I recently bought one of these new battery operated soldering irons. It comes in very handy. Worth adding to a tool collection! No extension cord, no extra heat except for the heat generated by a small amount of current passed through a ceramic (nonconductive) soldering tip. The tip never gets hot! This makes it ideal for soldering in tight areas......... especially good for soldering close to plastic or rubber! I won't melt things around the tip........ only melts conductive objects that touch the very tip.
http://www.radioshack.com/product.as...5Fid=64%2D2102

 

Oh!........... I forgot to mention........... and cheep too!

 

I'll be over this weekend for you to fix some of my connections.

 

Maybe you should try a Neuro surgeon! I'm not qualified to fix the connections that you have broken.

 

I got one of those from my wife for my birthday but haven't had a chance to try it out. Do the batteries last a while? Runs of 4 AA, right?

 

If there is a current flow across the split tip(which seems to be the case) I'd be worried about using it on sensitive electronic parts. YMMV.

 

Is that the "Cold Heat" thing they advertise on tv? I was wondering "how do it work"?

 

Speak of the devil ... Last night I posted this on a Cruise Control soldering thread
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-forum/163483-cruise-control-brain.html

I think their site mentions being cautious around sensitive electrics.

^^^^^^^^^^^^
Speaking of soldering, have any of you tried this TV device, the instant soldering iron?
http://www.coldheat.com/

There's a slam review here
http://www.kfvs12.com/global/story....tType=Printable
and a good one on another Googled link.

 

Do they work on larger 10ga wires?

I wanted to get one of these, but bought a butane-powered soldering iron instead. They heat up really fast, get EXTREMELY hot (if you want it to) and doesn't take too long to cool off... but its nothing compared to the instant-on/off of the cold heat things.

 

Do the batteries last a while? Runs of 4 AA, right?
Yes, I've had mine a month now and used it several times without having to change the batteries.
I'd be worried about using it on sensitive electronic parts. YMMV.
Yes, I would too but MOST stuff that you'll be using it for on your car aren't static sensitive.
Is that the "Cold Heat" thing they advertise on tv? I was wondering "how do it work"?
Yes, same concept slightly different design.
Do they work on larger 10ga wires?
Yes, I used it to unsolder 2- #10 wires from my PSD pump motor the other day best thing was I didn't melt the plastic cover on the motor a bit!
It does have limitations but for $20 it is deffinatly worth having!