back to soldering

homemade iron holder:


Back in high school pottery class, a project our instructor gave us was to "make something USEFUL." As I
recall, this specifically was not to be something commonly made with pottery, such as a bowl or cup.

After some thought, I realized I'd been using a (glass) water glass or a porcelain cereal bowl to hold my
soldering iron. They were both heat-resistant and gave me a place to dispose of excess solder and wire
clippings / insulation, but the iron sometimes slid off and I was worried about chipping or cracking them.
I could solve this by making one out of ceramic. It could be thick-walled to be tough, was heat-resistant by
design, could have a wide base and was heavy to resist tipping over, and I could engineer a notch on each end
to cradle the side of the tip and also the handle so the iron never slipped off.

I remember my instructor being extremely confused and asking "what IS that?" I tried to explain it to her but
I don't think she really understood. I have used it, without exception, every time I have soldered at home,
for the last 35 years. Although she's probably moved on or retired by now, I'd love to stop in and show her
that "useful item" I made so many years ago, having gotten such an incredible about of use.

And I've tried other holders, but nothing comes close in utility. Having the cup right there to brush off
the rosin-less solder from the tip, plus a place to cut wire off into or toss in stripped jackets, it's just
perfect for the job. But nobody makes anything like it. If I had it to do over again, I'd keep it the same
size, but would slightly increase the width of the base, and would deepen the notch for the handle. Nothing
else needs to change.

The soldering iron pictured is one I've been using for about 20 years. The rubber grip has stiffened up
and keeps sliding off the handle so I had to tape it down. It's on its second tip.

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