How to make a soldering iron from a pen

How to make a mini soldering iron with your own hands

A soldering iron is an important tool needed for work in every home. There is a huge selection of tools of varying power on sale.

Using simple quick manufacturing options, you can make a mini soldering iron yourself.

Homemade resistor device

The choice of the type of tool depends on what you are going to solder, because each type has its own advantages and disadvantages. A low-power tool will not be able to heat up the soldering elements well, while a powerful one can overheat them.

For small jobs, it is not profitable to buy a tool that will not be used later. An alternative option is welding, but it is not suitable for work at home.

You can connect wiring, cables, and fix the antenna with a homemade device if you do not plan to do such work in the future. Often disposable soldering is performed at home, so you can use a small device.

To get a good result, you need to follow simple rules: surfaces must be cleaned to a shine, and during work they must be tightly connected and heated to the required temperature.

For small amounts of work, you can make your own simple soldering iron.

You need to prepare:

• resistor;
• 2 pieces of copper wire;
• wooden block.

A resistor is an important element of the device. It is better not to buy a Chinese product, but to use Soviet-made copper products. A wooden block is needed for the handle, and the copper wires must be insulated.

A device made from a 51 ohm resistor will be used for 24 volts. If you need a tool to work with a higher voltage, then select a different resistor.

First, we clean it of paint. From the stripped end of the wire we make a loop, which we put on the edge of the resistor, and on the other side we solder the other end. We make a small twist out of the wire to screw it to the wooden block.

The tip should protrude no more than 1 cm, and the end of the resistor should protrude no more than 2-2.5 cm.
The device is ready. Watch the video to get a clearer picture of the assembly steps.

DIY pulse device

Sometimes you need a thin soldering iron for work, because not everyone can do jewelry soldering with a thick tool. Soldering small parts or electronic components with a plastic housing must be done quickly to avoid melting the wiring.

Radio amateurs often need to do small jobs at home. It is convenient to make them with a pulse soldering iron.

From simple and affordable materials you can make a device for small jobs at home.

Current is supplied to the copper tip in small pulses during soldering, and not constantly. This is an economical soldering option.

A do-it-yourself pulse soldering iron is made from a transformer.

Manufacturing stages:

• disassemble the transformer housing;
• remove the winding;
• make a new winding from a copper busbar;
• connect the copper wire tip;
• weld or screw the ends to the winding;
• make 2 holes in the transformer housing;
• secure the tip;
• replace the switch with a button;
• place the board in the case and screw it in;
• make a handle.

To insulate the bus, you need to put fiberglass or other insulator.

Making a soldering iron in the body of a ballpoint pen

You can make a device in a plastic case from a ballpoint pen.

You need to prepare the following materials:

• ballpoint pen;
• resistor;
• wires;
• insulation material;
• a piece of textolite;
• copper and steel wire;
• power supply.

An important manufacturing condition: the heating parts must be reliably insulated, so choose wires with a large temperature reserve to avoid overheating.

Assembly steps:

• clean the resistor;
• cut off the leg and drill a hole in the end;
• widen the hole using a large drill;
• cut threads on the cup body;
• bend the wire into a ring;
• make a rectangular board from PCB in the shape of a rectangle and solder wires to it;
• solder a wire ring to the resistor;
• secure the tip into the prepared hole;
• put a gasket for insulation;
• Place the board in the body of the plastic handle.

Soldering with a homemade soldering iron is just as convenient as with a regular one. The tip is cleaned or replaced after a certain period of time.

A simple device made from a gas lighter

The gas tool can be used anywhere, because it is an autonomous device. There are a lot of options when there is no outlet nearby, so it’s a good idea to have this necessary tool with you. If you are on the road or in nature, then a gas soldering iron can help you out.

You can make a soldering iron with your own hands from a gas lighter within a few minutes. Buy a lighter with a metal case, and use copper wire for the tip and its fastening.

Materials and tools used:

• lighter;
• wire;
• pliers;
• file.

It is better to buy a lighter with a high flame temperature, a model that works even in windy weather.

Bend the wire with pliers and then wrap it around the body of the lighter. The other end of the wire needs to be sharpened. We secure the tip with a thin wire of several turns. All that remains is to do a functionality check.

In the future, if the device is not useful, it can be disassembled.

Tips, recommendations, and videos will help you make a soldering iron with your own hands. This is a good way out of a situation when you urgently need to do soldering.

Source: https://tools.adstores.ru/article/kak-sdelat-mini-payalnik-svoimi-rukami

How to make a mini soldering iron – DIY mini soldering iron made from a resistor, lighter, ballpoint pen and other items

You can make a mini-soldering iron with your own hands from available materials - it won’t take much time and will eliminate the need to buy an expensive new device. A homemade device is especially relevant for those who only occasionally do soldering.

Of course, with such a mini-soldering iron it is better to perform only simple work at home. We can talk about connecting wires, cables, soldering antennas, and simple microcircuits.

Manufacturing from MLT and PEV resistors

A popular version of a homemade mini-soldering iron is using an MLT resistor (this abbreviation stands for “metallic, varnished, heat-resistant”). This is not even a mini, but a micro-device, but it heats up to 190°, which allows you to melt POS-60 solder.

To create it, in addition to the resistor itself, you will need:

• two insulated single-core copper wires;
• wooden block.

The resistor is the main part of the future device, and therefore its choice must be taken responsibly. It is better not to buy cheap Chinese products, but to give preference to domestically produced copper resistors.

Another important point. A mini soldering iron made from a 51 ohm resistor must be used for a voltage of 24 volts. If you need a tool to work with a voltage of 12 Volts, then you will need a resistor with a resistance of 24 to 27 Ohms.

To make such a mini-soldering iron, first the resistor is cleared of paint with some sharp object and the copper wire is protected. Then a loop is created from one end of the wire, freed from insulation, and placed on one of the edges of the resistor. And to the other edge they attach (ideally solder) the second end of the same wire.

Now you need to make a small twist from another copper wire to attach it to a wooden block (it will play the role of a handle here). The tip should protrude beyond the bar by no more than 1 centimeter, and the end of the resistor by no more than 2.5 centimeters.

They also make mini-soldering irons from a PEV-20 resistor (resistance 2 kOhm), inserting a copper wire tip into it, attaching a handle and wires. This mini-soldering iron can work from your home network. This is a very popular and simple design. The main thing in it is to make the copper rod correctly. For the tip, take either the rod of an old soldering iron or a piece of copper busbar.

From a ballpoint pen

You can make a mini soldering iron at home with your own hands using an ordinary ballpoint pen. But this, of course, is not the only material that will be needed.

The manufacturing process of such a mini-soldering iron also involves the use of an MLT resistor. The stem is cut off from it, and a hole with a diameter of 1 mm is drilled in the resulting cup.

A Soviet-made resistor (more precisely, in its ceramic casing) already has a ready-made through hole of approximately the same diameter, and it is into this that the copper tip of the soldering iron must be inserted.

At the next stage, you need to take the wire prepared in advance and bend it into a ring. Another important element in this design is a small rectangular PCB board. Wires need to be soldered to it, and a ring of wire should be soldered to the resistor. After this, the tip must be installed in the prepared hole.

Then the master must place an insulating pad around the heating parts of the future tool. For stable operation, their insulation must be reliable. And the wires, in turn, must have a temperature reserve so as not to overheat. And only after ensuring high-quality thermal insulation can the instrument be placed in the plastic body of a ballpoint pen.

Using such a device, it is quite possible to solder various microcircuits with a pitch of 0.5 mm or less. In this case, to work, as in the case of an ordinary soldering iron, you will need solder and flux. In addition, the tip of a homemade mini-soldering iron must be cleaned or replaced periodically.

Using a lighter

This mini soldering iron can be assembled in no time. It will be based on a gas lighter with a piezoelectric element; you will also need masking tape and thick copper wire (its thickness should be from 1 to 3 mm).

Creating a mini-soldering iron in this case begins by wrapping wire around a pencil or other similar object. It is necessary to make 5 turns in a row, after which you can pull out the pencil.

Next, on the convenient side, about two centimeters from the turns, the wire is bent so as to form a right angle. On the other hand, at the same distance from the turns, the wire is simply cut off.

The straight end of the resulting copper element must be processed, say, with sandpaper, so that it is sharp, like a needle. This end will be the tip of a homemade mini-soldering iron.

Then you need to try on how this wire will be combined with the lighter. The end of the wire in the form of a right angle should be located below, and the coiled part together with the sting should be located directly above the hole from which the flame comes out.

Now you need to insulate the lighter with tape, that is, wrap it at the point of attachment to the wire 5 to 7 times.

Then the wire is installed in its place and the entire structure is again wrapped with tape. Ready! A mini-soldering iron made from a regular lighter is good because it does not require connection to batteries or an electrical outlet.

For soldering with such a mini-soldering iron, it is better to choose tubular solder with flux in the core. And during operation, you should not keep the lighter in the burning mode for more than five seconds, otherwise the internal pressure mechanism may melt.

Pulse mini soldering iron

A pulse mini soldering iron is usually made from a transformer. To do this, it is necessary to disassemble its body and remove the “native” secondary winding from it. Instead, you need to install your own, self-made copper winding.

In practice, two or three turns of millimeter-thick copper wire are often sufficient. The tip of a mini-soldering iron, which can also be a copper wire, should be connected to the new winding.

This transformer with a modified winding is placed in a pre-prepared housing, for example, in the shape of a construction gun. In place of the “trigger” it is worth installing a button to turn on the tool. And in place of the “barrel” of the pistol, a stand made of dielectric material is installed. The sting already located here is carefully attached to this stand.

For clarity, you can insert an LED into the mini-soldering iron circuit, which will light up when you press the button.

USB soldering iron

A DIY USB soldering iron can be connected to any Power Bank device - it’s very convenient.

To make a soldering iron with a USB plug, you must first take a copper wire with a millimeter diameter and use pliers to make a ring at one of the ends. The ring must be large enough for the bolt to fit through it.

Then you need to take a nichrome wire 7 cm long and wind several spirals onto a copper rod on the side where there is no ring (closer to the end, but not at the very end - this is important!).

It is worth paying special attention that the copper rod and nichrome wire must be insulated from each other, for example, with fiberglass.

Next, the copper wire should be attached to a suitable size bar with a bolt. In the next step, two copper wires are screwed to a nichrome wire, the switch is glued to the bar, and the wires are soldered to the switch. Then you need to wrap the lower part of the bar with electrical tape - this is how the mini-soldering iron wires are fixed.

Finally, a USB plug with a wire of a certain length is taken and connected to the copper wires. Polarity is not important in this case. Before heat shrinking, those areas where the wires are connected to each other must also be insulated.

In addition to this, you should also tape the wire from the USB to the bar with electrical tape. After this, the performance of the soldering iron can already be checked on some workpiece.

Source: https://yato-tools.ru/raznoe-2/kak-sdelat-mini-payalnik-mini-payalnik-sdelannyj-svoimi-rukami-iz-rezistora-zazhigalki-sharikovoj-ruchki-i-drugix-predmetov. html

Making a soldering iron with your own hands: 3 best ways - Site about

A soldering iron is a universal and useful tool that will be useful to any owner. To use it, no special, specific skills are required, and if you wish, you can make a soldering iron from available materials. Below we will present the three most current instructions on how to properly make a soldering iron with your own hands at home.

Option No. 1 – Use a resistor

Who said resistance is useless? In our case, it is with the help of it that we will create a device that will operate with voltage from 6 to 24 V. To make it we will need:

• Resistor with parameters: R=20 Ohm, P= 7 W;
• A plate made of textolite (with its help we create a holder);
• 2 pieces of copper wire, with different sections. A thin rod will be useful if you need to use a smaller tip; a thicker one, in turn, should correspond to the internal diameter of the resistor.
• 1 separate spring ring (as a fastening element), screw and washer.

• Photos of a do-it-yourself soldering iron, as well as all individual elements, are presented below.
• The procedure is as follows:

We make a hole in the side of the rod and create a thread for the screw. In addition, you will need to cut a separate recess for the fixing part (the spring ring mentioned above).

On the other side (also the end side) we create a hole along the diameter of the smaller rod. The latter will be used as a sting.

According to the example (in the photo), we put the parts together into a common mechanism. We insert the tip, complete the fasteners, attach the washer and screw.

We form a handle from textolite fabric, on which we leave a mini-compartment for a wire and a resistive element. To the place where there is access to the heater, we connect the cord to plug into the outlet.

Additionally, we tighten the nodes and check the device for functionality. If everything was done correctly and the soldering iron works successfully, it can be used for soldering standard radioelements, as well as simple microcircuits. The miniature product will be simple and easy to use.

Option number 2 – A new look at the ballpoint pen

On the one hand, it is original, and on the other hand, it is a completely simple variation of a homemade device. We again take a source of resistance, only this time we will need not a PEV resistor (as for the first type of product), but an MLT. Recommended parameters: R=10 Ohm, P=0.5 W.

In addition to this, you need to prepare:

• ballpoint pen (the most ordinary one will do);
• textolite plate (2-sided);
• copper wire (1 mm in diameter);
• steel wire (maximum diameter - 0.8 mm). The material must have optimal softness - not deform itself
• on its own, but at the same time so that with the help of effort it can be given the desired shape;
• wiring for supplying electricity.

1. Manufacturing process step by step:

We remove the paint coating from the outside of the resistor.
If the coating does not want to come off, slightly heat the resistor. We cut off the wire on one side of the cylindrical part of the resistor and instead make a hole for our copper rod.

Important! The wire should not be in contact with the cup; to do this, drill a hole with a larger diameter drill. Additionally, we create a delicate cut for the flow of current, on the very cup of the resistive element.

We bend the steel wire so that it takes the shape of a handle. We create a fastening area with a ring with a diameter similar to what we cut out on the cup. We cut out a board from a textolite plate (an example of the appearance is shown in the picture).

We assemble the structure. Place a thin tip on the prepared area. Using a special material (ceramic) between the tip and the back of the resistor, we form a protective layer. This is a necessary measure to avoid the risk of burning the part.

We connect our device to the power system. Acceptable parameters: I=1 A, U=15 V.

Again, the method is quite accessible to the average amateur. The “ingredients” can be obtained from old equipment. At the same time, these types and configurations of homemade soldering irons can easily desolder surface-mounted parts from standard printed circuit boards.

Option No. 3 – Set the impulse

This method is for more advanced masters. Here you will need intermediate level blueprint reading skills. Let's look at the circuit and structure of soldering irons of this type using an example.

The main advantage of this device is its higher power, thanks to which the tip will heat up much faster, literally within a few seconds after power is applied. A rod that has reached the optimal temperature will be able to melt the tin layer without any problems.

There is an option to create such a soldering iron from a power supply with a pulse, using a device built into a fluorescent lamp. It will be necessary to improve the scheme slightly.

So, the list of materials in our case will be as follows:

Ring from a pulse converter (material – ferrite). Important: the primary set of turns on a transformer device should number 100 units, ideally no more than 120. Diameter - 0.5 mm. The additional winding is in the form of a single turn of a copper busbar, with a maximum permissible diameter of 3.5 mm.

Copper wire (diameter: 1.5-2 mm). Used to create a rod.

How to make a soldering iron with your own hands from all this? Yes, very simple! It will take literally a couple of steps - to connect the rod and the secondary winding, which, in principle, is originally part of it. Next, an arbitrary lead of the sinker will need to be connected to the network winding. And that’s it, the device is ready!

The three options described above are most often used by hobbyists to create homemade soldering tools. Additionally, we recommend watching a video on how to make a power and temperature regulator for a soldering iron with your own hands, a stand for fixing the device, etc. peripherals.

If you choose which of the three methods is preferable, we note that the first two are the easiest to implement. Not everyone can create a pulse device, and in terms of operation it requires some skills. But at the same time it allows you to implement more serious tasks. Therefore, the choice is yours!

Photos of DIY soldering irons

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How to solder a wire without a soldering iron - My site

How to solder without a soldering iron if you don’t have this tool at hand, or if the electricity suddenly turns off? There are several ways to connect wires using simple improvised means.

The main components of any soldering are flux and solder. If the latter can still be obtained using an unnecessary old board from any device, then in order to replace the flux with something, you have to use ingenuity and basic knowledge of chemistry.

How to replace a soldering iron

The operating principle of any soldering iron is to heat and constantly maintain the operating temperature of the main component - a metal rod called a tip.

The most common material for making tips is copper, as it has high thermal conductivity, low cost and greatly facilitates the tinning process.

From this we can conclude that for good soldering you need to use a rod or piece of copper wire. There are many “folk” methods of how to solder without a soldering iron. Here are some of the simplest and most effective.

In order to make an improvised soldering iron, you will need two pieces of wire of different diameters - short (10-15 cm, cross-section 3-4 mm) and long (30-40 cm, cross-section 0.5-1 mm). A short piece will be used as a sting.

Its tip must be flattened with a hammer and trimmed with a file to the desired shape. A long piece is wrapped around the tip in the form of a tight spiral and serves to maintain a more or less constant operating temperature.

The end of the spiral should not reach the opposite edge of the tip by 2-3 cm, since it will be necessary to hold the soldering iron being created with pliers. This device should be heated over an open fire or electric stove, and only the area on which the spiral is wound is exposed to temperature.

It will evenly distribute heat along the entire length of the thick wire and will retain it for some time. It should be noted that solder melts at different temperatures, depending on its composition. Soldering may require heating from 180 to 280°C, so thick wire will take longer to heat up, but will work for a fairly long period of time.

To save time, soldering can be done with pre-molten solder, or the solder can be trimmed into shavings with a sharp knife. This will reduce the heat required to melt the material.

If you don’t have copper wire at hand, you can use a regular nail or screwdriver to solder the materials, but they cool very quickly in the air, as a result of which you can only solder for a few seconds, after which heating is required again.

Another very simple method of soldering wires, which can be used even in the field, requires the following materials:

• a small piece of aluminum foil;
• rosin or any other flux (options for replacing flux will be discussed below);
• solder (can be removed from an old non-working device);
• matches or lighter.

First you need to connect the two wires that need to be soldered in the form of a regular twist. You should take a piece of foil, fold it in half to form a tray, into which you then need to pour flux and small solder shavings in a ratio of 1 to 4.

Then you need to lay the wires on the foil so that the twisted area falls on the backfilled mixture. You can add a little more fluxed solder on top to ensure that the wire is securely soldered. After this, you will need to wrap the foil tightly around the future soldering site and heat it with matches or a lighter. Usually 15-20 seconds are enough to solder the wires to each other.

Flux and its substitutes

Fluxes are substances or mixtures thereof that greatly facilitate the soldering process. They remove the oxide film from the surface of materials, ensure wetting of the metal with solder and improve its spreading. The most common flux is rosin.

It consists of a mixture of organic acids, which, when interacting with oxides, reduce them to metals. In addition to rosin, the following substances can be used as flux:

• ammonia;
• borax;
• orthophosphoric acid;
• acetylsalicylic acid;
• glycerol;
• zinc chloride.

For cases when you urgently need to solder a pair of wires together, but rosin is not available, flux can be bought at a regular pharmacy or taken from a home medicine cabinet, since acetylsalicylic acid, better known as aspirin, is an excellent substitute for rosin.

In addition to aspirin, you can use any other acid as a flux, for example, citric acid. Regular glycerin, which is sold at the pharmacy, or thin soap shavings are also suitable, since they also contain glycerin.

After using such improvised fluxes, the surface of the soldering site should be cleaned of their excess. A baking soda solution is used for this, but some parts, especially electronics, cannot be treated this way. Therefore, in order to avoid further corrosion, re-soldering should be done at the first opportunity using specialized tools.

I also recommend reading:

How to properly tin a soldering iron: useful tips

How to assemble a soldering gun with your own hands

How to solder plastic pipes correctly

How to solder a wire without a soldering iron?

Modern technologies simplify our life: you can even use technology such as soldering wires without a soldering iron. It appeared recently, but has already become indispensable: its use is often easier than working with a real device.

Soldering is one of the types of joining metal parts, applied to unloaded products. Connects non-ferrous metals of small sizes, connection in another way, which is impossible.

Used in electrical engineering to work with low- and medium-current wires.

The soldering method involves connecting metal surfaces by applying a low-melting metal that has a high coefficient of adhesion to the surfaces being connected and good conductivity.

The tool itself - the soldering iron - determines the method of applying the connecting substance. But there are methods that explain how to solder a wire without a soldering iron in extreme conditions where there is no electricity.

Example of soldering wires without a soldering iron

Materials for soldering wires without a soldering iron

The difference between the methods is the shape and temperature of the solder applied. In this case, the shape of the material with which you can solder the wire without a soldering iron becomes decisive. This is solder, which can come in various forms:

• the familiar composition of rosin, tin or a tin-lead mixture in ingots;
• the same solder, rolled into thin foil, 0.5-0.7 mm wide;
• paste, where solder is a mixture made from powders and an acid solution of various metals and rosin;

Source: http://electricdo.ru/kak-pripayat-provod-bez-payalnika.html