Silicone soldering mats?

[knotlogic]

I just discovered that these things exist!  Shows how out of touch I am.

Are they any good though?  Silicone sounds like a good idea because of the heat resistance, but I wonder about ESD compatibility and surely it's a lint magnet.

I suppose all those iPod silicone case makers had to go find a new market after all.... 

[mdszy]

What about the mats that Dave uses in his lab? It appears to be something like this:

https://www.esdmat.com/ESD_Rubber_Mats.php

Silicone rubber, ESD dissipative and afaik the only issue he's had is some discoloration over the years, which I think he pointed out in a video not too long ago.

[RobertHolcombe]

I use the same matting at work. It does expand slightly when heated, so for example if you apply heat from a hot-air station in one section it will form a temporary raised section. It permanently discolours (brown) if you apply excessive heat.

When working with hot air I place small silicone rubber mats designed for kitchen bench-top use on top of the bench matting.

[knotlogic]

What about the mats that Dave uses in his lab? It appears to be something like this:

https://www.esdmat.com/ESD_Rubber_Mats.php

Silicone rubber, ESD dissipative and afaik the only issue he's had is some discoloration over the years, which I think he pointed out in a video not too long ago.

Those would be my first choice, but they're more for a permanent set up IMHO.  Also I don't think they're silicone and are only rated for 200 F.

The ones I saw look like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Silicone-Resistant-Computer-Insulation/dp/B01NA9E5PX

Much smaller, more of a roll up and pack away kind of thing.  Some claim 500 F and some 500 C, which is a bit dodgy already.

[cowana]

I've got one of those cheap silicone mats I use for soldering at my computer desk. It does a very good job - and is fairly soft, so you can do delicate work (eg taking apart a mobile phone) without risk of scratching it.

And the best feature - it does an excellent job of protecting the desk from heat or scratches! If it gets dirty, a quick rinse under the tap cleans it right up. My only issue is I'm guessing it isn't ESD dissipative - but wearing an ESD wrist strap helps get rid of any built up charge on me.

[Nusa]

The silicone hot pads from Walmart or similar stores are cheap and useful, I find. I particularly like the honeycomb pattern ones, because they have plenty of spots to individually save small screws/parts, in order, until you use tweezers to grab them out again.

[macboy]

I recently found a silicone cookie sheet at in the kitchen department of Canadian Tire. Roughly 15x11" surface, and on sale for $5 right now ($10 normally). Good for resisting soldering temperatures and to provide a soft surface to protect delicate items while working on them.

Update: They are stamped with a rating of I believe 430 F, but that would be the maximum "food safe" temperature (being a baking sheet), not necessarily the maximum temperature. Direct contact with a hot (~ 750 F) soldering iron does no immediate damage, but prolonged contact (> 1 minute) does result in a little bit of permanent deformation. Incidental contact during soldering will have no ill effect. No smell or smoke was emitted. They are very easily cleaned of flux and solder residues using a little bit of 90% IPA. Roughly 1.5 mm thick, with one side smooth and the other with cross hatch pattern useful for keeping small parts/screws/etc. from rolling away.

[ebastler]

The ones I saw look like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Soldering-Silicone-Resistant-Computer-Insulation/dp/B01NA9E5PX

Much smaller, more of a roll up and pack away kind of thing.  Some claim 500 F and some 500 C, which is a bit dodgy already.

The description for the one you linked to says "directly contact temperature 430F" -- that's only 220°C, so you should not touch it with a soldering iron. What's the point then?

It also looks a bit thick for rolling it up. You will probably want to store it flat to avoid curled-up corners when it's put back on the bench.