Has anyone here used a portable, battery operated soldering iron or gun? I want to start soldering any electrical connections I might make in my car. The only problem is I live in a highrise and am thus very limited in what I can do (Damn, I need a garage). I've seen some battery operated soldering irons from Weller that look like they would be good, except for all the horrible reviews.

Has anyone here had any good experiences with something like that? I would of course, use a real one for projects not requiring me to be in the car while doing them.

 

I've never used an battery operated one, but my friend has a little butane soldering iron that works great, especially in tight spots.

Butane Soldering Iron

 

USe the Butane one. The battery powered ones suck. I couldn't get it hot enough to work well.

 

+1 on butane

 

Nice, I didn't even think about those. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction everyone.

 

Ok, quick somewhat related question for any experts here. Should I always tin the wires I'm splicing together before I solder them? Thanks in advance.

 

I always tin both wires, then heat them up while they touch with a little bit of solder on the tip of the iron. They bond together and make a real nice connection that way.

 

yup, portasol is the way to go. One thing to be aware of is the exhaust port on the tip, that puppy gets mighty hot and can melt things if you're not careful so make sure you don't aim it at anything while soldering. But it is useful in that you can use it on heat shrink tubing to shrink it.