Is the purpose of these plastic containers to keep solder clean? Does anyone refill them from a reel?

 

I think their only purpose is to hold a small amount of solder for retail sale. Personally, I don't refill them. And I haven't ever had a problem with "dirty" solder.

 

It's just to hold them neatly and also easier to sell in small qty.

 

Is the purpose of these plastic containers to keep solder clean?

No.

Does anyone refill them from a reel?

No.

The plastic cylinder is just a handy solder dispenser, that's all.

 

But it can be refilled by you, you know.

 

Hello,

You can refill them.
Use a pencil and turn some solder around it and fill the tube with the solder.
I personaly use old (empty) solderwick holders for taking small bits of solder with me.



I punch a hole in the centercore, flip the holder open and fill it with solder by winding the solder on the core.

Bertus

 

I have refilled them a couple of times (using a pencil to wrap around) but my reel of solder isn't huge anyway so I figure I'll stop. I never need to take solder with me anywhere.

 

I just keep my solder spool in a box with my other soldering tools (helping hands, wire strippers, solder station, tape, heat shrink, etc). Whenever I need it and wherever I go, I know everything I need is in that one box. Grab and go. An old boot box is ideal - relatively flat, hinged lid, sturdy, and just about the ideal size.

 

I'm with the others. It's purposes is just for retail packaging of small amounts of solder -- small enough cost for a hobbyist compared to a pound spool, but they are usually paying an outrageous amount on a per-pound basis.

I have a small fishing tackle box that I have my precision tools in and I have a couple of those types of containers with different kinds of solder in them just to keep the box light and make room for more tools. But my main workbench just has the pound spools sitting next to the soldering station out in the open.

 

As everyone else said.

And here is a handy tip.

Take about a foot (30cm) of solder and wrap it around the solder station power cord.
You never really need a lot of solder but when you run out you will always have some spare, as long as you remember to go buy some more.

One day you'll thank me for this tip.

 

As everyone else said.

And here is a handy tip.

Take about a foot (30cm) of solder and wrap it around the solder station power cord.
You never really need a lot of solder but when you run out you will always have some spare, as long as you remember to go buy some more.

One day you'll thank me for this tip.

I used to do this, too. To keep it from getting snagged on everything under the sun, I would wrap a baggie or plastic wrap around it and then some masking tape. The plastic was just to keep the mastic from the tape off the solder. I put this at the plug end of the cord so that it was always out of the way. When I got my Metcal I set up a real solder station area and almost never used my hand irons after that, so I don't do it any more. But if I think about it I might do it again on the pencil iron I keep in that tackle box.

 

I think their only purpose is to hold a small amount of solder for retail sale. Personally, I don't refill them. And I haven't ever had a problem with "dirty" solder.

While not really "dirty" I have a small roll of solder that I bought back in high school, circa 1965, that will not now 'solder'. Not due to 'dirt' but surface oxidation. Should be thrown away but i keep it anyway.

 

To further what @shortbus noted, I had a roll of solder (Kester 44 63/37) that was in a service truck for some time (around 3-4 years). I was surprised to find the roll noticeably weathered when it came back. The solder still worked, but I seem to remember being able to notice the difference in some way, perhaps needing extra flux or additional solder to get proper wetting?

Realize this damage was from years of sitting in midwest weather and likely the occasional damp (possibly with residual corrosive chemicals) item being thrown in the same toolbox. Also, the roll was literally from the same order as the solder I was still using in the lab, so age was not the culprit.

Long roundabout way of saying: Yeah, a plastic tube to keep a small portion of solder clean and dry would have been preferred in this application.

 

Hello,

You can refill them.
Use a pencil and turn some solder around it and fill the tube with the solder.
I personaly use old (empty) solderwick holders for taking small bits of solder with me.

View attachment 128215

I punch a hole in the centercore, flip the holder open and fill it with solder by winding the solder on the core.

Bertus

This is what I do. I also keep a roll of wick snapped onto the solder, so I have both available. Also, the empty solder wick rolls are cheap!