Soldering Iron Kit

Note: This was one of our April Fool's products for 2011. Sadly, it's not real.

A soldering iron is an essential tool for any electronics hobbyist. We decided to put together a soldering iron kit that will get you soldering in no time. The kit includes all the basic components needed to make your very own soldering iron. We've even included a custom enclosure for your project to give it a more finished look when you're done.

Note. This kit requires some basic through-hole soldering. We recommend the SparkFun Soldering Iron Kit to put this kit together.

  • Lead-free capable
  • Temperature adjustable from 220-480°C (428-896°F)
  • Includes 900M tip
  • 50W Iron
  • SparkFun Logo!

Comments

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  • RobBrownNZ / about 14 years ago / 9

    Requires soldering iron (not included) for assembly. This should be called a "Soldering Irony Kit".

  • Lapsus / about 14 years ago / 4

    I would totally buy this, regardless of the mild insanity.

    • tetsujin / about 14 years ago / 1

      Yeah, use a cheap soldering iron to build a soldering iron kit - I'd totally enjoy such a project. Electronic kits are just fun sometimes...

    • tommyschw / about 14 years ago / 1

      same here, plus I thought this one was real. I am such a sucker.

    • bzerk / about 14 years ago / 1

      ditto

  • man.. out of stock already!

    • frank26080115 / about 14 years ago / 1

      It makes perfect sense, you buy this kit because you need a soldering iron, thus you buy this kit, so the demand is infinite!

    • TimCole / about 14 years ago / 1

      Of course. There's an infinite backlog of half-soldering soldering irons over in Product Development.

  • Apart from the circular dependency it's Not a bad Idea actually...

    • BB / about 14 years ago / 1

      Could even be neat to convert a cheapo soldering iron into an adjustable one.

  • bbotany / about 14 years ago / 2

    Does this come with a sponge? It really should for proper maintenance.
    One of those nifty sponges that has embedded instant water would really help round out the kit.

  • Espneon / about 14 years ago / 2

    Yo dawg, we got a soldering iron for your soldering iron...

  • I can't seriously be the only one ever to solder with a bunsen burner and a piece of metal rod ... Or could I ? I like the kit! even if it is indeed an april fools joke.

    • Klone38 / about 14 years ago / 1

      I've soldered using a magnifying glass and the hot southern California summer sun. if it can burn paper at 500 F it can melt solder at 460 F.

    • csshih / about 14 years ago / 1

      I've soldered with a butane torch and a rusty nail :)

  • Member #156628 / about 14 years ago / 1

    Iron with SparkFun Logo... you need to make this or at least make stickers available. Surprised it wasn't digital though.

    • Dirf / about 14 years ago / 1

      There are irons with a SparkFun logo: http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9672

  • Kamilion / about 14 years ago / 1

    Argh! I wanted to build this to have a spare soldering iron at home! WHY MUST THIS BE FAKE?!

  • Exonerd / about 14 years ago / 1

    This one truly almost got me...curse April Fool's Day!

  • mman1506 / about 14 years ago / 1

    what about if we neeed to upgrade are radio shack firestarter, Why arent you selling this i was going to buy it

  • DMKitsch / about 14 years ago / 1

    i thought this was an actual product. shows how gullible I am :D

    • DMKitsch / about 14 years ago / 1

      i would love one of these though if you actually sold a soldering iron kit

  • Member #215452 / about 14 years ago / 1

    Thank you fpr the funny soldering iron kit.
    But if you think over it, it would really be a PERFECT addition to a fixed wattage soldering iron ... AND it has the Sparkfun logo on it :)

  • WizenedEE / about 14 years ago / 1

    Am I the only one that realized this doesn't come with the iron itself?

  • Member #105629 / about 14 years ago / 1

    For those who bother about the "out of stock"
    This soldering iron if from china-brand AOYUE. Look on eBay for AOYUE 936. Its the same as this one with a little less power.

  • ikrase / about 14 years ago / 1

    ... This should be real.

  • cyrozap / about 14 years ago / 1

    Reminds me of this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drawing_Hands

  • Member #215172 / about 14 years ago / 1

    Being safety minded, I replaced a worn rubber cable gland on a soldering iron I had previously built from a discarded broken weller in a new aluminium enclosure.
    This presented me with the same recursive conundrum, how to solder the mains wiring back into the transformer after putting in a more robust cable gland!!
    The car battery and a 12V soldering iron saved the day! Keep a 12V iron lying around for similar recursive conundra and power blackouts...

  • trl / about 14 years ago / 1

    Happy AFD SFE!

  • Member #62641 / about 14 years ago / 1

    Whaaah! I'd buy this, I hope it's real.
    You pedants are missing the point. Yes, you'd need a regular iron to build this variable-temperature iron. Nothing circular or recursive about this.

  • CalcProgrammer1 / about 14 years ago / 1

    I might buy it if just for parts for the one I already have. I have a SparkFun iron with a bad heating element that I'm looking for a replacement for, the original Hakko element doesn't seem to be compatible.

  • astinsan / about 14 years ago / 1

    I love April fools day...

  • baum / about 14 years ago / 1

    Infinite Loop! Solder your soldering iron kit with you soldering kit?

  • TimCole / about 14 years ago * / 1

    Oh, this one is EVIL! It's like being told to send an e-mail to report that your e-mail isn't working (something that happened to me once, actually). I'd complain about it, but first I have to solder my modem to my acoustic coupler, and I can't assemble the durned soldering iron.
    It makes me want to recurse in front of children!

  • sheetzam / about 14 years ago / 1

    Recurse much?

  • BiOzZ420 / about 14 years ago / 1

    what? no iron?
    dont see it in the pic

  • spiritplumber / about 14 years ago / 1

    Second!

  • khearn / about 14 years ago / 1

    Actually, it's not a bad idea at all. Perfect for the person who has started out with a cheap, fixed wattage iron and wants to graduate to a nice temperature controlled iron. All the soldering for this could be done with a cheap iron like http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9507

  • Applekid / about 14 years ago / 1

    It's totally doable if it were a wire-wrap kit.

    • AdamTolley / about 14 years ago / 1

      Thats really funny. How many wire-wraps would you need to carry that kind of current?

  • Mr. Deahl-Coy / about 14 years ago / 1

    You should actually sell this kit, it would be an amusing Christmas gift.

  • AdamTolley / about 14 years ago / 1

    want. Its not a cruel gift, it smacks of self replications, use you iron to build your friends for cheaper.

  • Bagel / about 14 years ago / 1

    I hate to say it but you haven't included the actual iron. You know, the part that plugs into the base (which is pictured), into which the (included) tip should be inserted?

    • Squirrel / about 14 years ago / 1

      One could almost say there was too much irony already in the post for them to show one in the picture

    • dammitcoetzee / about 14 years ago / 1

      Includes 900M tip

  • scharkalvin / about 14 years ago / 1

    OK that's the SECOND one. You ain't gonna fool me a THIRD time!
    Looks like some took apart a returned soldering station for the photo, you can tell by the short leads on those parts.

  • DMKitsch / about 14 years ago / 1

    is a schematic going to be released?

  • MarkMayhew / about 14 years ago / 1

    wow... that would be a cruel gift.

  • jrossetti / about 14 years ago / 1

    That looks like a Hakko.

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