Readly RF Feb 20

OLDERING
Sl GAS-POWERED
TRIED & TESTED
DRAPER 2-IN-1 SOLDERING IRON AND GAS TORCH
PART NUMBER: 78772 PRICE: £81 DRAPER TOOLS WWW.DRAPERTOOLS.COM TEL: 023 8049 4333
This pistol-style soldering iron and
gas torch has a
15ml reservoir for butane, which is filled via a valve
on the base and takes a few seconds to complete
(there’s a view of the reservoir on the side of the
body, so you can check the level). The controls for
switching on the gas and adjusting it are on
the body along with a piezo ignition switch
for lighting the gas. Operating time is around
50 minutes and the soldering iron managed
to melt fresh solder from cold in less than 30
seconds. Existing solder that had solidified
was also quickly warmed up and melted.
There’s a 10mm-wide flatblade-shaped
tip, which seems cumbersome when compared with
the finer tips of other soldering irons on test, but it’s
useful for spreading solder and sinking it between
the strands of wire. Of course, it’s not much use for
fine soldering on a circuit board and there doesn’t
appear to be any other smaller tips that can be fitted.
However, the standard soldering tip can also be used
as a hot knife, and a new one costs under £14 (stock
number 87380). And removal of the tip is one of the
easiest, consisting of a plastic collar to unscrew,
which in turn dismantles part of the soldering iron
including the exhaust port, so it can be cleaned.
IRONS
LASER 25-65-WATT GAS SOLDERING IRON
PART NUMBER: 3658 PRICE: £26.37-£43.73 LASER TOOLS WWW.LASERTOOLS.CO.UK
From the four gas-powered soldering irons we’re
testing, this is the most compact and seems to
be useful for intricate jobs, such as circuit board
repairs, connecting small gauge wires and stereo
installs. Instructions for refilling with a butane can
are displayed on the back of the packaging, and
there’s a filling valve on the base of the body with
a separate window to help check the level. With a
5ml reservoir for butane, it’s the smallest on test,
and Laser claim it’s enough to operate the soldering
iron for 20-25 minutes on the mid-setting. We
found that on the hottest setting, the gas lasted
for 10 minutes. The flame is adjusted via a plastic
wheel on the body of the soldering iron and there’s
also a safety on/off switch next to it. The butane is
ignited via a spark wheel attached to the side of the
soldering iron’s clear plastic top cover. It’s a simple
idea and works well because you can hear the gas
hissing out when the on/off switch is flicked and the
plastic control wheel is turned up.
A single tip is supplied with this soldering iron,
but more tips can be ordered (Laser part number
0582, available through stockists).
The mid-setting was warm enough to be able
to melt solder, work with it and connect two
wires together, but we often grew impatient and
resorted to increasing the output to maximum
to get on with the job. On the maximum heat
setting, it only took 40 seconds from cold to melt
fresh solder.
Laser has a massive range of butane-powered
soldering irons, including a similar one with piezo
ignition, kits with more accessories and soldering
irons with larger butane reservoirs. Being small and
compact, this soldering iron is very easy to hold and
use, so you can be more accurate when soldering.
Sl GAS-POWERED
IRONS
OLDERING
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