Above: Steve Okeefe - This is an 1,100 degree, 3/8" chisel tip iron
made by Hakko. For soldering slot car chassis, it works as well or better, in my opinion,
than the Ungar model 4033 product. The holder is an aluminum extrusion with a ceramic ferrule.
It was given to me years ago, so I have no idea who manufactured it.
That black box with the red knob is an SCR "speed controller" I got from Radio Shack.
I use it to "throttle" the temperature of the iron. With the speed controller,
I can easily solder the most delicate electronic components at 350 degrees tip temperature,
or crank it up and attach 1/16" thick guide tongues to 1/16" thick drop arms.
The small copper colored object is a piece of "copper wool", purchased at the
local grocery store. This copper wool is used to clean the tip each time immediately
before soldering. Do not ever use steel wool to clean the tip, fragments will get into
the motor magnets just like magic!
--Steve Okeefe, March 2003
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