Soldering Iron Stand

I found myself in need of a soldering iron stand and didn't like the looks of any I could find. While I don't do a huge amount of soldering but this will be sitting on desks or work stations where I'll see it much of the time. So, I needed something that would be basic and functional as well as aesthetically appealing. 

I decided to do one with a marble base and one with terracotta. They were made in the same way. This is mainly a step by step of the terracotta model with a few shots of the marble. 

Step 1: What you'll need

A marble or terracotta tile in whatever size you want
A wire coat hanger
A small piece of the thickest leather you can find
     Cork would probably be OK
A couple inches of small electronics shrink tubing
Some sort of two part epoxy. Gorilla glue would probably work as well

A drill
A masonry bit. I used 1/8th inch but you could use another size if you like
Pliers/Wire Cutters/Multi-tool 
Water to keep the drill bit cool

Optional, drill press. I drilled these by hand but should have used a drill press. It would have been a lot easier and cleaner. I'll show you where I messed up and how I worked around it. 

Comments

[soldering iron]

Very good instructable! The stand looks very stable and capable to hold soldering iron.  The base is heavy and it does not move easily  when you using soldering iron.

[Dark Magis]

This thing is ugly as hell, but costs about $10 less than the professional soldering stands. Props for the innovative design. Certainly very easy to build. Thanks for posting it.

[SinAmos]

Reminds me of something I'm doing, but thanks for the inspiration. I'm totally using this.

[nickodemus]

That's a nice job on the wire wrapping, looks very professional.

[Ugifer]

Love the idea of using tiles for this type of stuff - we have a load of old tiles knocking around. If you are ever drilling tiles then £5 invested in a set of "arrow" tipped tile bits is well worth it. I use Toolstation as the cheapest UK tool supplier, but they can be bought nearly anywhere: http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p30133

[joen]

I like your idea. I looked at a store bought one for about $20 and then went home and built one out of what I found in the back yard. That was 13 years ago and it's still doing the job. Mine also has a hot desoldering tool. And while it may draw low marks on looks it still works better than some of the manufactured ones i have used. I am sure yours will be the same. (Yours will look a lot better though. LOL) Well done!

[Culturespy]

That's great! I love how the stuff we build for next to nothing ends up being around long after the commercial products are gone. I suppose that's a good reason to build things we like to have around too, it's going to BE around for a while.

[indestructable]

I like this! The heavy base is great for keeping the contraption stable and staying put.

[PyromanX]

I'm going to build this, but incorporate helping hands. Pretty good instructable!