Cheap soldering iron vs my old Weller on a Canon AE-1 shutter flex

Had a Canon AE-1 on the bench last week with a cracked flex on the shutter release, and I tried my $12 pencil iron from the hardware store first just to see. Big mistake, the tip was way too fat and I almost cooked the ribbon. Switched to my old Weller with a fine conical tip and it flowed clean in about 30 seconds at 700 degrees. Anyone else keep a cheap iron around as a backup, or is it just me that learned that lesson the hard way?

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the_zara3d ago

My buddy Dave tried the same thing on a Nikon FM2 last month, grabbed his 15 dollar Amazon special and the tip was so blunt he bridged two pads on the flex. He spent an hour with solder wick fixing the mess and still had to redo the joint with his Hakko. The cheap ones work fine for tinning wires or basic stuff, but on tiny flex ribbon you need that heat control and a tip you can actually see around. Tell me the Weller didn't feel like a luxury after that scare.

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