Thumbs up for 63/37 solder/Wire Stripping

[Doug H]

I know this isn't nearly as exciting or sexy as the piggybacking Si xsistor thread.

But file this under the "getting the right tools for the job" category. From Peter Snowberg's suggestion in an earlier thread, I picked up some 63/37 solder from Radio Shack yesterday ($2.99- "High Tech" solder in RS lingo...) and tried it out when I was soldering up a speaker cable last night.

All I can say is if you haven't tried this yet, run, don't walk, to your nearest RS (or wherever you can find it) and pick some up. It heats, flows, and cools very quickly, and really makes soldering a breeze. It is truly amazing, no haze or "haze phase", it cools immediately to a nice bright shine. I've been soldering for about 25yrs and never seen anything like it. Thanks for the suggestion, Peter!

Along the same lines, another tool suggestion.... I picked up a pair of wire strippers at Lowe's for ~$6. They are called "Milwaukee strippers" or something. God knows what that means but it has an adjustment for stripping 16-24AWG wire, a wire cutter, and a pair of pliers all in one tool. All this time I've been stripping with a pair of dykes, like a "real man".  I have gotten really good at it but I noticed sometimes the cut on the insulation is not clean, giving it kind of a ragged appearance at times. This tool cuts surgically clean and is really easy to use. The best part is that I bought some 22AWG teflon aircraft wire a year or so ago for amp builds and haven't been able to use it up to this point because it is just impossible to strip. This little tool strips it like nobody's business, so now I'm back in business with the teflon.  

Doug