Soldering Station

Wait, so why are soldering iron holders, helping hands, and solder dispensers not bundled together? I work all over the room/house/town and don't want to have to rummage about, looking for helping hands then solder then a place to put my hot, kinda crappy iron... And the soldering station was born.

Step 1: Hunting and Gathering

I also wanted some mobility and storage--the station I designed has a hinge and latch. My meager electronics gear can then be tucked away and I can high tail it to the next pair of bare wires, wherever they may be.

Materials
plywood
scrap wood
small hinge
small latch
rod (for solder spool)
metallic ring
switch
extension cord
two small bolts and matching nuts
assorted washers
two coat hangers
two alligator clips

Tools
soldering iron
hot glue gun
super glue
drill
coping saw
pliers
vice

I made a very rough model of the station's base out of paper and duct tape. It would have been cool to have something shaped like this (trapezoids when viewed from the side and triangular from above) but the angles were too much for my woodworking abilities. I settled on a face angled at 45 degrees with a flat back and sides.

Comments

[park47]

Thanks.... This design is what I 'm looking for, compact and have everything at hands. May be for moving around with a handle added. :)

[CamoBedding]

Great idea for a soldering station. thanks for sharing.

[Mr. D.]

Just an idea. Maybe use a hollow brass (or other metal) tube from the "eye" to the support block to help guide the iron.

[triodo]

muy interesante

[yaly]

you could add something like a drawer to put a sponge in it but pad the interior of the drawer with fiberglass or rubber to avoid the wood sucking the water.you could add a nose to the face and from the two nostrils one is for wick and the other for the wire.you may also add adjustable ears and at the end is some LEDs popping out when the lid is opened and a switch beneath the main one and a wall-wart adapter for the leds and two dimmer switches for the LED brightness and temperature control.

[freakyqwerty]

Put two draws in side by side and electronic components that you use often use in one and the sponge in the other…

[bylerfamily]

You have the same iron as I do!

[sharlston]

yay i have the same iron as you aswell

[mason0190]

omg me 2

[qballcat]

lol me 3

[z-man6233]

me 4

[ilikeadabox]

lmfao me 5

[mwagner63]

me 6

[josh1324]

lol i don't

[Iridium7]

 aparently that brand is cheaper

[Electronics Man]

Great Job!!!

[amorarun]

Nicely done. I might do one if I have time :)

[R.A.T.M]

thay have that alreay

[dog digger]

you could put a light dimmer to regulate the temperature so it would be a temperature controlled DIY soldering station!

[bombmaker2]

A suggestion, add a potentiometer to control heat

[musick_08]

use a light dimmer switch

[Sandisk1duo]

your potentiometer will catch on fire :)

[bombmaker2]

huh?

[Sandisk1duo]

if you wire the potentiometer to the Soldering iron, it will catch on fire

[bombmaker2]

odd. I did it once and it didn't even get hot.

[Sandisk1duo]

are you talking about a light dimmer, or a regular potentiometer?

[bombmaker2]

light dimmer

[Sandisk1duo]

that's different from a potentiometer, because it has circuitry that switches the power

[Robot Lover]

actually its just higher wattage. Well actually i think you're right, let's go with the circuitry and the switching of power. ( :

[Patman27]

If you were to wire a potentiometer to AC voltage, it would literally melt unless it was rated for a few hundred watts. Resistors turn excess energy into heat, whereas a light dimmer uses a small potentiometer to control a simple circuit which varies the duty cycle of the AC coming out the other side.

[bombmaker2]

ok

[mwagner63]

I have that same exact soldering iron

[Rui33]

Very nice idea!!
Cheers!

[bombmaker2]

Here's the one I made following your instructions. I am not going to put helping hands on it because I already have a set. I also will add a neon indicator light when I get one.

[wilwrk4tls]

 You could maybe Velcro (or similarly fashion) a plastic travel soap container that is hinged or separated along the long edge onto the lid and keep the sponge in it.  I was going to say to use the ubiquitous Altoids can, but seeing as how it will eventually rust and all the plastic may fare better.

[YellowZealot]

 You could have used a regular light switch to the box, those were built for 120v lines, and the work better, Also, you should have a wall separating the soldering iron from the rest of the components, so nothing melts when you pack up hastily.

[batman96]

 use thick solder as the "arm" for your helping hands, I've tried it it works great

[Triworm]

the light on the switch burnt out because it's made for 12 volt, not 125.

[killersquirel11]

just have the sponge come via some tray that either slides/flips out of the front

[godofal]

maybe add a wheel to retract the solder back into the station when done? nice intructable, i might make one!