We make a soldering iron with our own hands at home. How to make a soldering iron with your own hands at home Homemade soldering iron from a resistor

Sometimes there are situations when the owner simply cannot do without a simple soldering iron. For example, you need a multi-core cable for an outlet, or from a burned-out appliance. At such moments, one has to either borrow an instrument, or postpone the matter for an indefinite period. After all, not everyone wants to buy an expensive soldering iron or soldering station if he is not a repairman. However, there is a simple way out of this situation - to independently assemble a small soldering iron, it is just right for small work. The manufacturing process will not take much time and effort, but you can save some money and gain invaluable experience. Next, we will tell you how to make a soldering iron with your own hands at home. You will be offered several designs, and you can choose the one that suits you the most.

Idea #1 - Use a Resistor

The first and simplest technology for making an electric soldering iron with your own hands is using a powerful resistor. The device will be designed to operate at a voltage of 6 to 24 volts, which will allow it to be powered by various current sources, and even make a portable version powered by a car battery. In order to make your own tool, you will need the following materials:

To make a soldering iron from a resistor at home, you must follow these steps:

1. At the end of a thick copper rod, you need to drill a hole and drive the thread under the screw with a tap. It is also necessary to cut a groove for the retainer, which in our case is the spring ring. This can be done with a triangular needle file or a hacksaw.
   
   
2. From the second end, drill a hole with a diameter like a thin rod, which will act as a mini soldering iron tip.
3. All elements of the rod must be assembled into one whole, as shown in the photo.
   
4. The resistor is prepared for mounting the soldering iron tip, which must be inserted and fixed at the back with a screw with a washer.
   
5. From a textolite or plywood plate, you need to make a comfortable handle with a seat for a resistor and a wire with your own hands. To do this, use a jigsaw to cut out two identical halves of the handle and make holes and recesses for screws and nuts.
   
   
6. Connect the power cord to the heater terminals. It must be screwed onto the screws so that the contact is reliable.
   
7. The finished homemade soldering iron is twisted and checked.
   

We draw your attention to the fact that with such a portable gun you can easily solder microcircuits and even with your own hands. It can work not only from the power supply, but also from the battery. On the forums, we met a lot of reviews, where this homemade version was connected from a 12 volt cigarette lighter, it is also very convenient!

Please note that when first turned on, all soldering irons may smoke and stink for a while. This is normal for any model, as some elements of the paintwork will burn out. This will stop later.

Video instructions for making a simple electrical appliance

Idea number 2 - The second life of a ballpoint pen

There is another unusual, but at the same time simple idea of ​​how to make a soldering iron with your own hands from improvised materials for soldering small parts or smd components. In this case, again, it will come in handy for us, but now it’s not PEV (as in the previous version), but MLT, with a power of 0.5 to 2 watts.

So, first you need to prepare the following materials:

• Ballpoint pen of the simplest design.
• Resistor with characteristics: resistance 10 Ohm, power 0.5 W.
• Double-sided textolite.
• Copper wire with a diameter of 1 mm, it can be wound from an old choke or you can buy a single-core copper wire in insulation at an electrician's store and carefully remove it with a clerical knife
• Steel or copper wire with a diameter of not more than 0.8 mm.
• Wires for connecting to the network.

Making a soldering iron from a pen at home is quite simple, you just need to follow these steps:

1. Remove a layer of paint from the surface of the resistor. This operation can be carried out with the help of a skin, a needle file or a file, in extreme cases, a knife. The main thing is not to overdo it, so as not to damage the resistor. If the paint is difficult to remove, connect the product to a regulated power supply and heat it up a little.
2. 2 wires come out of the barrel, cut one of them and drill a hole for a copper wire in this place (diameter 1 mm). To prevent the wire from touching the cup (this must be avoided), countersink with a thicker drill, as shown in the photo below. In addition, you need to make a small cut for the wire right on the resistor cup. A triangular file will help you with this again.
   
3. Bend the steel wire into the shape of a ring-shaped handle, with a diameter similar to that of a drank on a cup. If you have copper wire, then you need to clamp the cup in it and twist it with pliers so that the contact is reliable, but do not overdo it, otherwise you will wrinkle the body. Remember that the wire must be without varnish insulation.
   
4. Carefully cut out the board from the double-sided PCB with your own hands, exactly the same as shown in the example in the photo. It is not necessary to buy a new sheet of textolite. You can use a jigsaw to cut a suitable piece from any unnecessary double-sided board. Or do without it altogether: twist the wire with wires, and attach them to the handle with superglue. The main thing to pay attention to is that the distance between the heating element and the handle is more than 5 cm, otherwise the plastic may melt.
   
   
5. Next, you need to assemble a homemade soldering iron from the handle, which should not cause difficulties.
   
6. It remains to install a thin sting in the seat. To prevent the copper wire from burning through the resistor, you need to make a protective layer of a piece of mica or ceramic between the back wall and the sting.
   
7. The last thing to do is to connect the homemade product to a 1 A power supply and a voltage of no more than 15 Volts using wires.
   

That's the whole technology of creating a homemade mini soldering iron at home. As you can see, there is nothing complicated in making this tool, and you can easily cope with it, and all the materials can be found at home by dismantling old equipment or looking for them in the bins.

How to make a more complex model of a mini soldering iron at home?

Video review of a device with nichrome wire, powered by 12 volts

Idea #3 - Powerful Impulse Pattern

This option is suitable for those who are already more or less familiar with radio engineering and can read the corresponding diagrams. A master class on making a homemade pulsed soldering iron will be provided following the example of this scheme:

The advantage of this tool is that the tip heats up within 5 seconds after turning on the power, while the heated rod can easily melt the tin. At the same time, it can be made from a switching power supply from a fluorescent lamp, slightly improving the board at home.

As in the previous examples, we will first consider the materials from which you can make a soldering iron with your own hands at home. Before assembly, you must prepare the following improvised means:

All you need is to connect the tip to the secondary winding, which, in fact, is already part of it. After that, one of the ballast leads must be connected to the primary winding of the transformer and all the elements of the circuit must be fixed in a reliable case that will protect you from accidental electric shock, since the circuit contains a life-threatening voltage of 220 volts!

The principle of operation of this design is that the ballast from the lamp creates an alternating voltage that is applied to the primary winding of the transformer and is reduced to low values, while the current increases many times over. One turn, which is, in fact, the tip of the soldering iron, acts as a resistor, on which heat is dissipated. When the button is pressed, current is supplied to the circuit, and rapid heating occurs, after the button is released, the tip cools quickly, which is very convenient, since you do not have to wait long for the tool to heat up and cool down.

Idea #4 - Simple Wire Option

There is another option for making a miniature soldering iron - using nichrome wire. For this you will need:

Manufacturing process:

1. Drill a hole in the bar for the copper wire 3 times larger than its diameter.
2. Put a piece of copper wire in it so that it protrudes about 5 cm and fix it there with thick plaster putty, let it dry.
3. Put on a copper bar, which is a sting, insulation and wind the required amount of nichrome wire, leaving a distance between the turns. Also put insulation on the ends and bring them closer to the handle. Then connect to twists with wires. Tape them to the handle with electrical tape.

That's all, you have another simple and reliable DIY soldering iron design.

We still recommend using either the first or the second option, which is more understandable and easier to manufacture. As for the transformer version, although it is more powerful, it is still not so convenient to use. We hope that these photo instructions were useful for you and finally we recommend that you definitely watch all the video examples in which the assembly process is considered in more detail!

Also read:

The operating voltage of soldering irons can have a different range of values ​​- from 220V and below. The trend towards stricter safety regulations has led to the fact that only powerful soldering irons use the full voltage of the household network for operation. It's not just about safety. Violation of the operation of a high-voltage tool (insulation breakdown, short circuit) can disable radio equipment, for the soldering of which a soldering iron is used.

Soldering irons with a voltage of 24, 36 and 42V are most widely used for repairing various devices. Such voltages are safe for both people and equipment.

Where do you need a low voltage soldering iron?

To perform repair work on automotive devices, electric soldering irons with a lower voltage - 12V are produced. This is the voltage of the car's on-board network. If the repair is carried out away from a workshop or garage, then only the car battery can serve as a source of voltage. A breakdown of electrical equipment during a trip is fraught with a call to a tow truck, if this happened not on additional equipment (radio tape recorder, car refrigerator), but in the on-board network itself.

Power Limits

The use of low-voltage soldering irons encounters a fundamental limitation on the allowable power of the tool, because, according to the elementary law of electrical engineering, with a decrease in voltage for the same power, more current is required. So, a soldering iron with a power of 40 W at a voltage of 36 V consumes a current of a little more than 1A, and a 12-volt one will require more than 3 amperes. This requires a large diameter of the supply wires, firstly, in terms of the permissible heating of the wires, and secondly, in terms of the voltage drop across them.

Soldering iron connection 12V

To connect third-party electrical devices in most vehicles, there is only one option - through the cigarette lighter socket.

Before using it to connect a powerful soldering iron, you should study the car's wiring diagram regarding the purpose and power of the fuses. Many car models have electrical equipment in which other devices are included in the cigarette lighter power circuit. For example, on the popular VAZ-2109 model, the rear window heating is included in the cigarette lighter circuit, and exceeding the permissible current consumption can lead to blown fuses and inoperability of part of the vehicle's electrical equipment.

Thus, a powerful electric soldering iron should provide for connection directly to the battery. This also achieves a reduction in the voltage drop across the switching elements and connecting wires.

Important! Using a powerful soldering iron for a long time can drain the battery to a critical value. It is necessary to remember this and not to allow the discharge.

Soldering iron selection

When purchasing a low-voltage soldering iron, you need to imagine the purposes for which it will be used. A tool with a power of up to 40 W can only be used for soldering electronic equipment and thin wires. The power wiring of the car has a large cross-section of wires and is an effective heat sink. With a low-power 12 volt soldering iron, reliable soldering of such conductors is almost impossible, especially in cold weather.

The temperature of the soldering iron tip should be at least 300-400°C. At lower temperatures, the solder will melt harder. It is good if the soldering iron is equipped with a power regulator, but such models are much more expensive.

All elements of the soldering iron should look solid and reliable. The tip and handle of the tool should sit tightly in place and not hang out. The connecting wires of a good and high-quality tool are thick and at the same time good flexibility. It is inconvenient to use the tool when soldering miniature radio elements and making efforts to bend the power wires.

DIY soldering iron

If you have a desire to do something with your own hands and the ability to work with tools, you can make a 12 volt soldering iron yourself. It will look a little unpresentable, but the reliability is much higher than that of cheap Chinese instruments.

To make a homemade soldering iron you need:

• Powerful (at least 10W) ​​wire resistor with a resistance of 5-6 ohms;
• Copper rod with a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the internal hole of the resistor;
• A thinner copper bar for a sting. You can grind a section of a thick bar, but then when the sting burns, you will have to change the entire element completely;
• Insulating material for the soldering iron handle (textolite, plywood);
• Connecting wires with a cross section of 1-1.5 mm2;
• Plug for cigarette lighter socket.

After collecting the heating element, wires are soldered to it, and the handle is attached with a metal clamp through an asbestos gasket.

Video

A soldering iron is an empty phrase for many, but for most men it is an indispensable tool in everyday life. And it doesn’t even matter if you are repairing electronics, or just an inquisitive mind does not give rest to your hands. In this article we will talk about creating a soldering iron with your own hands from improvised materials. But we’ll make a reservation right away that it’s easier to buy, it will be more reliable and safer for your health.

1 ) How to make a soldering iron with your own hands - a schematic diagram of a soldering iron

As you can see, the soldering iron is very simple in terms of design and everything you need to assemble it yourself at home is quite found in every home.

How to make a soldering iron with your own hands - what you need

Our current model soldering iron will run on a 12-14 volt battery. This is much safer than using 220 volts in a homemade soldering iron.

• Li-ion rechargeable battery (quite suitable from a power tool or an old laptop).
• A piece of single-core copper wire with a diameter of about two millimeters and a length of five to six centimeters. We will need it to wind the spiral.
• Heat-resistant fiberglass tubes with different diameters of 3.8 and 1 mm to isolate the heating element from the metal casing (you can take it from an electric kettle).
• Nichrome wire with a diameter of 0.3 mm (you can take it from an old hair dryer). The length of the wire will be selected empirically, depending on the power of the soldering iron and battery.
• A segment of a telescopic antenna from a radio receiver with a diameter of 4 millimeters and a length of 3 centimeters.
• A piece of copper single-core wire for a sting, with a diameter of 3.8 mm.
• Wire for connecting power to the soldering iron.
• Wooden or plastic tube for the handle.

How to make a soldering iron with your own hands - assembly

• To begin with, we will manufacture the heating element.
  We wind a nichrome thread on a piece of wire and, by selecting the length of the spiral, we will achieve heating in the aisles of 300 - 450 degrees Celsius.

• Let's take the same piece of single-core copper wire and put a heat-resistant tube on it.
  We wind the segment of the spiral selected by us on the tube.

• We put thinner tubes on the ends of the spiral and place the whole structure inside another, thicker tube. Let's take out the copper wire (it has fulfilled its role and we don't need it anymore).

• Everything, the heating element is ready. Now it remains to insert it inside the copper tube from the antenna and place our sting in it. We fix the sting in the tube with a self-tapping screw.

• Our soldering iron is almost ready. It remains to attach the power wire to the ends of the spiral, insert the entire structure into the handle and connect to the power source.

Important: some non-combustible material must be placed between the handle and the antenna tube to avoid a fire. ZMP for this purpose is quite suitable.

Let's summarize all of the above. To create a soldering iron, you do not need any special knowledge and expensive components. But such homemade products should be done only when you need to solder something, but there is simply no soldering iron at hand. And there is simply no time for shopping trips with the aim of acquiring it. In all other cases, it is easier to buy it, especially since it does not cost a lot of money. But in terms of safety, the factory one is much more reliable than any kind of homemade products.

Many people use homemade soldering irons. There are a lot of implementation options, since these tools are sculpted from what is at hand or easily found. The most time-consuming process of manufacturing a soldering iron, similar to the factory one, but of low power. Here is an example of what and how to make a miniature at home. It is assumed that the soldering iron will not receive power directly from the network, but through a 220/12 V transformer.

You will need the following materials:

• copper wire with a diameter of 1.5 mm - about 40 mm long
• copper foil - a small rectangle 30x10 mm or slightly larger
• nichrome wire 0.2 mm - 350 mm
• tin tube or piece of tin to make a casing for the heating element
• silicate glue (liquid glass)
• talc for manufacturing with the addition of silicate glue of the insulating layer
• heat-resistant plastic handle
• electrical cord with plug

You will also need some auxiliary things:

• heat source (electric or gas oven)
• standard tools (nippers, tweezers, pliers, file)
• non-standard fixtures (something in the form of a narrow small spatula - wooden or plastic)
• a lot of rags (remove very sticky insulating mixture from hands and tools)

Tool assembly sequence

The description of the process is given schematically, since the implementation usually does not cause difficulties.