TOPIC:

I received one of these 'Cold Heat' soldering tools as a gift. I even suggested it, as it looked pretty good on the commercial (of course it did!). I gotta say, it's OK. It sure takes a bit to figure out how to use it, it's got a few quirks. Overall, it usually does the job, but I sometimes have to pull out the corded iron. Oh, I just have a cheapy iron, I don't do enough soldering to warrant a good, temp. controled one.

wiredgeorge wrote:

On TV, they have shown (on infomercial) a cordless/rechargeable soldering iron that is called "heatless" or something like that. The thing gets hot instantly at the touch of a button and then appears to be cool when the button is released. Since I do a LOT of soldering out under the porch cover on my shop and while there is electricity available, the cord with the iron hanging on the end is a bit cumbersome. Anyone use one of these cordless "cold" soldering guns to solder 20 to 10 ga. wire? How long would the charge last? Do these things really work? Since they cost about $20 I have been curious to try one just for the no-cord convenience.

Absolute junk! My buddy was trying to demonstrate it to me. First, it didn't really work, then the tip broke. I think he used the thing a total of 3 or 4 times.

wiredgeorge wrote:

...Anyone use one of these cordless "cold" soldering guns to solder 20 to 10 ga. wire?...

I had one of these demonstrated for me in a Radio Shack the other day. Here's the deal...

The "tip" is actually 2 parts, seperated by some isolating material. It has a slot on the tip, instead of a point. In the center of the slot there is one of the two parts, which can only be touched in that spot. The other part makes up the majority of the "tip".

Only when your wire that you are soldering touches BOTH parts (meaning only in the slot) will it generate an intense heat (via instant charge) to allow you to solder. It's not that it cools down quickly, the metrials that make up the "tip" never actually get hot, since the conducting of heat is not how it works. Get it? I hope I'm explaining it well...

It works very well, if all you want to do is solder some little wires together. But it does require making good contact with both parts in the slot, so it is a bit finickey.

After just a few tries with it, I thanked the kid for the opportunity to experience the novelty, and bought a 45 watt iron. I need a "point" tip, not a "slot" tip for much of my work.

It's nice toy. Amaze your friends. As seen on TV. Throw it out in a few weeks.