ENGINEER SS-02 SOLDER SUCKER review + awful service customer

[Ig_sherwood]

Time ago i've bought for my self this very good soldering pump made in japan for € 20.00 (circa)
This pump works really well,but the only 1 problem is :
there are no spare parts like the rubber gasket of the plunger.
When i bought this pump, i don't know about no spare parts ,so i never kept in mind that in the future i will be worried about the servicing.

I really like this pump,but i completely in disagree with the custumer service of this brand "ENGINEER ®"

I wrote an letter to the ENGINEER ® in Japan, to ask them where i can find & buy this O-ring.
The result was this Just enjoy ....

No comments ...   right ?
By using their logic, i must to re-buy this pump every that my O-ring will be broken ....
           
However i really like this pump so i will enjoy it like is by now ,i also really hope to find some solution for this nasty problem ,but in meantime enjoy this teardown.

[Ig_sherwood]

Pics are finally uploaded 
Remember also !!!
If you are going to buy this pump ;
BEFORE TO USE IT ,YOU MUST TO APPLY THE LUBTIFICATION GREASE INSIDE THE ENTIRE SURFACE OF THE PUMP.

[Ig_sherwood]

Why you need exact part number for the oring? Can't you just find a similar "compatible" oring of same thickness and same or slightly smaller diameter?

Im ready to find some other solution ,but where ?
I need an o-ring which perfectly fits the original design,because the original o-ring is not just an rubber around the metal plunger piston.

[eKretz]

You need some way to measure at least somewhat accurately - say a digital caliper or some such thing. Measure the diameter of the o-ring while it's installed on the piston, then remove it and measure the diameter of the ring's cross-section. The replacement should match the first or be slightly smaller and needs to match the second as exactly as possible. It is highly likely they would have used a standard sized o-ring to keep costs down. You ought to be able to find one at any reputable industrial supply company.

[sotos]

Buy a whole set they are cheap.

Here is an example of what you are looking for.

http://www.harborfreight.com/225-piece-metric-nitrile-o-ring-assortment-67609.html

You can also ask the manufacturer about the diameters.

[DTJ]

Storm in a tea cup?

Just visit your local bearing supply place they'll probably give you a suitable O-ring for free. Between the metric & imperial sizes you'd be sure to find something suitable.

What the supplier is saying is that  for the cost and bother of shipping a $0.10 seal you may as well order a new tool.

[tautech]

An O-ring is the obvious solution but the pics indicate the cross section required in 2 dimensions is not round.
And even if you could find one to shoehorn in there the friction would increase as a result of the larger bearing surface.
Then your much liked sucker might not perform as well as it did.
I would try to find an auto brake seal from a master or slave cylinder for a better match of dimensions. Just be aware lube would then need to be changed to one compatible with Nitrile rubbers.
Then there's hydraulic or pneumatic ram piston seals that might also be suitable........

[wraper]

By their logic, i must to re-buy this pump every time when my rubber gasket will be broken ....             

Do not justify them not stocking it outside the Japan, but,I guess, they are suggesting it makes no economical sense to ship it from there.

[eKretz]

Good catch tautech. Missed that viewing the pics on my phone screen. If the seal ever gets damaged and proves difficult to find I'd just switch it to an o-ring with something added below it in the groove to take up the extra space (machined urethane band or split metal spacer, etc). Alternatively a new piston made to use an o-ring could be easily made as well. Then again, the seal might just last a decade or two, not being under much stress. Keep it clean and lubricated and you might never need to replace it.

I have a very similar sucker made by Ersa that uses an o-ring as the piston seal and have used it quit a bit over the last 5 or so years, keeping it regularly cleaned and lubricated with silicone grease - it shows no signs of wearing out so far.

[tautech]

Good catch tautech. Missed that viewing the pics on my phone screen. If the seal ever gets damaged and proves difficult to find I'd just switch it to an o-ring with something added below it in the groove to take up the extra space (machined urethane band or split metal spacer, etc). Then again, the seal might just last a decade or two, not being under much stress. Keep it clean and lubricated and you might never need to replace it.

Looks like a nice sucker though and one could be tempted to turn up a custom piston, one that takes a easily obtainable O-ring with a thin cross section in order to maintain performance similar to standard.
I think I've only cleaned my cheapy Jaycar one a few times in the ~15 years since purchased, it has a nylon piston and a ~2mm O-ring and it still performs OK with very little love and care after all that time. 

[Muttley Snickers]

It's definitely a good looking solder sucker, certainly better than my 20 odd year old one anyway and some nice pictures provided by the OP as well, I haven't used mine in years after getting a desoldering station which seems to work pretty well for my mundane tasks.

It looks similar to a quad ring seal pictured and linked below, I would probably wait until the original seal failed completely and if all else failed then try two o-rings side by side, as tautech mentioned above after that I would be looking at making a replacement piston on the lathe that would accommodate standard and readily available o-ring seals.

http://catalog.daemar.com/viewitems/quad-rings/quad-rings-seals-2?

[Ig_sherwood]

If anyone is interested about more details of the O-ring and the plunger ,there are more pics :

[tautech]

This one:

Looks just like a wheel slave cylinder seal to me.

Edit
@ Ig_sherwood
Do you have a micrometer?
As it's made in Japan the measurements will be metric, give us the bore dia, piston groove dia and the piston groove width and I'll see if I can find a source of the seal for you.

[stj]

it's important to use the right type of material or it wont last.

Flourocarbon rubber looks like the one you need.

[Ig_sherwood]

Edit
@ Ig_sherwood
Do you have a micrometer?
As it's made in Japan the measurements will be metric, give us the bore dia, piston groove dia and the piston groove width and I'll see if I can find a source of the seal for you.

Hi there .
Sorry but i have not the digital caliper nor the micrometer 

[SeanB]

If it is a brake slave cylinder seal ( most likely) then the best lube will be a silicone based high temperature brake fluid, which will be a small 250ml bottle and which will last a lifetime as you use a drop a month on it.

It could also be a standard motor shaft seal as well, which is fine with silicone oil or mineral oil as well, and which also will last years there.

My one I replaced with 2 Orings, and it has lasted for decades, and still works with lubrication using motor oil. Orings were cheap nitrile ones, out of the box assortment. I did have to fix it after a few years of use, as the plunger trigger broke, but I made a new one using a piece of aluminium rod.

To prolong the life of the tip i also added a rubber sleeve ( salvaged from old equipment that used those Hellerman expanding sleeves on the terminals) as a seal, it makes a good flexible seal, but you can also use silicone fish tank air line for this, so long as it will survive soldering iron tip contact somewhat.

[Ig_sherwood]

Do not justify them not stocking it outside the Japan, but,I guess, they are suggesting it makes no economical sense to ship it from there.

I'm not sure if i making some misunderstood with you or you with me.
Im sayin that : their custumer service is very nasty and also looks like an fraud.
Just can't believe they really want me to spend each time 20 or 30 euros ,instead to sell me the o-ring that maybe cost around 1 euro 1 pair.

[Delta]

That is a lip seal, aka PolyPak seal.  Easily obtainable.

[Ig_sherwood]

That is a lip seal, aka PolyPak seal.  Easily obtainable.

BINGO !!!
It's really looks like that


thanks you buddy .

[Delta]

  No problem mate!

I took a sabbatical from electronics and worked as a heavy mechanic for a few years.  Who knew that knowledge would come in handy one day on an electronics forum!   

[P90]

Don't waste time with a solder sucker.
Buy a Hakko desoldering gun and be done with it. You'll thank me later...

[Ig_sherwood]

Don't waste time with a solder sucker.
Buy a Hakko desoldering gun and be done with it. You'll thank me later...

Sorry man ,but i hate any soldering system which is not Metcal 

[Monkeh]

Don't waste time with a solder sucker.
Buy a Hakko desoldering gun and be done with it. You'll thank me later...

Sorry man ,but i hate any soldering system which is not Metcal 

It's so cool to be irrational.

[nanofrog]

I've the same solder sucker, so this will be useful info for me as well. 

Thanks guys. 

[MaximRecoil]

Don't waste time with a solder sucker.
Buy a Hakko desoldering gun and be done with it. You'll thank me later...

Sorry man ,but i hate any soldering system which is not Metcal 

We had Metcal everything at the PCB factory I worked at, including the Metcal desoldering guns connected to an STSS or MX-500 and shop air. But everyone was also issued an Edsyn Soldapullt DS017LS. Aside from some of the old ladies on first shift, no one bothered with the desoldering guns. A typical job for the Soldapullt was desoldering 400 through-hole terminal block joints due to someone soldering in the wrong ones or soldering them in the wrong positions. That took about 10 minutes.

However, there are some situations I've encountered at home where a desoldering gun might have worked better than my Soldapullt, i.e., ancient PCBs with delicate pads; sometimes the suction from a Soldapullt is enough to suck the pad clean off the board. A desolder gun might be gentler in such cases. The PCBs at work were brand new and high quality, so the Soldapullt never harmed a pad there.   

[technogeeky]

FYI, and for search references:

This appears to be the same part as the "famous" Adafruit solder sucker (part number 1597, link here). They sell this as Professional Silicone Tip Solder Sucker.

I don't have one (yet), but the idea of using the silicone tubing as the tip appeals to me.

[nanofrog]

This appears to be the same part as the "famous" Adafruit solder sucker (part number 1597, link here). They sell this as Professional Silicone Tip Solder Sucker.

It certainly is, and is where I purchased mine (least expensive way to get one in the US AFAIK).

[KL27x]

We had Metcal everything at the PCB factory I worked at, including the Metcal desoldering guns connected to an STSS or MX-500 and shop air. But everyone was also issued an Edsyn Soldapullt DS017LS. Aside from some of the old ladies on first shift, no one bothered with the desoldering guns. A typical job for the Soldapullt was desoldering 400 through-hole terminal block joints due to someone soldering in the wrong ones or soldering them in the wrong positions. That took about 10 minutes.

LOL. My first Edsyn Soldapult (clone) was amazing. IS amazing. Still have it. Only thing I like better so far is my Edsyn Soldapult 3. I have had the same experience with desoldering stations. Edsyn > station in most cases. Even large jobs. Cuz cleaning/maintenance/tip oxidization. A good soldering iron and a good sucker just keep chugging. Just DON'T add flux, if you don't need it. Flux is what gums up the sucker. (And in most cases, you don't need it! Flux DOESN'T increase heat transfer, beyond improving tip to joint contact area in some cases... even with the solder looking crusty and completely non-flowy, the Edsyn will suck it right out, once you get it to temp. It is easier to get good non-fluxed contact with the joint using an iron, over a desoldering gun, so... Edsyn keeps going.. and going.. and going. My Hakko tip operates bone dry the entire time. Still haven't worn one out.

[Ig_sherwood]

I don't have one (yet), but the idea of using the silicone tubing as the tip appeals to me.

This tool is very cool and will last for ever ,just need to replace sometimes the o-ring and add a little bit of lubrifican grease to make it works perfectly.

[rspt1908]

Hello Guys,

May I ask what is the best grease or lubricant for this desoldering pump?

Thank you

[nanofrog]

Silicone grease, such as that you'd use in fishing reels.

[rspt1908]

Thank you nanofrog

Actually I also got a reply from them just earlier.

Maybe they also read this thread and are now allowing shipping of the o-ring with charge from Japan.

They also gave me the dimensions of the o-ring/lip seal which may be helpful for some in this thread. It's 18mm. 

[neslekkim]

would be nice if you copied the youtube link where, so we don't need to type that long thing..

[rspt1908]

would be nice if you copied the youtube link where, so we don't need to type that long thing..

Oh sorry about that. here you go

Maintainance Video:

[rspt1908]

Good day guys,

May I ask if will this locally available o-ring be a suitable substitute? It has a bigger surface contact on the cylinder compared to the polypak/lipseal used in the pump.

Also is silicone grease still safe to use since this o-ring is made of nitrile rubber? 

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/seals-o-rings/2952010/

[nanofrog]

Also is silicone grease still safe to use since this o-ring is made of nitrile rubber? 

Yes.

[eKretz]

Silicone grease is safe on all rubber. But the seal posted above will not work. That type of seal is designed to seal on the O.D. of a shaft, and the one from the solder sucker needs to seal on the I.D. of a tube.

[rspt1908]

Unfortunately it is sold separately. Like it was said in the email, Engineer Tools encourages distributors to carry the spare o rings in their inventory, however, some have yet to do that carrying only the spare silicone tips. For now, they offer shipping the o-ring from their factory in Japan with charge.

[boffin]

The seal itself appears to be 16x18x3mm.  Someone would make a fortune (ok a little money), selling a kit of a small pouch of grease, the seal, and a piece of silicone tube to replace the tip for $10.  If I could source all the parts, I'd be willing to do it, but shipping from Canada is horrible (more expensive than even Australia)

[neslekkim]

So today is 2019 12April.
Is someone selling the silicone tube + the rubber o-ring?

the silicone tubes you find here atleast: https://www.precisehandtools.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=74&product_id=116
might be an idea to ask them about the o-rings.

[Free_WiFi]

The seal itself appears to be 16x18x3mm.  Someone would make a fortune (ok a little money), selling a kit of a small pouch of grease, the seal, and a piece of silicone tube to replace the tip for $10.  If I could source all the parts, I'd be willing to do it, but shipping from Canada is horrible (more expensive than even Australia)

Technical specification of this o-ring/seal :
Type : Piston U-Seal
Dimensions :
ID  : 13 mm.
OD : 19 mm.
H   : 3,5 mm.
Link for Piston U-Seal
www.aliexpress.com/item/32891032842.html

The silicon Nozzle/Tube
Dimensions :
ID : 2 mm.
OD : 4 mm.
Link for the silicon Nozzle/Tube :
www.aliexpress.com/item/32858462618.html

[boffin]

I took mine apart at the weekend, cleaned all  the existing goo, covered it with a good spray of jig-a-loo (silicone lubricant), and it works like a charm now.

[nukie]

I have this since October 2012. I have at least 4 suckers in my drawer which I rotate use as I wish. I clean them end of every month. The SS-02 worn out the release trigger. It won't lock. It's made out of aluminium and friction on the stainless plunger shaft chewed the release button. Fortunately I could reverse the trigger so I could get a second life. I don't use it that often anymore. It's a poor designed not for everyday use.

[2X]

Hello,
does anyone find a site/seller that sells the Piston U-Seal?