Mosaic
Well-Known Member
Hi all:
I built a hot air pencil last nite and it works extremely well. I use it for SMD soldering.
I am sharing the approach in this thread.
Basically I started with an el cheapo...40W soldering station. Been using it about a year and it's great.
**broken link removed**
For the air I used this:
Amazon.com: Tetra Whisper Air Pump 10 Gal Tank: Home & Garden
The great thing is the MOD allows u to use the regular tips or hot air as u wish! No loss of functionality.
Step 1: Drill a shallow 1/8" hole into the plastic body to fit a Hose Tee fitting, this Tee is regular aquarium air tubing Tee. Locate the hole at the end of the rubber sleeve..or about 2" from where the plastic grip joins the metal tube heater. This is to allow your thumb to control the air flow by easily blocking one side of the Tee or not. Thus forcing air thru the iron or not. Adjust the angle of the tee (twist it) to suit your thumb.
Step 2: using JB weld seal up all the vents and seams where the metal tube joins the housing.
Step 3: After verifying your thumb control action on the TEE, JB weld it into place.
Step 4: Get a metal tip disposable pen (faber Castle) and salvage the metal cone tip.
Grind out the threads inside the cone with a Dremel and ensure it easily slips over the tip of the soldering Iron threads.
Step 5: Apply plumbers teflon thread seal to soldering iron threads, pulling it across the open tip hole to protect it.
Step 6: coat the teflon threads ONLY with JBweld. Slip on the Metal cone and stand vertically to set overnight.
Next Day:
7) Unscrew the metal cone (with a pliers) and remove excess teflon tape. This is your hot air tip.
8) Get about 1.5" by 0.75" of copper foil....the stiff kind they use to make radiator fins.
Roll this concentrically to fit inside the IRON metal tube, but use a toothpick to make sure the concentric rolls are spaced from each other, like how the jam in a swiss roll spaces the cake. This optimises heat xfer to the air. Slide this 'spaced" roll into the iron. Screw on your tip and turn on the iron to max 40W.
Get to soldering.
I do lead-free solder easily with this. No hot plate required. I flex my thumb to block the TEE vent and force air when I want it..i can even throttle the air flow that way.
To return to regular iron tip use...remove the copper roll with a tweezer and insert your regular tip.
This is so much better than trying to place a 603 part while trying to tack it by contact with the iron tip & solder wire and adjust it if it gets shifted all at once.
Now I apply a tiny dot of solder to the bare copper pads. Then place the part while melting both pads with the hot air. Then press the part flat with the tweezer tip with the hot air on it. I get much nicer fillets now. Plus I don't use up solder in tinning the tips every 5 minutes. Also the part is evenly heated...reduces stress cracks in ceramic/glass parts.
My solder consumption is down by 50% due to no tinning.
I built a hot air pencil last nite and it works extremely well. I use it for SMD soldering.
I am sharing the approach in this thread.
Basically I started with an el cheapo...40W soldering station. Been using it about a year and it's great.
**broken link removed**
For the air I used this:
Amazon.com: Tetra Whisper Air Pump 10 Gal Tank: Home & Garden
The great thing is the MOD allows u to use the regular tips or hot air as u wish! No loss of functionality.
Step 1: Drill a shallow 1/8" hole into the plastic body to fit a Hose Tee fitting, this Tee is regular aquarium air tubing Tee. Locate the hole at the end of the rubber sleeve..or about 2" from where the plastic grip joins the metal tube heater. This is to allow your thumb to control the air flow by easily blocking one side of the Tee or not. Thus forcing air thru the iron or not. Adjust the angle of the tee (twist it) to suit your thumb.
Step 2: using JB weld seal up all the vents and seams where the metal tube joins the housing.
Step 3: After verifying your thumb control action on the TEE, JB weld it into place.
Step 4: Get a metal tip disposable pen (faber Castle) and salvage the metal cone tip.
Grind out the threads inside the cone with a Dremel and ensure it easily slips over the tip of the soldering Iron threads.
Step 5: Apply plumbers teflon thread seal to soldering iron threads, pulling it across the open tip hole to protect it.
Step 6: coat the teflon threads ONLY with JBweld. Slip on the Metal cone and stand vertically to set overnight.
Next Day:
7) Unscrew the metal cone (with a pliers) and remove excess teflon tape. This is your hot air tip.
8) Get about 1.5" by 0.75" of copper foil....the stiff kind they use to make radiator fins.
Roll this concentrically to fit inside the IRON metal tube, but use a toothpick to make sure the concentric rolls are spaced from each other, like how the jam in a swiss roll spaces the cake. This optimises heat xfer to the air. Slide this 'spaced" roll into the iron. Screw on your tip and turn on the iron to max 40W.
Get to soldering.
I do lead-free solder easily with this. No hot plate required. I flex my thumb to block the TEE vent and force air when I want it..i can even throttle the air flow that way.
To return to regular iron tip use...remove the copper roll with a tweezer and insert your regular tip.
This is so much better than trying to place a 603 part while trying to tack it by contact with the iron tip & solder wire and adjust it if it gets shifted all at once.
Now I apply a tiny dot of solder to the bare copper pads. Then place the part while melting both pads with the hot air. Then press the part flat with the tweezer tip with the hot air on it. I get much nicer fillets now. Plus I don't use up solder in tinning the tips every 5 minutes. Also the part is evenly heated...reduces stress cracks in ceramic/glass parts.
My solder consumption is down by 50% due to no tinning.
