ColdHeat - Soldering Iron

C

ChingChang

Supreme [H]ardness
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Mar 27, 2003
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I saw a commercial on it like an hour ago. It showed the guy soldering something together, and right after he took it off he put it on his finger and didn't get burned.

Here's their website
http://www.coldheat.com/

I think I might get it (only costs $25 including shipping). My soldering iron got all this crap on it so it's not as effective, and I always manage to get burned somehow
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Has anyone ever used this thing? how do you like it?
 
a couple of reviews on the web have said good things about it...
There are a few people in here however that will warn against.
apparently, the way it works actually can kill ICs.

If you're not working with sensitive components it should be good.

good luck
-Jeff
 
Hmm yeah I just read about it killing sensitive components. Oh well, I'm going to get it anyway. It seems like it would help out a ton for doing quick work with LEDs or some of the mods I've been planning on doing.
 
Just wondering, did you try filing all the crap off your soldering iron? A good filing job to take all the stuff that builds up on the tip is a cheap way to make your tip like new again.
 
sanding it to clean between uses? or in place of a wet sponge and tinning?

I've resanded/filed tips to get the tip I need instead of running down
to radioshack at the last minute. It shouldn't hurt it overall.

Keep in mind, I'm using the $10 special with cheap replacement tips.

On the upside If I destroy my soldering iron, I'm not going to be heartbroken (unless
nothing is open at that hour of the night)

if you keep your tip clean and tin it between sessions, you shouldn't need to sand it
to get the gunk off.

-Jeff
 
Some tips can't be sanded too well since they consist of more than one layer, and removing one will reduce the effectiveness of the tip. But if it's so covered with crap that it doesn't really work you don't stand to lose much by sanding it down. I personally used a grinding tip on my dremel to do that to one of my tips.
 
mattg2k4 said:
Some tips can't be sanded too well since they consist of more than one layer, and removing one will reduce the effectiveness of the tip. But if it's so covered with crap that it doesn't really work you don't stand to lose much by sanding it down. I personally used a grinding tip on my dremel to do that to one of my tips.
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Lots of tips are copper based - eg the ones on cheap radio shack irons, and the tips on my Hakko station. You can sand these and re-tin them, no problem.

You shouldn't *ever* need to sand a tip if you properly maintain it though. Keep a wet sponge handy, and wipe the flux off your tip when you finish soldering. Flux is your enemy - keep in mind that its purpose is to eat metal, creating a surface that solder will more easily stick to.
 
ChingChang said:
I did
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And I actually sand the tip to clean it... is that how I should do it? It seems to work
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Click to expand...
it works for me too

i just unscrewed the screw that held the tip in my soldering iron, and pulled out a long metal rod... i locked it on my drill and wrapped sand paper around and powered it up to max speed and after a min or two, it was shiny... not very clean because some parts were hard to get but it was better than before when it was all charcoal black.... but now, some parts of the stick wont hold the solder anymore, right now, its just the tip which is good enough for me :D
 
2. Are there kinds of soldering jobs for which the tool is not recommended?

We do not recommend it for soldering of large metallic components that require a lot of heat transfer or for soldering sensitive electronic components that may be damaged by fast-rising temperatures or high electrical current. (Momentary high-amperage current will be created during active soldering.)


so much for ic work ;)
 
JPGR87 said:
Just wondering, did you try filing all the crap off your soldering iron? A good filing job to take all the stuff that builds up on the tip is a cheap way to make your tip like new again.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I do. A bit of filling on a tip will bring it back to life.
 
just wondering to anyone that has one... how does the cold heat acutaly work...

i dont imagine you could generate a great deal of current with a couple of doubleA batts... so is it like a heating element or something else?
 
theshadow27 said:
just wondering to anyone that has one... how does the cold heat acutaly work...

i dont imagine you could generate a great deal of current with a couple of doubleA batts... so is it like a heating element or something else?
Click to expand...

It uses an arc, like a stun gun.
 
LiquidKernel said:
It uses an arc, like a stun gun.
Click to expand...
No it is as some one said earlier the tip is divided in 2 parts seperated by a nonconductive material the tip is made of something like graphite and when you bridge the gap the graphite heats up... The arcs you see when it is in use are from the sudden contact between the two points much like if you bridge the gap of a 9v.

Personaly I would have made the thing to run off a 9 volt instead of 4 AA batteries.

Also I would get one but I already got a electric radio shack soldering station a weller soldering gun and 2 butane soldering iorns.

I use the butane ones the most but there are times when they are a thorn in my side. They can develop this condition where the chroming will fall off the tip and the metal that is used in the main construction of the tip will be exposed. It still solders good but now the tip will begin to rot away from the flux and heat.

I recomend the BurnzOmatic butane soldering iorn from walmart over the radioshack one. The radio shack one is a nicer set up but it has a small fuel capacity and over time develops a slow leak. and the flint on the cap is a joke it is a huge pain to get the thing lit off it. I found to light the things it is best to keep any sort of lighter near by.
 
Be carefull ordering from these guys. I posted in the last thread that I ordered a few months ago and haven't received anything. I emailed them about and haven't heard anything back.
 
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