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did it again, plugged in the wrong soldering iron!

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LAN_403

Avalanche

Sat Oct 18 2008, 11:35PM

Registered Member #103 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 08:16PM
Location: Derby, UK
Posts: 845

For some reason I have an urge to start a new thread whenever I do this...

So earlier I wanted to solder a couple of leads onto a power LED, so I reached under my desk and plugged in my soldering iron. Waited a couple of minutes and smelt a faint burning smell, like I usually do whenever I plug the iron in because it's covered in melted crap. Thought to myself "it's all good" then tried tinning the tip. It wasn't hot enough, so I went downstairs and made a cup of tea and came back up later to a very strong burning smell indeed! Only when I made a second attempt to tin the iron did I realise that it was actually stone cold - and there was a lot of smoke coming from my carpet, as my other iron sat there happily burning a hole through it. I would say lesson learnt, but this is the second now! What a plonker!!

LithiumLord

Sun Oct 19 2008, 12:41AM

Registered Member #1739 Joined: Fri Oct 03 2008, 10:05AM
Location: Moscow, Russia
Posts: 261

Ha! Not impressed :P On the videos of "Lithium Dawn" SSTC you've probably seen the mess I got in there, also scavenged a bunch of dead MoBos for SMD parts recently so they are scattered on the floor - it all makes the navigation throughout the room "a bit" complex and sometimes gets to the point where reaching the table from the "Tesla corner" requires you to make a Quake-style doublejump across the sofa. Now try to imagine my face when straight after shutting down the coil's bridge I saw my old half-dead soldering iron melting through the 400g can of hard flux I put it on! The moment was just awesome - it moved through the plastic can to finally burn and short-circuit it's own wire, then the power went out but the spark was enough to set the molten flux on fire so I had a little campfire to deal with - and it all was when the mess-level reached the doublejump point so it was really a nice run :)

Arcstarter

Sun Oct 19 2008, 01:32AM

Registered Member #1225 Joined: Sat Jan 12 2008, 01:24AM
Location: Beaumont, Texas, USA
Posts: 2253

I have done this so many times as well. I had the EXACT same carpet as avalanche and i have done that at least 10 times and i think i did it twice to this new carpet.

Bored Chemist

Sun Oct 19 2008, 09:11AM

Registered Member #193 Joined: Fri Feb 17 2006, 07:04AM
Location: sheffield
Posts: 1022

Has anyone else here trodden, barefoot, on a hot soldering iron?

Steve Conner

Sun Oct 19 2008, 11:45AM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

My old room-mate "trod" on one with his hand while crawling around under his desk looking for some missing piece of junk. I think I heard the yell from the other side of town.

Backyard Skunkworks

Sun Oct 19 2008, 05:02PM

Registered Member #1262 Joined: Fri Jan 25 2008, 05:22AM
Location: Maryland, USA
Posts: 451

Solder guns FTW. They prevent these kinds of accidents with their near instant heating.

Only solder accident I've ever had was a clumsy kid next to me getting a little drop of molten tin on my thigh. It did hurt a bit.

LithiumLord

Sun Oct 19 2008, 05:44PM

Registered Member #1739 Joined: Fri Oct 03 2008, 10:05AM
Location: Moscow, Russia
Posts: 261

Bored Chemist wrote ...

Has anyone else here trodden, barefoot, on a hot soldering iron?

No (however I once stepped on a dip8 chip dropped with it's pins facing upward - was "fun"), but once I dropped my iron by accidentally pulling it's cord. The reflex kicked in way before the logic did, so I gracefully caught it between my thumb and pointing finger (of course couldn't miss the heater so grabbed it straight in the middle - now that's what the term "real pain" stands for). ...The burns healed in about a few weeks :)

Arcstarter

Sun Oct 19 2008, 05:50PM

Registered Member #1225 Joined: Sat Jan 12 2008, 01:24AM
Location: Beaumont, Texas, USA
Posts: 2253

I have stepped on the iron many times(like 3 times)... I have burnt myself on my hand too cause i sometimes drop it and i always try to catch it........

Bamacoiler

Sun Oct 19 2008, 05:57PM

Registered Member #1628 Joined: Wed Aug 06 2008, 08:48PM
Location: Huntsville, AL USA
Posts: 95

I have been soldering in the house barefoot besides socks and dropped a large blob of molten solder on top my foot. It burned through the sock immediately and came to rest between my big toe and second. It was very painful and it left large nasty blisters because after it landed there, there was nothing I could do till it cooled.(besides jump up and down screaming)

I learned a lesson that day. Always wear proper ppe.
Garry

Myke

Sun Oct 19 2008, 07:54PM

Registered Member #540 Joined: Mon Feb 19 2007, 07:49PM
Location: MIT
Posts: 969

Worst soldering accident I had was getting a very tiny piece of solder in my eye because a wire sprung back at me that had solder on it

. I was lucky that nothing really bad happened from that (Now I always wear safety goggles when soldering). Another time I was trying to desolder a xenon flash tube and the springy copper connection threw solder at my hand. I had a blister there for a week or two.

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