Soldering stand DIY (the broke a.f. edition)

[nunya]

DIY soldering stand.

[RoGeorge]

I like that 

[xfint34]

Iron stand + tip holders + nozzle holder + misc tool tray. A 4-in-1 unit. Bonus: made from sustainable green material. Retail it for $19.99.

[nunya]

Well it gets the job done. 

[themadhippy]

we must have gone to the same school of cheapskate bodgery,knocked this up the other day out of bits of scrap



and in use

[nunya]

noice!! 

[Okto47]

  Nice , Self designed or with Fusion 360 generative design expansion

My tip holder is simply too , just burned them into hard foam

[nunya]

I have also made a step by step guide on DIY soldering flux a while back on hackaday. Also kind of a "broke a.f. edition".
https://hackaday.io/project/187703-rosin-soldering-flux-diy

[xrunner]

DIY soldering stand.

LOL let's see the projects coming out of this lab ... 

[nunya]

 

[coppercone2]

I guess you mean broke for time and patience? You could do alot better with those materials.

[DavidAlfa]

I missed this espisode of The Flintstones

[coppercone2]

Why do I think if fred flintstone got dimensional lumber and galvinized wire it would be in the louvre instead of museum of natural history? Probobly get pain stakingly scraped to a mirror finish with a beautiful contour etc. the bolt would be mirror polished by hand with a pebble and it would be in their area 51.

[thm_w]

You can 3D print a nice looking one. As long as you don't constantly jam the iron into the sides it will actually last a long time.
Probably want an auto-sleep iron though just in case.

[tooki]

DIY soldering stand.

Assuming that’s a temperature-controlled soldering station: make sure the tip isn’t in contact with the coil, or the iron will keep pumping heat into it to compensate for the thermal dissipation.

I have also made a step by step guide on DIY soldering flux a while back on hackaday. Also kind of a "broke a.f. edition".
https://hackaday.io/project/187703-rosin-soldering-flux-diy

I’ve made flux by dissolving rosin in isopropanol (at various concentrations, from just a few % solids, to thick and syrupy, probably around 50% solids, and concluded it’s not useful for most purposes. It’s just not active enough. I have used it as a protective lacquer for bare copper on PCBs to preserve solderability. But for serious use, like the more heavily oxidized parts that are what actually need extra flux, it’s just too weak.

I would also strongly advise that you not suggest this flux is healthier to use. Rosin is a known respiratory hazard. Sure, the activators in commercial rosin fluxes (never mind the stuff in newer no-clean and rosin-free fluxes) are quite bad and perhaps feel more aggressive, but rosin fumes are quite bad on their own, despite having a somewhat pleasant smell.

[SiliconWizard]

I guess you mean broke for time and patience? You could do alot better with those materials.

 

I've made soldering stands from aluminum heatsinks - drill to two diameters to hold the soldering handle (in a way that the tip won't get in contact with it). A few minute job, nice looking and sturdy.

[nunya]

I would also strongly advise that you not suggest this flux is healthier to use.

well, I don't do heavily oxidized parts much. It's just rosin flux. And of course it's less harmful for both the environment and ones health compared to many of the commercial variants, I never said it was harmless, I also stated one should use proper ventilation. I think people will do just fine.

[tooki]

I would also strongly advise that you not suggest this flux is healthier to use.

well, I don't do heavily oxidized parts much. It's just rosin flux. And of course it's less harmful for both the environment and ones health compared to many of the commercial variants, I never said it was harmless, I also stated one should use proper ventilation. I think people will do just fine.

Sure you have the disclaimer, but you still make it sound like it’s far healthier — something you don’t actually know to be true. (We know rosin itself is an occupational hazard, because it affects workers that use rosin (not rosin flux) in other contexts.) I just think it’s bad form to suggest “my flux doesn’t have activators so it’s much healthier” when we really don’t know, because despite disclaimers, this might lull some people into complacency. It costs you nothing to tone down your claims.

[coppercone2]

The fact that the non rosin flux makes noxious choking fumes and eye watering might be a indicator it’s worse then rosin.

[coppercone2]

i kind of want to make a nice version of this with the same materials and minimal tools because its slander on broke people

also be careful with cheap irons and overloading them with a shitty holder that sinks too much heat away because over a long period of time the lesser quality plastics and such will melt , then the body of the iron will drop out attached to the head by wiring, possibly disloding it from a shitty mount and then anything will happen.

For instance my M12 milwakee soldering iron did this when I guess I was soldering too much thermal mass. But it should be tested for that! its like not doing short circuit protection for heat. The plastic threaded bit melted partially and it was weak enough that the soldering iron tip fell out of the thread and was basically dangling near the lithium battery! it happened right next to me after doing what I thought was reasonable soldering for its wattage. I repaired it with epoxy putty but I have not used it since, I have been meaning to make some kind of improvement but its a hassle....

i think it happens when the iron is giving it 100% for a long period of time.

[tooki]

The fact that the non rosin flux makes noxious choking fumes and eye watering might be a indicator it’s worse then rosin.

We don’t know that. Immediate discomfort is not a reliable indicator of long term health effects.  Vinegar and hydrofluoric acid would both hurt on an open wound, but the HF will kill you and the vinegar won’t.

[coppercone2]

maybe but the deep penetrating acid smell of the flux i am weary of. i doubt concentrated vinegar is good for you either.

Usually the bad smells that are 'safe' are IMO 'putrid' and remind you of bad food. For instance nitrobenzene and whatever is in the new paint stripper has a rather putrid smell that makes you wanna gag, and it smells bad compared to toluene for instance, and its said to be safer. stomach churner


but, 'burning acid' smells I am always weary of. that non rosin flux is alot worse then even the strongest culinary vinegar. i feel like i taste acid in my mouth and my eye burn with the non rosin flux. some how that makes me think its not very good for you. i don't feel it in my stomach like im not supposed to eat it, i feel like its burning me.

[tooki]

My entire point is that immediate discomfort/unpleasantness is not a reliable indicator of danger, but even more importantly, that the absence of discomfort/unpleasantness is not an indicator of safety, especially when it comes to long-term effects! Consequently, I think it’s irresponsible to strongly suggest rosin flux is safe to use when in fact it is a known occupational hazard.

OP’s unwarranted confidence (“of course it’s less harmful for both the environment and one’s health than many of the commercial variants”) makes it clear they don’t understand the issue.

[Okto47]

About that flux damps , any fan with a filter behind it helps a lot. (Would make it changeable , after 1-2 years there is a lot on it.).
That one is from a dead GPU.
If 100% it soaks up the smoke from 30cm away.

[themadhippy]

We know rosin itself is an occupational hazard, because it affects workers that use rosin (not rosin flux) in other contexts.

Best avoid the ballet then,especially if its got a live orchestra.