When you start building your own DIY kit, one of the most popular tools you might be thinking about is a soldering iron. Soldering irons are incredibly useful and can help you fix anything around your house ranging from electrical systems to your children’s toys.
For first-time users, they may find themselves asking, “What is the function of soldering irons?” The answer is relatively simple, especially as it’s one of the most versatile tools you can get your hands on.
What Do Soldering Irons Do?
The main premise behind a soldering iron may differ as it can be used for a wide variety of purposes. In most cases, you might reach for your soldering iron if you’re looking to create a liquid or gas-tight seal on a pipe or you may also want to use one if you’re looking to reassemble connections on a circuit board. By using relatively high levels of heat, a soldering iron will melt two metals, and they can be glued together to create a joint or bond.
Hence, to guide you, below are six common things that solder irons do.
Working with Galvanized Metal
Galvanized metal is used for a wide variety of different things ranging from outdoor dog kennels to industrial pipes that are used to carry chemicals. However, if you’re working with galvanized metal, you’re going to need to use a soldering iron with the combination of a non-corrosive flux such as hydrochloric acid or ruby fluid.
Arts and Crafts
Metalwork is an incredibly interesting industry, and it is home to some of the most influential pieces of artworks that you might even have hanging around your house. From professional artists to DIY craftspeople, using a soldering iron is one of the easiest ways to affix two alloys together with minimal issues. Even at-home jewelry makers can benefit from using a soldering iron since it helps them to connect different pieces of jewelry in a reliable fashion that won’t fall apart.
Creating Mosaics and Stained Glass
In the event that you’ve been interested in installing a mosaic backsplash or improving the appeal of windows around your house with stained glass, you can surely bet that a soldering iron will become your best friend. In fact, if you were to take a look into an average kit of a stained glass professional, they would have solder, flux, a 100-watt soldering iron, pliers, a glass cutter, and safety glasses.
Plumbing
As mentioned, fitting small pipes together can easily be done with the help of a soldering iron, especially if they’re in tight spaces such as a bathroom. With that being said, working on your plumbing system with a soldering iron means you’re going to have to make sure that your water supply is cut off and your work area is 100% free of any flammable materials.
Instead of using pipe glues that are inevitably going to fail over the years, soldering metal pipes is essential for providing the longevity and reliability you would expect from the plumbing equipment in your home. That is because using a soldering iron will create a watertight joint that seals every single pipe with ease.
At-Home Repairs
Other than plumbing, there are plenty of other at-home repairs that you might be interested in tackling on your own rather than hiring a professional repair person. In fact, simply because these irons are so easy to use, you might find that you can deal with a wide variety of DIY projects without having to rely on the experience of professionals.
The most important thing to remember is that you don’t need a heavy-duty soldering iron for small tasks such as repairing circuit boards or working on thermostats. Ideally, you’ll want to find a propane-fed unit that is portable, simple to set up, and comes with easy to understand instructions.
Fixing Children’s Toys
If you’re wondering what is the function of soldering irons, parents who have kids who love to play rough will surely understand within a matter of days. Instead of throwing out toys that have lost their connection to their battery packs or have metal pieces that are falling apart, you can easily solder the parts back together. With that being said, it’s essential that you know what the metal alloys in the toy are made of to ensure that you use the iron at the right temperature so that the toy doesn’t burn.
From making your kid’s toys light up for the first time in weeks to helping your kids put an arm back on their robotic dog, your soldering iron will quickly become your go-to tool for taking your kids’ favorite toys out of the graveyard and putting them back into the toy box.
FINAL VERDICT
When answering, what is the function of soldering irons, they have plenty of different functions that you can use to your advantage, especially if you’re the type of homeowner who is creative with their handy projects. All you’ll need is the right protective equipment, a reliable soldering iron with solder, and a specific project in mind.