I have a reduced motor skills on the right side of my body due to cerebral palsy. However, I want to learn how to solder. I think an iron with some sort of automatic feed would be extremely helpful for me, otherwise, I might as well say forget it. I've seen a couple, like this one, however, I'm not to fond of the 0 reviews it has, along with other feeding irons on amazon. Any recommendations for an iron with an auto feed?

 

Sometimes when I need a third hand, I hold the solder in my mouth (lips).

John

 

Tape a mechanical pencil to the iron.. feed the solder through the tip..clicky..clicky.. voila

Quality solder feeders aren't cheap... Got a budget to work with here?
In reality any of the "off brands" on Ebay aren't too bad but no guarantees there..
or
You could pick up a used Hakko (quality brand) unit for as little as $100 on Ebay...
New units are 3 to 4 times that on average..
or
Find a good auction.. You can usually find them cheap..

Personally I'd just build one.. A few tubes, a motor, a few gears/wheels, and a switch.. Fun little electro-mechanical project to get you started..

oh and Don't put the solder in your mouth..

 

Soldering is a skill that takes time for anyone to master. I learned it using two hands. You can learn to do it with one hand, without that strange auto feed gun. I don't know, it might work great, but you can improvise with a regular soldering iron. You may have to use a spudger soldering tool or a micro gripper in your mouth. You can use a "Pana-vice" as a second or third hand. There is a technique called "re-flow". You tin the part, you tin the location, then get them close together and apply heat.

There are a lot of tools out there to help you. It is your disability, you figure out how to conquer it.

It takes much more patience and practice, than the use of a second hand, to solder well. I am certain that you could be a better solderer than most of the two handed people I see solder.

My advise, find a well stocked electronics supply store. Look at the soldering tools, accessories, vises, holders etc., and figure it out. Don't buy the cheapest soldering iron, nor the most expensive. There are a lot of how to solder videos on the internet, watch them.

When you start getting good at soldering, post some photos and tell us how you do it.