Summary
This blog covers the build of a soldering iron tip holder using demolition site lumber.
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| Soldering Iron Tip Holder |
Build Process
For the build, a piece of lumber (Jarrah) was salvaged from demolition scrap several months ago.
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| Demolition Site Salvaged Lumber |
Without access to a lathe to create the required shape, a 64 mm diameter hole saw was utilised to create the round shape of the holder. The hole saw was drilled from opposing sides of the lumber to achieve the necessary depth.
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| Holder Cut by Hole Saw |
Sanding of the holder was performed with 120 Grit on a belt sander then followed by 240 Grit on an orbital sander. The finished diameter of the holder was around 60 mm and the height was 72 mm.
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| Sanded Soldering Iron Holder Form |
A paper template was printed to assist in locating and marking positions for the Hakko T-12 type soldering iron tips. The six positions could be increased to eight or ten without overcrowding.
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| Holder with Tip Position Template |
Holes for the soldering iron tips were drilled with a 6 mm bit to a depth of 35 mm. The shaft diameter of T-12 tips is marginally larger than 5.5 mm.
The central hole created by the hole saw was glued and plugged with a wooden dowel.
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| Holder with Six Drilled Tip Positions |
After the glue had cured, the dowel was finished flat with the surface of the holder. A 16 mm Forstner bit was drilled to a depth of 35 mm. The 16 mm diameter of thr bit suits Stannol PCB flux pens.
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| Holder with All Drilled Positions |
All the holes were deburred with a 5 - 10 mm countersinking bit and the holder given a final sand.
Three coats of primer (Rust-Oleum flat white Primer) were applied to the holder with sanding using Grade 000 steel wool between each coat. Rolled sandpaper was used for the drilled holes.
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| Holder with First Coat of Primer |
For the final colour of the holder, Rust-Oleum Blue Diamond was chosen. The colour was applied in three coats with sanding using Grade 000 steel wool after the initial two coats. A fine bristle paintbrush was used to paint inside the holes.
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| Holder with Final Coat of Paint |
Shown below is the soldering iron tip holder with tips and flux pen mounted.
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| Holder with Tips and Flux Pen |
Summary
While the primer and colour spray paints achieved a descent finish, for longevity of the holder a harder two-pack or epoxy-based paint may be preferred.
