what does everyone think about the cold heat soldering iron? I'm just going to be using it for guitar stuff like pickup replacement and maybe pedal mods.
In my opinion, for smaller stuff like maybe for your pedal mods, it would be great. For soldering wires to lugs on pots, it serves ok. For soldering wires to ground your pots, it SUCKS! It basically just makes it hot, but not hot enough to really melt the solder to the pot cleanly, just blobs of cooked solder on top of the pot that doesn't stick. Go with the butane iron if anything...they don't take that long to cool down.
On top of that, the cold heat bits are kinda cheesy and wear out easily if you aren't too careful. Like I said, it's probably the best tool for doing things on boards and I know it's great for small stuff that needs to get hot and cool down fast before fucking shit up, but using it for anything with some mass to it, don't waste your time.
For what it's worth, the one I have is from Radio Shack.
Also, the Erlewine guides are probably the best for info on where to start. I learned most of my real tricks from guys that do it all the time though. I reccomend shadowing someone who you are pretty sure knows what they are doing (a luthier would help more than some dickbrain at a pawn shop with a tool box.) Hell, even bug some roadies/guitar techs if they're open to it. Sometimes, those guys don't get much interaction other than from the band they are working for, and are rather greatful that you value thier opinion on something like fixing some stuff. Get a good mix on some reading and some example firsthand...just like many of us do here for recordings.
