Solder dispensers...

[LektroiD]

Are they worth having?

I've been thinking about one for a while now, but are they worth having? Occasionally I get a kink in the solder wire which causes it to snap, and the reel can get in the way on occasions, trying to find the solder wire under a pile of crap on my bench often occurs, so I thought maybe a solder dispenser would be of use...

But which one?

I can spend £50 on a weller which has a dispenser tube at the top (looks quite nice), or I get a cheapo thing which just holds the reel for about £8. Which one? I can't find any reviews or comparissons online.

Are they worth the money, or just a novelty?

[Fungus]

Are they worth having?

I've been thinking about one for a while now, but are they worth having? I can spend £50...

Nope.

(Isn't your bench already cluttered enough without adding extra stuff...?)

Occasionally I get a kink in the solder wire which causes it to snap, and the reel can get in the way on occasions

First world problems.

trying to find the solder wire under a pile of crap on my bench often occurs

Try putting it down next to the soldering iron.

If you can't manage that, spend your £50 on several reels. You should manage to find at least one of them under all the garbage.

Plus: Extra reels of solder have multiple uses.  I have a big reel of thick solder that I use for, a) Cleaning the tip without using up all my fine solder, and b) Weighting down small objects while I work on them.

You can also stack them up, pull a strand out of the top one, bend it to where you want it to go and use it as a "dispenser".

[GreyWoolfe]

Hey Lek, just thinking, but maybe try cleaning up a bit?   Seriously, I made a simple reel holder out of a couple of L brackets a long bolt and nut and a bit of 2X4.  I used a big paper clip to make a guide.  Cost was nothing as I had the brackets, hardware and wood in the garage and more paperclips than i can use in a lifetime.  I've since changed the design a bit, using some 1" wide aluminium strip to make it sit up higher so I could drill out the 2X4 with holes to holder my soldering iron tips and I was too lazy to drill extra holes for the paperclip guide.  The aluminium was cheap and I used some of it to modify a mobile VHF ham radio transceiver bracket to use the radio in the ham shack.  Divide out the length I used against the total length and the cost of the solder reel holder was a pittance.

[David_AVD]

This is what we use at work.  They attach to the underside of the shelf above the benches.  Simple, cheap and it works.   

[sunnyhighway]

Call me a cheapskate if you like, but this works fine for me.

[RobertHolcombe]

I use this style at work

http://images.altronics.com.au/prod/t/T1300.jpg

It has a rubber base and is quite heavy even without the solder, I have a reel of multicore 0.5mm 500g(?) which fits well, doesn't tangle or kink because I keep it positioned right in front of me, feeds straight on

@sunnyhighway I do the same with my 30AWG wire reels

[Fungus]

Call me a cheapskate if you like, but this works fine for me.

Doesn't it move if you push iron+item against it?

[LoyalServant]

Never been a fan of them.... don't use em.
The rolls just stand there on the bench

Hanging ones are right out.... not paying attention one day and having solder draped across something when you power it up....
Know someone that had that happen.. not fun.

[MrsR]

K.I.S.
I use a chrome toilet roll holder screwed to a shelf behind the Soldering Iron Holders.
Holds 3 250gm Rolls of Solder, cost $2.60 AU from Bunnings.

Rachael

[robrenz]

I use the standard Hakko version showed here. The foam washers on the sides are my addition and without them it is a PITA. The solder would frequently loop over the side of the spool and wrap around the axle. The foam needs to be light and just the right thickness to just add a light drag.

[zapta]

Solder dispensers are very useful, even the simple DYI kinds. The solder just rolls easily and doesn't distract when you solder.

This is what I am using, the walls and the carrier are from a cheapo ebay 500g stand, the narrow based is 3D printed for my 250g spool and the guide is made from coat hanger wire.

[zapta]

.. The foam washers on the sides are my addition and without them it is a PITA. The solder would frequently loop over the side of the spool and wrap around the axle. The foam needs to be light and just the right thickness to just add a light drag.

I had the same problem. This is an elegant solution.

[SeanB]

I use a tube that held fizzy tablets, with the solder made into a small coil using a drill and a bamboo skewer as a mandrel. Holds about 100g of solder, and you pull out the small hole you make in the lid. Easy, cheap, no black marks on your hand and if you use a few tubes you can have assorted solder thicknesses and they store easily. Plus you only have a small amount to hold, and as it gets lighter you know you will have to refill it soon.

Plus you can hold it between 2 fingers along with the iron to apply on joints where you need 3 hands.

[sunnyhighway]

Call me a cheapskate if you like, but this works fine for me.

Doesn't it move if you push iron+item against it?

Not much really.
The magnifier doesn't shake more violent or longer if I bumped the magnifier or the roll.

It has a clearance of 10cm underneath the roll it which I found sufficient.
I'm right-handed so the iron would never touch it because the "dispenser" is on the left side.

My eyes are getting old so I always need the magnifying glass.
Once I get that thing in place I can always grab for the soldering wire without even looking.

[robrenz]

I use a tube that held fizzy tablets, with the solder made into a small coil using a drill and a bamboo skewer as a mandrel. Holds about 100g of solder, and you pull out the small hole you make in the lid. Easy, cheap, no black marks on your hand and if you use a few tubes you can have assorted solder thicknesses and they store easily. Plus you only have a small amount to hold, and as it gets lighter you know you will have to refill it soon.

Plus you can hold it between 2 fingers along with the iron to apply on joints where you need 3 hands.

Great minds think alike
This is about 25 years old.

[kingofkya]

Call me a cheapskate if you like, but this works fine for me.

I just did that with a smd reel of leds:P

[SeanB]

Great minds think alike
This is about 25 years old.

Not an original idea, been around for decades, and even my father used this, but he was mostly working with plumbers solid core wire in using it. I have one made from a pipe grip ( was left over) and a small rubber grommet with a cable sheath, and a cap from a small spray bottle that fitted in the end. Works well, soft and flexible and will not roll off the bench if put down. Often I will grip the tube in my teeth if I run out of hands and grips, and solder by touch.

[robrenz]

We have both been around for many decades

[SeanB]

Still got hair Robrenz? Only good thing is I cannot grow a beard, it looks like scrap even after a month. Nuff said about baldness, just I am glad to keep it real short, then the thin tonsure does not show.

Old man Moon is getting ready to be Father Christmas again this year, complete with white beard and all. When I first met him he still had dark hair......

[robrenz]

Here is a good view of what's left and what's missing. 

[notsob]

and totally OT, Robrenz, I still have your workshop on my xmas list

[SeanB]

Nothing major, you still have all fingers, careful machinist!

[robrenz]

It cost me about a whole day in the shop and maybe $80.00 in materials

[PlainName]

I really really hate wires and solder wrapped around stuff on my bench, which is what tends to happen if you have a static holder and reel the stuff out. None of these stands has a rewind handle to reel the excess back in at the end, right?

A photo of my setup follows. The second shows it in use, comfortably fitting in my hand with fill control, and when I put it down the solder is off the bench (easy to use without a third hand when tinning) and stable. At the end it gets thrown back in the solder box (hence the slight damage).

Cheap too.

[RobertHolcombe]

Depends how neat your bench is I guess, and what else you do on it - I have a dedicated soldering area at work so it doesn't get in the way. If I do want to re-wind the spool I just give the reel a flick and put some tension on the solder as it retracts