Home Soldering How does a gas soldering iron work

In the practice of a radio amateur, electrician, jeweler, and many other areas of human activity, the soldering method has been used for decades. And there has also been a gas soldering iron for a long time, which can be used in the field since you can carry the entire energy supply for its operation in your pocket. Let’s take a look at how a butane soldering iron works.

How does it work?

The principle of operation is very simple and similar to that of a conventional gas burner. In short, the gas in the pressurized container escapes outside, is limited by the flame regulator, and burns, mixing with the oxygen contained in the air.

However, let’s take a closer look at the principle of operation of the gas soldering iron.

Fuel under pressure

The tank is filled with gas, which is usually filled with kitchen or ordinary lighters. Refueling a gas soldering iron takes 15-30 seconds, and the operating time of the tool will depend on the selected power.

Flame ignition and regulation

Fuel is supplied to the nozzle through a valve that controls the intensity of the gas supply, that is, the operating temperature. When soldering with a gas soldering iron, an open flame is rarely used. The soldering iron has a special catalyst that looks like a ceramic mesh coated with platinum. Thanks to the catalyst, the flame of the soldering iron does not break out, but burns evenly on the surface of the ceramic grate and heats the tip. However, you should remember that ceramic is a rather fragile material, so it is undesirable to drop the soldering iron. The gas is ignited using a piezoelectric element or flint, or it can be just a match – it all depends on the model.

The catalyst is included in the design of the nozzle, which, being heated by the burner flame, evens out the heating of the tip, and at the same time, significantly reduces fuel consumption. The nozzle is installed using a threaded connection. Using the regulator button, the required flame length is set, that is, the temperature required for soldering.
Further, the soldering iron heats up to a working state in half a minute, which is an undoubted advantage of the tool, and you can carry out work. In any case, carefully read the instructions before using the gas soldering iron.

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