tinned) lug... (We need a thumbs down smiley!) <_< or one that fits our board. Edited November 25, 2005 by The_Animal Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zactoman Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 (edited) one that fits our board. I like it!! How about it mods? Can we add this one or do away with one of the less frequently used smileys (like this guy <_< )and add this one? Edited November 25, 2005 by Zactoman Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigJets Posted November 26, 2005 Share Posted November 26, 2005 How does the thing work? BJ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Holeshot Posted November 26, 2005 Author Share Posted November 26, 2005 Thanks all, I kinda figured it was probably more of your typical infomercial junk, but I figured this would be the place to ask to find out for sure! Curtis Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grey Ghost 531 Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 (edited) How does the thing work?BJ It's a miniature resistance soldering device. The tip is graphite and split into two halves. You touch it to the workpiece with both sides at the same time to complete the circuit between the two halves of the tip. The resistance of the graphite heats it. It's called "cold heat" because the tip isn't hot while idle. It only heats up when you touch the workpiece, and, when you lift it off and break the connection it's supposed to cool down in a couple of seconds. I'm sorry to hear it doesn't work very well. I have one but only tried it out on a couple of pieces of wire to test it. It was a rough joint because I wasn't trying very hard for a nice one, but it seemed okay. Edited November 28, 2005 by Grey Ghost 531 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Llarry Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 I got one a few months ago from Radio Shaft and it's not horrible (though it was annoying when the tip broke and I had to buy another). No, it's not the finest tool around, but I've found it to be sufficient for my needs and it has the great advantage of being cordless and safe. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BAM'n'IVM Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 My mother got one of them. She said it worked great when she tried it right out of the box. The second time she wanted to use it, the whole thing heated up in her hand and the batteries started leaking...and she couldn't turn it off... She's calling for a refund this week. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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