The Solder Sustainer

[xrunner]

One handed soldering (well, plus one foot too)!

[coppercone2]

no you want to put it in vise so it does not shake and feed in the solder at the angle that is appropriate to fill the joint not transfer it from the iron like a pipette.


IMO does not work right. I see alot of youtube auto feed solder contraptions in chinese factories that are probobly causing the wire to break because they think they can do it but you see in the end its never correctly soldered

I think its made for drama TV where they need to fix something with an announcer reminding you that the time is running out and the next round of the competition almost started

[PlainName]

not transfer it from the iron like a pipette

That might be an illusion. See the screencap below where the iron is heating the pin and pad, and the solder is going on the pin. When viewing the video that would look like loading the iron, but it isn't.

[coppercone2]

I don't think you are getting the best feed angle and its very liable to over feed solder.

It is fine for some field repair in a competition of robots or whatever but I would not assemble electronics this way.
Maybe if you get enough skill with it you can do a similar job for very good fit up parts


I find for the neatest solder jobs you need to change the angle and feed at a shallow angle

I think TIG welding perfects the parameters you need. Its not the same process but I find when I solder its something like that usually. you get the wide  V

[PlainName]

I think it's quite cool

Feed shouldn't be an issue because you control where the solder is dabbed, and how much, by moving your finger. The auto-feed mechanism just ensures there's enough hanging free to be useful - it doesn't push a specific amount onto the work.

I imagine it would take some practice to perform two functions (moving the iron, feeding the solder) at the same time with two halves of the same hand. And you can't put it down easily - typically I grab some part and position it, grab the iron and solder, do the biz, put the iron down while I get the next part, etc. So that's not my workflow. However, being able to manually position a part with one hand whilst soldering with the other is certainly an attractive feature, but one that comes with baggage that may overwhelm the benefit.

[coppercone2]

they have feeder tools for TIG welding, similar concepts, where you do fine control (not a mig gun). They are... somewhat popular with certain people that like the mechanics of it, but the majority prefer manual because they have tighter control, and used in specific situations.


I can see this being popular for maintence bullshit jobs for people that are not allowed to do the job right because their expected to replace a chip in something attached to a wire harness in a panel or whatever.



You need good positioners. Lead former tool too... then its much less of a issue.


and for god sakes make a mini solder roll to put on the arm, having that 1lb thing there is ridiclous. mini spool with 15 feet on it will be more then enough for a job and make it 1000 times better. The default setup he has is for fixing a blown up telecom center. since its already really over the top, make a reel to reel solder winder to fill up light weight mini spools of solder for you. then its so lazy you have no choice but to use it

[pcprogrammer]

But what definitely is very useful is the bright light to blind you when soldering. 

You have to twist your hand to direct the light onto your work, so how is that handy.

And another thing, with a C245 handle the metallic ring heats up so with your finger trying to move the solder in the right position, the way he does it in the video, you might end up with a blistered finger. 

  I have this problem sometimes with my pinky trying to hold a small pcb in its place when quickly soldering a wire to it.   

[coppercone2]

invest in helping hands of good quality of your choice and stop doing things like mr bean

there is no good reason once you have a little bit of money to handle the problem. You want it as still as possible when you are soldering. your hands are vibrating the part. with the iron and the solder your making contact through a liquid metal damper cushion. it allows for proper solidification. you don't want the iron pressing into the part or the solder pressing into the part its all supposed to be connected through heat transfer in molten solder by a small distance.

[thm_w]

Cool, I suspect I would burn my finger multiple times if I tried to use it though. But maybe fixed arm wouldn't work for all soldering tasks.

[PlainName]

Regardless of practical merits, I applaud the inventiveness and ability to realise it.

[Kim Christensen]

At first it looked cool. But now it looks awkward to be holding my index finger like that for extended periods. I can imagine my hand cramping from holding an iron while not using my index finger for gripping. I wouldn't have good control of the iron while trying to flex my index finger independently. Maybe that's just me.

I get the cool factor of having a wireless foot pedal, but using an ESP32 seems like overkill for a project like this.
I think I'll stick to two handed soldering for now.

[aeberbach]

My dad had an old soldering iron like this, shaped like a pistol with a reel housing at the back, depress trigger to feed solder. Probably Sherline brand? It was the first iron I ever used and it sucked. The Adcola I got after that was so much better, which tells you more about the badness of the Sherline rather than the goodness of the Adcola.

The "solder sustainer" looks like a great idea and is sure to impress lots of people until they use it and find out why it isn't really such a great idea.

[coppercone2]

it will probobly work OK for simple solder joints with good fit up and if very clean if you practice it.


but part of other problem, the V shape is universal from flame/electric soldering, brazing, welding (even plastic welding (heat gun)) and also soldering with different gauges of wire with a soldering iron.

It is kind of like learning to play violin with your feet but less hard, that is you can probobly make quality work with alot of practice but it might not actually make it easier and requires development of separate skills.

the skill in holding the solder in the regular manner translates to alot of different skills. that is a benefit for someone learning that they can do other things

so if you like learning juggling or drawing with your feet why not

[SiliconWizard]

It is kind of like learning to play violin with your feet but less hard, that is you can probobly make quality work with alot of practice but it might not actually make it easier and requires development of separate skills.

Which might prove handy if you're missing one hand.

[coppercone2]

I thought your supposed to use your teeth if that happens

[jpanhalt]

@cc2 Using one's foot for control is common, and I have no problem doing that when TIG welding, sewing, driving a car, and so forth.  To help us understand your analogy, can you post a video of yourself playing a violin with your feet?

I am pretty sure I would not use this device as: 1) I don't do assembly line and speed is not a factor; and  2) For SMD, I use 0.015"(0.4 mm) solder.  I wonder whether the feed would work well with that.  In particular, is the feed orifice small enough to give accurate placement on something like a 603 resistor?  Such fine solder may just bunch up in the delivery tube.

[thm_w]

I am pretty sure I would not use this device as: 1) I don't do assembly line and speed is not a factor; and  2) For SMD, I use 0.015"(0.4 mm) solder.  I wonder whether the feed would work well with that.  In particular, is the feed orifice small enough to give accurate placement on something like a 603 resistor?  Such fine solder may just bunch up in the delivery tube.

You can see SDG's videos and problems he had with very fine solder feeding. Can't remember what he got it to work down to, maybe 0.5mm

[EPAIII]

Oh My Gosh! OK, lets put aside for a minute those concerns about angle and finger fatigue etc. Here is what hit me.

So I am working on a project. Cutting things. Drilling holes. Assembling things with screws, nuts, pop rivets, standoffs, etc. And, of course, soldering. So, after soldering a few points with this contraption, I need to add some screws. I take this harness off and grab a screwdriver and assemble with those screws. Then I need to solder again so I put the harness back on. But then I need to drill a hole so off comes the soldering harness and I grab a drill. ETC!

I think you get the idea. Put it on, take it off, on, off, on, off, etc. I don't think I would keep that up for very long. I would find a high shelf and put it up there where it is "out of the way" and proceed with my project.

Now if you only have one hand (I can understand that as my son is partially paralyzed) or if you are in a production situation where hundreds or thousands of solder joints need to be done at one time, then there may be an advantage in using this Rube Goldberg invention. Now, I love new tools. However I see absolutely no reason for purchasing this device.

It is kind of like learning to play violin with your feet but less hard, that is you can probobly make quality work with alot of practice but it might not actually make it easier and requires development of separate skills.

Which might prove handy if you're missing one hand.

[PlainName]

I see absolutely no reason for purchasing this device

You couldn't because he doesn't sell them - it's a DIY job (although he kindly makes the plans available). As such it's aimed at him, so how it wouldn't fit your, or anyone elses, purposes is kind of irrelevant.

Don't you think it is rather cool that he firstly envisioned a tool to fit his need, then set about creating it (apparently successfully)? Or is to only possible response to rubbish it because it doesn't fit your needs?