# Mod Soldering Iron



## Phillip868 (3/2/16)

Okay this may sound crazy, BUT if I don't ask I will go crazy by lunch time. I have a Istick 60w, Vortice dripper and about 10m of kanthal 24AWG and about 2m 28AWG. My question is.... Can I make a soldering iron out of this? What I was thinking was to use a 5cm piece of 24 kanthal folded in half, with a very narrow loop right in the middle to solder with.

In the picture is my Istick with the vortice deck and the wire from the two post holes to form the loop. In yellow is the solder wire that "should then flow over the loop in the direction of what ever Circuit Board connection I am trying to fix. Theoretically I can then solder in VW mode so as not to damage the CB I am working on.
My question is----- *Will this work*? I have a samsung 25R5 battery 20Amp the resistance of the loop and length of wire is aprox 0.3 Ohm with a diameter of the loopy part at 4mm. Steam engine says my Amp draw will be 15amps at 60w and 8amps at 20w, so this is safe. *Will it be effective*?
*Is it safe*? obviously I wont heat the wire constantly but rather pulse it according to my needs and the melting point of the solder wire. *Any suggestions? Any advise? Any Judgement?*, all is welcome. 

Important side note - I am not an electrical genius, but I understand the laws of physics pretty well, math not a problem either. I do like to experiment with new ideas and will do tons of research before I Build/Invent something potentially dangerous.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Kuhlkatz (3/2/16)

If you make that loop at the end, chances are that the melted solder will short out the loop part, and it will not contribute to generating heat any longer. It will still be heated by the adjacent sections, but heat transfer may not be that effective, or enough to keep the solder melted. If you want to try it, keep the loop as small as possible.

My suggestion would still be to use a low wattage soldering iron with a small tip designed for that sort of work.

Reactions: Agree 2


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## shaunnadan (3/2/16)

part of me is saying that you will get electrocuted... another part of me is saying "do it !"

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1 | Funny 2


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## Phillip868 (3/2/16)

Kuhlkatz said:


> If you make that loop at the end, chances are that the melted solder will short out the loop part, and it will not contribute to generating heat any longer. It will still be heated by the adjacent sections, but heat transfer may not be that effective, or enough to keep the solder melted. If you want to try it, keep the loop as small as possible.
> 
> My suggestion would still be to use a low wattage soldering iron with a small tip designed for that sort of work.


Thanks, I do not have access to or own a soldering iron that is small enough for precision work, that is why I asked if this will work. Maybe If the loop is only 1mm long? I don't want it to short out even if the mod has safety features.


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## GlacieredPyro (3/2/16)

Kuhlkatz said:


> If you make that loop at the end, chances are that the melted solder will short out the loop part, and it will not contribute to generating heat any longer. It will still be heated by the adjacent sections, but heat transfer may not be that effective, or enough to keep the solder melted. If you want to try it, keep the loop as small as possible.
> 
> My suggestion would still be to use a low wattage soldering iron with a small tip designed for that sort of work.



Good point. But could a "contact heat" tip at the end of the loop act as the soldering tip?
Thus preventing a short and giving more accuracy? Kinda like claptons concept.


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## Phillip868 (3/2/16)

shaunnadan said:


> part of me is saying that you will get electrocuted... another part of me is saying "do it !"


 I just might do it ........... Still researching though.


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## blujeenz (3/2/16)

Sounds like trying to draw with a spade.
Why would you want to waste time trying to re-invent something that works fine as it is?

http://www.communica.co.za/Catalog/Details/P3534166147
R65

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3


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## Phillip868 (3/2/16)

GlacieredPyro said:


> Good point. But could a "contact heat" tip at the end of the loop act as the soldering tip?
> Thus preventing a short and giving more accuracy? Kinda like claptons concept.
> 
> View attachment 44775


I like that, I had that thought also, that is why I mentioned the 28AWG Kanthal.

This is exactly where I wanted the thread to go. Sound advice, Intelligent thoughts and good reasoning. 
I am sure that beside this, someone else out there has had some clever theory or alternative use for a mod, like a light source, camp fire starter, etc...


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## Phillip868 (3/2/16)

blujeenz said:


> Sounds like trying to draw with a spade.
> Why would you want to waste time trying to re-invent something that works fine as it is?
> 
> http://www.communica.co.za/Catalog/Details/P3534166147
> R65


Because I prefer DIY style things, and with shipping and the trouble I have to go through to get it it will end up costing way more. It's not that I cannot afford a soldering Iron, I can. I cannot get one in a 250km radius of my location though. I tend to repurpose a lot of things, this was to actually get people thinking and perhaps help with a design to use the specified setup. Also it is not that much of a time waste, as it will be a weekend project on something I like, to keep busy.

Reactions: Like 1


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## blujeenz (3/2/16)

Phillip868 said:


> Because I prefer DIY style things, and with shipping and the trouble I have to go through to get it it will end up costing way more. It's not that I cannot afford a soldering Iron, I can. I cannot get one in a 250km radius of my location though. I tend to repurpose a lot of things, this was to actually get people thinking and perhaps help with a design to use the specified setup. Also it is not that much of a time waste, as it will be a weekend project on something I like, to keep busy.



I hear you, like the estate agents are saying, location is everything.

It has been my experience that much time is wasted trying to make a tool which usually performs poorly if at all.
..and the original cause for the hack is no closer to being fixed than before.

A case in point, I needed a heavy duty soldering iron to fix the brass top tank of my radiator which had split along a soldered seam. So I tried to make one with a kettle element held in a vice grips.
When monday rolled around the radiator was even worse than before due to the monster heat from the element and eventually I had to remove the entire rad and take it in to Silverton (radiator repair).

A lot of wasted time, money and frustration which only served as a good lesson to better manage my resources in future.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## GlacieredPyro (3/2/16)

blujeenz said:


> I hear you, like the estate agents are saying, location is everything.
> 
> It has been my experience that much time is wasted trying to make a tool which usually performs poorly if at all.
> ..and the original cause for the hack is no closer to being fixed than before.
> ...



But you learned something in the process right?
(Besides go buy it)

I like what OP is doing. I do it a lot. One learns a hell of a lot.
If it weren't for stuff like this, dripping wouldn't be thing...
Nor would the mod revolution.

Reactions: Agree 3


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## Kuhlkatz (3/2/16)

You won't be able to electrocute yourself in the process, but be aware that heated kanthal held horizontally will 'droop' as soon as it softens from the heat. There is a good chance of buggering up whatever is laying right underneath it, including CB components, hands, fingers, mod finish etc.

If you do try it, try it away from all components and over a steel, stone or heat resistant surface. Chances of success would likely be better if the kanthal is already 'hanging' downwards, but you will not be able to exert any force on the 'tip' like you can with a solid iron.

I'd still rather wager my chances with any el-cheapo soldering iron in the hardware section of a supermarket, even if it means filing the tip to fit the job at hand.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Ernest (3/2/16)

I think it could work, but would I use a 6, 7, R800 mod to do what a R100 tool can do? and then use it to fix something that I can replace with R50? What the hell, just do it, and if you live to tell the tale... please post pics.


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## Phillip868 (3/2/16)

Ernest said:


> I think it could work, but would I use a 6, 7, R800 mod to do what a R100 tool can do? and then use it to fix something that I can replace with R50? What the hell, just do it, and if you live to tell the tale... please post pics.


I will over the weekend, as I stated earlier, please see this as an experiment. I have no interest in modding a mod permanently for any reason, I simply want to know if it *can* work or not. For example, last weekend I used my mini Weber style braai as an inflateable pool heater. It worked awesomely but on Monday it was a braai again.

Reactions: Like 3


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## GlacieredPyro (3/2/16)

Phillip868 said:


> I will over the weekend, as I stated earlier, please see this as an experiment. I have no interest in modding a mod permanently for any reason, I simply want to know if it *can* work or not. For example, last weekend I used my mini Weber style braai as an inflateable pool heater. It worked awesomely but on Monday it was a braai again.



Can't wait to see how it turns out.
Just as @Kuhlkatz mentioned and I'm sure you know. 
Safety first.

Reactions: Thanks 1


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## Gazzacpt (3/2/16)

A solder station is the same price as a half decent regulated mod.

#Justsaying


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## Mike (3/2/16)

Gazzacpt said:


> A _*good, temperature regulated*_ solder station is the same price as a half decent regulated mod.
> 
> #Justsaying



FTFY  I made do with a R40 jobby for a long while. Moved over to a Magnum station, couldn't be happier!!!

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Salamander (3/2/16)

Part of the reason for a soldering iron having a tip is to retain heat - the larger the tip the larger amount of heat is retained. A very small tip is tapered down from a larger section to "store" heat to transfer to the tip and solder. The small amount of material in a Kanthal tip is going to dissipate heat very quickly and imo not actually work as a soldering iron

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## Ernest (3/2/16)

Gazzacpt said:


> A solder station is the same price as a half decent regulated mod.
> 
> #Justsaying


That gives me an idea, wick it up and stick it in a bottle of juice and you'll have a bad ass vape station... that can also solder.

Reactions: Funny 3


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## Phillip868 (3/2/16)

Salamander said:


> Part of the reason for a soldering iron having a tip is to retain heat - the larger the tip the larger amount of heat is retained. A very small tip is tapered down from a larger section to "store" heat to transfer to the tip and solder. The small amount of material in a Kanthal tip is going to dissipate heat very quickly and imo not actually work as a soldering iron


Thanks, that's what I'm talking about.


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## LynkedZA (16/1/17)

Hey guys just a thought why go through all this. Go buy a gas stove for ur kitchen then go get a nail and pliers or vice grip. Use the vice grip to hold the nail in the flame till it gets hot and use it to solder. This is a technique autos use to heat their soldering irons. Btw there are other options as well. You can use a heat gun etc. I have even used a oxy acetylene tank with a brazing torch to solder thick copper wire.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk


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## Viruz187 (8/4/20)

Phillip868 said:


> Okay this may sound crazy, BUT if I don't ask I will go crazy by lunch time. I have a Istick 60w, Vortice dripper and about 10m of kanthal 24AWG and about 2m 28AWG. My question is.... Can I make a soldering iron out of this? What I was thinking was to use a 5cm piece of 24 kanthal folded in half, with a very narrow loop right in the middle to solder with.
> View attachment 44774
> In the picture is my Istick with the vortice deck and the wire from the two post holes to form the loop. In yellow is the solder wire that "should then flow over the loop in the direction of what ever Circuit Board connection I am trying to fix. Theoretically I can then solder in VW mode so as not to damage the CB I am working on.
> My question is----- *Will this work*? I have a samsung 25R5 battery 20Amp the resistance of the loop and length of wire is aprox 0.3 Ohm with a diameter of the loopy part at 4mm. Steam engine says my Amp draw will be 15amps at 60w and 8amps at 20w, so this is safe. *Will it be effective*?
> ...


I have made a soldering Iron Using a Eleaf pico2 by using a 4mm long antena, a 6mm long copper wire covered with heat resistant tubing then wrapped with nicrome, that fited in through the antenavia negative wire and the positve connected to soldering tip (hako)which then fitted over thenegative nichrome bit. best Soldering iron Ive ever had.... That being said Ive already ordered the ts100 and Im sure thats going to be replacing my mod
good luck

Reactions: Creative 2


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