Guy at the flea market showed me how to reflow a SNES joint with a cheap iron

He saw me staring at a dead console and just walked over, grabbed my iron, and fixed the thing in 30 seconds. Said he's been doing it since 94 and never bought a heat gun. Has anyone else run into old-timers who refuse to use modern tools?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_julia23d ago

Read an interview with a repair shop owner who swore by a $15 Weller iron from the 80s, said heat guns were overkill for 90% of console fixes. It really makes you wonder if the "right tool" stuff is just marketing (especially when a pro can make a cheap iron sing). Kinda refreshing to see someone stick with what works instead of buying into the newest gimmicks.

lilychen23d ago

lol @the_julia yeah that old Weller is probably tougher than half the stuff at Micro Center now. My buddy still uses a 30 year old Radio Shack iron with a tip he filed down with a nail file, and his Game Gear restorations look cleaner than my reflow station work. Next thing you know theyll sell us a $400 "precision heat wand" that just does the same thing but beeps fancy.

sam_anderson52m ago

My cheapo iron melted itself into a puddle trying to fix a Game Gear power jack last week, so maybe there's a middle ground where you don't need a $400 station but also don't trust a gas station soldering kit. That old Weller probably saw some tough love though, filing down tips like a caveman sharpening a rock and still getting cleaner joints than my reflow attempts. I swear half the YouTube tool reviews are just guys trying to justify their lab coats.