Soldertips

Question: Can Butane solder irons be used for soldering coax cable (pin on center conductor) or any other type of cabling? We are concerned about the temperature as compared to regular soldering stations.

Answer: Although not a standard soldering tool for the electronic business, it is another method of applying the heat to make a solder joint. Is it hotter? I would say yes. Do we have to be more careful? Again yes. Is there any restrictions on its use? The answer is no. Care should be taken not to damage the insulation, burning of the flux (prevents solder from flowing) and oxidizing the base material.

The insulation is a more important issue. I would say the Teflon insulation is OK, but the plastic ones I would say no to, as it will melt. Be careful on coax cable with Teflon dielectrics in the cable, as if that gets too hot during the soldering of the center contact, it will expand and may impact the ability to solder the connector and affect the assembly as a whole.