Weller Piezo Butane Gas Soldering Set - WP3EU (14-Jan-2012)
Weller Gas Soldering Set
I recently bought a new Weller gas powered soldering iron from Rapid Electronics in the UK,
part number 85-5752 for around £36
Whilst I do have an occasional need for a portable soldering iron, I really wanted it for use on heat-shrink sleeving. I’ve got an electric hot-air blower built into my Xytronic de-solder station and for jobs with many shrinks to do it’s great, but it does take a while to warm up, it's not portable, and sometimes I just want to make a quick cable assembly or repair so wanted something compact, fast and portable.
The Weller is a fantastic piece of kit and fulfilled all my expectations.
It comes in a nice sturdy plastic case and is supplied with several different attachments including three soldering tips, a hot knife bit and a special curved attachment for heat-shrink sleeving. They also supply a tube of solder and a little metal tray with a piece of dehydrated sponge in the bottom; a couple of drop of water and it expands into a complete sponge for tip cleaning. There’s also a small spanner supplied to help loosen tips that have become tight.
The temperature is controllable via a sliding control that adjusts the gas flow, and there is a sliding on / off control. Lighting the unit involves removing the plastic protective cap, pushing a little plastic button in with your thumb which releases the trigger on the side that you can then pull down with your index finger and cause the piezo ignition system to light the flame. So far, the unit has lit first time every time. The gas tank is visible through the main plastic housing so you have an idea how much fuel is remaining. Theres a filling valve in the base.
Without any tips attached, the unit is a simple hot-air blower which is great for paint stripping in confined places, and for heat-shrinking larger cables. I don’t really use the supplied heat-shrink tip unless I’m working in a very tight spot and I don’t want to risk melting adjacent items.
It’s very quick to re-fill from a standard butane gas bottle; the type used to re-fill gas lighters, though seems to be a bit messy with gas flying out all over the place; but this could be down to my technique of course.
The actual flame is completely encased so the unit is basically wind proof which will make using it outdoors even on windy days perfectly straight forward.
Theres a thin molded plastic filler that fits under the storage case lid that is designed to keep everything in place, even if the case is turned upside down and it's a shame they didnt fix this lid as somehow or find a different way of holding everything in place but this is a niggle and no real problem.
All in all, a great addition to my tool collection and now a permanent fixture on my bench; I'll give it 9 out of 10.
part number 85-5752 for around £36
Whilst I do have an occasional need for a portable soldering iron, I really wanted it for use on heat-shrink sleeving. I’ve got an electric hot-air blower built into my Xytronic de-solder station and for jobs with many shrinks to do it’s great, but it does take a while to warm up, it's not portable, and sometimes I just want to make a quick cable assembly or repair so wanted something compact, fast and portable.
The Weller is a fantastic piece of kit and fulfilled all my expectations.
It comes in a nice sturdy plastic case and is supplied with several different attachments including three soldering tips, a hot knife bit and a special curved attachment for heat-shrink sleeving. They also supply a tube of solder and a little metal tray with a piece of dehydrated sponge in the bottom; a couple of drop of water and it expands into a complete sponge for tip cleaning. There’s also a small spanner supplied to help loosen tips that have become tight.
The temperature is controllable via a sliding control that adjusts the gas flow, and there is a sliding on / off control. Lighting the unit involves removing the plastic protective cap, pushing a little plastic button in with your thumb which releases the trigger on the side that you can then pull down with your index finger and cause the piezo ignition system to light the flame. So far, the unit has lit first time every time. The gas tank is visible through the main plastic housing so you have an idea how much fuel is remaining. Theres a filling valve in the base.
Without any tips attached, the unit is a simple hot-air blower which is great for paint stripping in confined places, and for heat-shrinking larger cables. I don’t really use the supplied heat-shrink tip unless I’m working in a very tight spot and I don’t want to risk melting adjacent items.
It’s very quick to re-fill from a standard butane gas bottle; the type used to re-fill gas lighters, though seems to be a bit messy with gas flying out all over the place; but this could be down to my technique of course.
The actual flame is completely encased so the unit is basically wind proof which will make using it outdoors even on windy days perfectly straight forward.
Theres a thin molded plastic filler that fits under the storage case lid that is designed to keep everything in place, even if the case is turned upside down and it's a shame they didnt fix this lid as somehow or find a different way of holding everything in place but this is a niggle and no real problem.
All in all, a great addition to my tool collection and now a permanent fixture on my bench; I'll give it 9 out of 10.
