Make Your Own Solder Dispenser

Solder on a spool can be less than optimal for holding during soldering marathons.  Additionally, if your solder contains lead you should minimize direct contact whenever possible.  Let us then build a solder dispenser that can be held comfortably and doesn't need refilling every two minutes.

The Basic Idea
Readers may reconize this basic idea from solder dispensors that come with some electronics technician kits. This was my primary inspiration when I made my own many years ago.

The idea is to find a plastic tube that can be comfortably held like a pen and has either a tapered end or a lid that you can make a hole in. In this instructable I have used both a pen and also a tube that once held eraser refills for a mechanical pencil.

Building The Solder Coil
We make the solder coil by winding it around any appropiate sized diameter cylinder such as screw drivers, pencils, etc.  Size will be determined by the tube the coil will be placed in.

Now, once the solder has been wrapped many times you can slide it off your wrapping tool.  But we're not done yet as here is the real trick.  With a upwrapped length of solder fom either end, make a loop and feed the solder through the centre of the solder coil.  See photo 5 for clairity.  By doing this your solder will feed from the back of the coil and not become entangled at the opening.

That is it.  A simple idea that I have found useful in my soldering over the years. 

Where Credit Is Due
Here I would like to give credit for the idea behind using a disposable pen shell for despensing solder.  While thinking of the varied packaging I could use for this project I remembered an instructable by member RavenKing involving the reuse of disposable pens.  Be sure to check it out. https://www.instructables.com/id/Mighty-pen-sewing-kit-bead-keeper/