[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Advice on soldering iron, please?

I want one suitable for a beginner to electronics.

The one I have is too big and, I suspect, too powerful. Something with a fine tip around 20W would be good?

I am on UK just now, and will be buying a handful of small tools. Or a case-full, if I get carried away!

Search for a 10W to 20W iron for electronic use. Some of the better ones will have multiple slip on tips - needle, small flat, round etc. Get one with at least 3 tips.

While you are at it, get a "Solder Sucker". This is a small suction device which will suck the molten solder, leaving the area clean. USeful when you have to replace a component.
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Frees...283952025.html
http://www.avmicrotech.com/shop/prod...?id_product=22

http://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-.../dp/B0002KRAAG

[Prowler]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Advice on soldering iron, please?

I want one suitable for a beginner to electronics.

The one I have is too big and, I suspect, too powerful. Something with a fine tip around 20W would be good?

I am on UK just now, and will be buying a handful of small tools. Or a case-full, if I get carried away!

As Aroy pointed out, get a soldering iron with slip-on tips with a minimum of 20 W for most electronics jobs and a 100 W iron for the odd electric jobs.

Solders come with different tin:lead ratio. Pick a general purpose 60:40 coil for most work - unless you are going to work on mission critical power electronics.

For soldering that odd SMD(surface mount devices) a finely ground sharp tip on a 20W iron is enough. A 10W iron may not offer adequate heat to make a reliable joint. Many dry joints are the result of poor technique and a colder running iron.

You can pick up the desoldering pump from Ritchie Street in Madras on your return. It costs less than Rs.100 while in Amazon it costs around 5 US Dollars. Pick up desoldering copper wick as well and a small tin of soldering paste in Madras.

What you should get in the UK is the 'Helping Hand Soldering Aid' - a contraption with many small 'arms' ending with strong alligator clips and a magnifying glass attached to a strong base. You will get a much better one than the cheap flimsy Chinese ones available online here. Believe me, that can really help.

Whilst at it, get a big inspection magnifying glass (at least 9 inch diameter) with a light.

[Sebring]

I have the Stanley Soldering Iron from UK - Fine tip. The quality is so good, its going 'on and on' for ages now. Get a power socket adaptor from there, as the UK ones have flat pins. The Indian ones 'spark'.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Advice on soldering iron, please?

I want one suitable for a beginner to electronics.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Thanks for the advice, people. I've got a solder sucker and the wick. Will look out for a multi-hand gripper and have always wanted a good magnifier with a lamp

[Sebring]

Yeah, that's a good buy. Even I have the same. Regarding soldering iron, if you didn't get Stanley go for Dremel.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

I just bought a Stanley ratchet screwdriver, here in London. All the ratchet drivers I have are small and lightweight, but this is quite hefty. Hope it is as strong as it looks.

[Gannu_1]

Cut the edible oil containers and reused them as some tool carriers (helps when going to the car parking lot of the apartment lugging these tools from the 6th floor of my apartment):



Replacement blades for the Stanley utility knife. Comes in a box of 10:

[CRV2010]

@Gannu_1

where did you procure those replacement blades ?

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by CRV2010

@Gannu_1

where did you procure those replacement blades ?

Got them from Ebay India (link).

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

Cut the edible oil containers and reused them as some tool carriers (helps when going to the car parking lot of the apartment lugging these tools from the 6th floor of my apartment):

Very nice idea and well made too

[DerAlte]

My 28 year old Swiss-made Bosch impact drill SB400 was down for 6 months because of worn out brushes. Tried getting brushes from a lot of sources over the net but couldn't locate a source.

I finally tracked down the part number of the brush set for this ancient model on the Bosch website, which had all the part numbers of the components of the drill, along with a diagram! Called Bosch service, and they gave the number of Sri Varu Power Tools on SJP Road (opposite the mosque). I ordered the part by giving the Bosch part number, and they ordered it on Bosch. Called me when the part arrived.

Got the brushes, opened the drill (easy enough) and replaced the brushes. Now to get on with clearing the backlog of small jobs in the house.

[DerAlte]

Forgot to mention: picked up these tools which were missing from my collection. The pavement shops opposite the mosque in City Market, Bangalore, have a rich variety.

[govigov]

I need to wall mount a TV and though that this is a good time to invest in a power drill that can last for quiet a while. Is there a recommended power drill for small jobs at home?

[diyguy]

Originally Posted by govigov

Is there a recommended power drill for small jobs at home?

I have this model, purchased about 6 years back for 2100rs. Have used it for all curtain work, tv mounting, network rack mounting etc. No issues till date. I did purchase some cheap bits in the local hardware market and then better ones from amazon US. This should suffice. I also drilled a hole in a door for installing a godrej lock.

[Jaguar]

Originally Posted by diyguy

I have this model, purchased about 6 years back for 2100rs.

I too have a similar model from Bosch and it is doing duty for 5+ years. I suggest you get the full kit that comes with a box and additonal bits and tools instead of just the drill. The box comes handy to store and carry the drill around.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Just a few small hand tools bought from London last month.





Soldering iron, I got an Antec 18W. Hopefully, when I next need to, I'll be able to point this at a PCB without melting everything on it!

The ratcheting screwdriver, with assorted bits in the handle, is actually very nice. It has a 4-times gearing for getting the length of the screw in fast, and, if it is tough as it seems to be (I hope: it was quite expensive!) I can see this becoming my most-used screwdriver.

The two little gripping pliers are by Rolson. It's a cheap make, but their stuff seems to work and last. Couldn't resist these two. Kind of cute, and they just have to come in useful one day