Soldering work stations....

[Sumner]

I've got a few inexpensive soldering stations that I've built.

I got tired of taking the soldering station that I use to hold and clean the soldering iron back and forth between the workbench and the layout so decided to build a second one. Total cost was under $3.00 thanks to the second hand store that is about 200 feet up the street from the house.

I started cleaning the soldering iron tip with a wet sponge back in the '60's and have tried other methods like the brass sponge shown further up the page. I don't use it at all anymore and have gone back to the sponge entirely. It is faster and does a better job for me.  I'll be ....

 

..... using my 1960's solder station only at the workbench now that I've built a couple more soldering stations.

 

Went up the street to the secondhand store and found the glass dish for $2.00 and the metal rack (not sure what it was used for) for 75 cents. Screwed the rack to a board and added a few other screws to locate the dish. You can still lift it out if needed. Shaped the end of the sponge to the dish and added a rock to keep the sponge from sliding back. Bet you can't guess what the rock is.

 

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I have a red light bulb on the power strip I use at the workbench for the soldering iron and the resistance solderer. It helps in keeping from leaving the shop with the iron still on and the fire danger that could create. I wanted a 'On' indicator light for this but didn't want to use the larger bulb. I have a number of the 110v to 5v power supplies that are used to charge phones and other items. I allocated one to powering a red LED. I took a USB cable I had and cut one end off and stripped it down to the wires inside. It ended up being a charging only cable and only had a red and black wire and no data wires.

I soldered the red wire to the anode of the LED (the longer lead) and soldered a 390 ohm ¼ watt resistor to the cathode on the LED and then the black wire to the resistor to complete the circuit. I also had added shrink tubing to the exposed wires while building this.

 

A short power strip was added to the side of the station. Had it laying around but it would of driven the total cost up if one is keeping track of that. With the USP power supply plugged in the light comes on any time the iron is on and I could plug something else in at the same time if needed.

Ed has been helping with the layout now and has been building some turnouts so...

 

..... made the soldering station above for him to use and....

 

.... liked the multi-hole iron holder I made from some scrap sheet-metal so made a similar iron holder for my 1960's soldering station above. Some times I have irons with different size tips on the station at the same time.
 
More soldering info here on irons, solder & fluxes, resistance soldering and hot air soldering/reworking..... ( HERE ).

What do you use?

Sumner

[Point353]

I've got a few inexpensive soldering stations that I've built.
What do you use?

Weller WTCP-S, bought new about 40 years ago.

[Myracan]

I just use cheap chinese soldering irons. They have always worked well. But I do like the brass or whatever it is filing tubs over sponges.

[robert3985]

I used an old Realistic 35W iron, with a replaceable screw-in tip in its coiled metal & plastic stand with a little square sponge in the plastic base for several decades.  I built over 100 turnouts with it without a problem.

BUT, my tips became impossible to get, the sponge died and the replacement left residue on the tips...so, I started using my 250W (turned way down) American Beauty Resistance soldering station for my trackwork, and my old, beat-up iron for tinning...which worked really well for me.

Then, last year, I decided to start installing some of my DCC decoders in several engines that were ready to have a decoder & speaker installed, and I figured a resistance soldering station was not going to do the job.

So, I bought a new Hakko FX888D Digital Soldering Station in lovely blue and yellow for my electronics work.

About that time, I got a notification taped to my door that the city was going to bulldoze my rental home for a road-widening project and I had 60 days to get out.  Suddenly, my model railroading came to an abrupt halt while I tried to find a new place to move to and to pack up everything (or throw it away) for the move.

Coincidentally, today will be the first day I use my new Hakko digital soldering station (which is still in its box), doing repair work on my recently set up layout, replacing several toggle switches that have decided to not work any longer and maybe seeing what it will do on some rail ends that have broken their soldered attachment to a few PC board ties at my module ends during rough handling by the movers back in October of '25.

Photo (1) - Hakko FX888D Soldering Station and some extra tips still in its box being unpacked for work on my layout:

[McKeen]

Weller WCP300 have it for 15+ years, still works great.

[$2 Bill]

⚠ Careful on USB chargers. Most "No name" units are Total Crap that can/will fry & take other things when they die.
Search YT for @DiodeGoneWild @bigclivedotcom for that & other iffy products.

"What do you use?"

Depending on What I'm soldering, have Several Irons/Guns to use from 6W Iron to 250W Gun Type.

For HO & other Rails ~ 100W Weller Gun because Rails heat up fast @ a very small point without melting a bunch of plastic.
For Wires depends on wire gauge. 18AWG/1MM² & bigger often gets 100W to 250W Gun for same reason.
PC work gets 6W to ~ 25W depending on several things.

Some "People" claim High Watt guns/irons causes "problems..." Not when used right & because Gun Types have 1 or 2 stage switches, they don't suck power for Hours + near Instant Heating & fast Cool Down so less of a Fire Hazard if the tip hits other things.

Weller is a Cooper Brand now & dropped many old types covering some heat ranges.
Some Gun Types have 2 stage Switches that delivers 2 heat ranges like Weller 8200-N 100W or 140W

Many Times can find old Weller Guns/Irons @ flea & other 2nd hand markets. Some May look bad but most still works even 60+ years later. Might need a new plug or cord. Old Weller Guns where the copper tip goes thru the Nut is way better then Current models using Screws to hold the tip. Older models need smaller "Wire" Tips may have problems finding them. 8250 & related use the larger "Wire" Tips but are still sold @ most places.

Edit4Correction: (6/4/26) I dug thru old supplies to find tips in packages to look up the numbers. The Small "Wire" Tip Current PN are 7135W 2x Plain tips or can get 7135N 1 tip w/ Nuts for Old Models. The Large "Wire" tips like S-500 8250A D550 uses Current PN are 7250W 2x Plain tips or 7250N 1 tip w/ Nuts (1 or both N number maybe Discontinued). If the Nuts are Good, can buy plain tips & reuse the Nuts. Weller also has other tip numbers to shape or cut other things & mostly came in Solder Kits that people rarely or never use. Most PN can get thru Amazon etc. Other old Weller Irons & their Parts was Discontinued Years Ago like the Light Blue "Pro" Irons I have.

Some RS/Tandy/Realistic Soldering were rebranded Weller but again Cooper stopped making some models & related parts. Might find old parts etc on Eflea. Others models were made god knows where even in the 1960's & 70's.

All electric work gets Eutectic or Low Temp Paste covered in https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=61100.msg841996#msg841996

Weller Maintenance:
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E2Add--> Finger Tight with a small Wrench. Don't deform or cut the tip by over tighten the Nut. A thin coat of Silicon oil/grease, Brake grease, GB OX-GARD, may help the connection to stay clean.