Meaning & use
soldering iron
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A hand tool with a heated metal tip that melts a metal alloy so two metal parts, such as wires, can be joined.
Grammar: Countable: a soldering iron, two soldering irons.
Patterns
- use a soldering iron
- a soldering iron for something
He heated the soldering iron and touched the wire to the circuit board.
Keep the soldering iron in its stand when you are not using it.
She burned her thumb on a soldering iron during the electronics class.
Word forms
| plural | soldering irons |
|---|
Common combinations
- heat up a soldering iron
- Heat up the soldering iron for a minute before you start.
- tin the tip of a soldering iron
- Tin the tip of the soldering iron so it transfers heat well.
- a temperature-controlled soldering iron
- A temperature-controlled soldering iron is safer for delicate parts.
- a soldering iron stand
- Always rest it in a soldering iron stand.
- unplug the soldering iron
- Unplug the soldering iron when you finish.
Synonyms and how they differ
- soldering gun
- A soldering gun is pistol-shaped and heats faster but is bulkier, so it suits heavier jobs than a soldering iron.
- soldering pen
- Soldering pen suggests a slim, light model meant for small electronics work.
- solder station
- A solder station is a soldering iron with a base unit that controls temperature, so it is a fuller setup than the iron itself.
Word family
Commonly confused: soldering iron or welding torch?
soldering iron vs welding torch
A welding torch melts the base metals themselves at much higher heat; a soldering iron only melts the added filler metal.
Practice
To attach a small wire to a circuit board, you would most sensibly use a ____.
Choose one answer.
A soldering iron melts solder to make an electrical joint. A clothes iron and glue stick cannot make a conductive joint, and a blowtorch is far too hot and imprecise.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “soldering iron”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.