Daffy D Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 If you use one of these cheap soldering irons be aware there is no insulating material between the outer metal tube and the heating element. If you damage the metal tube and it touches the heating element it could be nasty This is mains voltage and could be lethal. A public service announcement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Normally I hold on to the handle (made of plastic) when I do some soldering, as plastic is not conductive. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yermanee Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Normally I hold on to the handle (made of plastic) when I do some soldering, as plastic is not conductive. Very useful information. Thank you, I wouldn't have thought of that !! Yermanee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Normally I hold on to the handle (made of plastic) when I do some soldering, as plastic is not conductive. Very useful information. Thank you, I wouldn't have thought of that !! Yermanee Well, now you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopburi3 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Normally I hold on to the handle (made of plastic) when I do some soldering, as plastic is not conductive. And most will have a roll of solder in the other hand making contact with the iron and likely also with there fingers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwasaki Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Normally I hold on to the handle (made of plastic) when I do some soldering, as plastic is not conductive. And most will have a roll of solder in the other hand making contact with the iron and likely also with there fingers. Your be OK with rubber flip flops on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Normally I hold on to the handle (made of plastic) when I do some soldering, as plastic is not conductive. And most will have a roll of solder in the other hand making contact with the iron and likely also with there fingers. Good point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopburi3 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Your feet are often not the only possible contact with ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 (edited) Your feet are often not the only possible contact with ground. Surely It can't be that long/big. Edited January 23, 2012 by Semper 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kartman Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I found using the brother-in-laws iron similar mentally to the game you play at the fair where you try and get the ring to the end of a crooked wire without it buzzing, except it's you earthing out amazing what you can call a 99baht piece of junk.(have bought a safe one now ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daffy D Posted January 23, 2012 Author Share Posted January 23, 2012 Normally I hold on to the handle (made of plastic) when I do some soldering, as plastic is not conductive. Yes me, too but on this occasion I was holding a circuit board on one hand while tidying up some bits with the iron when I got a shock from the board. Apart from the shock it also fried the circuit board :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Normally I hold on to the handle (made of plastic) when I do some soldering, as plastic is not conductive. Yes me, too but on this occasion I was holding a circuit board on one hand while tidying up some bits with the iron when I got a shock from the board. Apart from the shock it also fried the circuit board :-( I thought that circuit boards were made of some sort of non-conductive material. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tywais Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Normally I hold on to the handle (made of plastic) when I do some soldering, as plastic is not conductive. Yes me, too but on this occasion I was holding a circuit board on one hand while tidying up some bits with the iron when I got a shock from the board. Apart from the shock it also fried the circuit board :-( I thought that circuit boards were made of some sort of non-conductive material. Never sure when you are joking or not but PCBs have copper traces which are obviously conductive. The board itself is usually fiberglass or epoxy resin with the copper on the surface(s). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunta71 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 If Sempers lips are moving he is joking... where did you find a quality soldering iron? I have gone through a few of the cheapies... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Never sure when you are joking or not but PCBs have copper traces which are obviously conductive. The board itself is usually fiberglass or epoxy resin with the copper on the surface(s). Indeed, that's the point with circuit boards. You don't need cables to make the connection between the tiny components. But in op's case there was obviously a short in his soldering iron, and he had his fingers on the uninsulated copper traces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Normally I hold on to the handle (made of plastic) when I do some soldering, as plastic is not conductive. And most will have a roll of solder in the other hand making contact with the iron and likely also with there fingers. Your be OK with rubber flip flops on. And if you don't have any flip flops, a couple of the TrueVisions TV Guides (one under each foot) would come in handy. As they don't have any other practical use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meom Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 (edited) Normally I hold on to the handle (made of plastic) when I do some soldering, as plastic is not conductive. Very useful information. Thank you, I wouldn't have thought of that !! Yermanee Me neither. Reminds me of the time when I had this vacuum cleaner that was equipped with 2 holes that fit the 2-pin socket which was connected to the electrical cord with the other end going into the mains (220). Power full machine and I was happily vacuuming away from living room till bed room where it ran out of cord and unplugged itself from the machine. Found out the hard way that it’s not really wise to pick up a 2-pin socket with your fingers while the other end is still connected to the mains Edited January 23, 2012 by meom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Semper Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Normally I hold on to the handle (made of plastic) when I do some soldering, as plastic is not conductive. Very useful information. Thank you, I wouldn't have thought of that !! Yermanee Me neither. Reminds me of the time when I had this vacuum cleaner that was equipped with 2 holes that fit the 2-pin socket which was connected to the electrical cord with the other end going into the mains (220). Power full machine and I was happily vacuuming away from living room till bed room where it ran out of cord and unplugged itself from the machine. Found out the hard way that it’s not really wise to pick up a 2-pin socket with your fingers while the other end is still connected to the mains Learning from mistakes is the only way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzaa09 Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 Normally I hold on to the handle (made of plastic) when I do some soldering, as plastic is not conductive. As some have yet to learn this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoonman Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 (edited) One of the few things I brought from home was my trusty Blue Point soldering iron, I love it and the only harm it could possibly do to me if it was inserted into my bum backwards, would burn my fingies trying to remove it (assuming it was ignighted and someone else did the insertion with the intent to cause harm). Edited January 23, 2012 by Spoonman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attrayant Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 If Sempers lips are moving he is joking... where did you find a quality soldering iron? I have gone through a few of the cheapies... I saw Hakko irons for sale at the Rangsit IT mall, but I didn't have time to stop and examine them closely. Could they have been cheap fakes? The Hakko707 was one of my favorites but that was 15 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raro Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 now it's getting kinky..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrry Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 now it's getting kinky..... but a hot topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tywais Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I saw Hakko irons for sale at the Rangsit IT mall, but I didn't have time to stop and examine them closely. Could they have been cheap fakes? That is what I have at my office and what my technicians use. I've had this one for several years now and works very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrry Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I saw Hakko irons for sale at the Rangsit IT mall, but I didn't have time to stop and examine them closely. Could they have been cheap fakes? That is what I have at my office and what my technicians use. I've had this one for several years now and works very well. Just make sure you get rid of the reflex to grab that kind when it drops. THe burn across the hand takes weeks to heal and is very very painful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tywais Posted January 23, 2012 Share Posted January 23, 2012 I saw Hakko irons for sale at the Rangsit IT mall, but I didn't have time to stop and examine them closely. Could they have been cheap fakes? That is what I have at my office and what my technicians use. I've had this one for several years now and works very well. Just make sure you get rid of the reflex to grab that kind when it drops. THe burn across the hand takes weeks to heal and is very very painful. Sorry to hear that. Must admit, I have got close to doing just that. Do have a scar on the top of my hand due to working recently in close corners and crossed my hand over to the other side to juggle a wire ... a tad too close. Oddly, there was no pain at that moment but I knew I screwed up. Only later when the skin started sliding off did it get 'uncomfortable'. At the lab in the US always had Weller temperature controlled stations but they are pretty expensive at 10k Baht and upwards to 100k+. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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